The Art of Wearing a Mini-Skirt on Your Head(line)
Why your head(line) needs more attention than any other part of your body(copy)
“On average, five times as many people read the headline as they read the body copy...” - David Ogilvy, Father of Advertising
It also takes 8 positive impressions to undo one negative first impression.
In copywriting, like in life, the first impression matters. Your first words will colour the relationship the reader has with you. This will last for quite some time. You don’t want to mess it up.
When you’re writing your headline to sell your business, it’s not your only job to grab attention.
You want to maintain interest throughout, from start to finish.
To do that you need to apply a simple copywriting technique.
It all starts with what you are wearing on top.
Enter the mini skirt (principle)
The idea is straightforward, the difficulty lies in getting it right. Like a mini-skirt, you want to make sure your headline is short enough to be attention-grabbing, yet long enough to cover the essentials. You need to be able to tease but not deliver.
Writing a headline then needs to be concise. It must be to the point, whilst conveying the necessary information. The reader must have an urge to continue.
Give away too much and you won’t be remembered for anything but the first sentence. Too little, you may come across as a linguistic prude, so there won’t be much interest in seeing the rest of the body (copy).
To be clear, I’m not talking from experience. I don’t wear miniskirts often - just on Friday nights.
You see examples of these principles in action everywhere.
What are others wearing?
Some examples where this principle is utilised to its full effect:
Emotional levers can be laid bare. AirBnB’s ‘Belong Anywhere’ is a great headline that speaks to the core of the brand’s philosophy. It compels those looking for their next adventure to dive into their website and offer. There is a clear trigger of the primal drive to be a part of a tribe.
Evernote’s ‘Remember Everything’ speaks to the specific use case. The headline highlights the key benefit whilst alleviating a common market pain point. It’s concise, memorable, and clear. It leaves it open to interpretation without giving too much away.
Addressing the contextual issues of their market, Dollar Shave Club’s ‘Shave Time, Shave Money’ is another example. They make the value proposition clear. The headline connects with the market’s desire for cost efficiency. Again, it doesn’t give too much away, it’s intriguing so you want to understand more. How can they save you money? How can their product save me more time?
These companies will have a significant advertising budget, of course. Yet the methods used to get there remain the same. In-depth market research and avatar building that isn’t confined to basic demographic information. It explores the primal, environmental, psychological, and financial situations inherent in their minds. These aren't the only methods they use, of course.
Yet, once you have such contextual data, you need to craft the line itself.
Wearing it with pride
We can use elements of the above examples to increase the potency of your headlines:
Throw a powerful punch right at the start. Commanding and attention-grabbing words will hook the reader from the start. Use emotional, visual, auditory, and olfactory language. Use contrasts, mystery, humour, movement, and the myriad of copywriting techniques available. Unleash the weight of your arsenal through the narrowest of barrels.
Focus on clarity and brevity. Avoid unnecessary words or jargon. Strive for simplicity. Maximize word economy.
Know your reader. You have to be clear on who you are speaking to, where they are now, and where they want to go. As explored previously.
Where do you want to take them? How do you want them to feel when they read your headline? The headline must contain a promise linked to their biggest pain and their largest desire.
Match the reader’s language. If you’ve conducted your research well enough, you’ll know the sort of words the market uses. It builds a connection, it helps them understand you, and you understand them. It shows you are on the same level, that you care, and want it to work out between you.
Rank emotion over logic. Humans make decisions based on emotions and then justify them with logic. How can you amplify the emotional resonance in the message?
Highlight the benefit. Help the reader identify the benefit of reading without giving away the prize. As above, you want to hint but don’t reveal.
Curiosity is king. Ask a thought-provoking question, tease a surprising revelation, or use a bold statement. Suggest there is valuable information, a secret or the answer to a market mystery.
Seek Inspiration from successful headlines. Analyze a top player in your niche. Deconstruct what makes them so successful. What are the ingredients they are putting together to form theirs? Can you create a similar recipe?
We’ve explored a small handful of companies that have exercised this principle well. You could add in the more common examples of ‘Just Do It’, and ‘Think Different’. Or as I’ve seen most recently, ‘Perfecting the Art of Below-the-Belt Grooming’ and ‘Don’t Let Your Sleep Take You Hostage’. Not sure what the last say about the market, but that’s a different matter.
You can see why companies spend millions on advertising.
To continue to quote from Ogilvy at the beginning - “...when you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents of your dollar”. It will take time, but it's worth it. Done right, your headline will stick in the mind of the consumer, making it more likely your products will sell.
Wearing a mini-skirt on your head(line) doesn’t need to be complex. Yet, you need to ensure you prioritise how it's crafted. It all comes down to the way you weave the words together.
The fabric can't be too thick, not too thin. Not too long, not too short.
It needs to be just the right length.
Thank you for taking the time to read.
Very best,
