…(really, from Joe Vitale via Joe Sugarman).
Reading “The Adweek Copywriting Handbook” by Joe Sugarman, I came across this useful copywriting tip that Joe got from Joe Vitale…
Strictly speaking, it’s about blogging and attracting interest from search engines and hence getting more traffic.
But it’s also applicable to the general problem of grabbing the interest of your reader in headlines, email subject lines and blog post titles.
Joe’s tip is that to attract interest (from search engines in particular) then use popular events, current trends and famous names.
Joe used the headline “What I Learned From Lindsay Lohan About Losing Weight” and it attracted strong interest because of the association with a famous personality.
It makes a lot of sense when you think about it because of the celebrity obsession in contemporary society. I’ve noticed many top copywriters use this device. Harlan Kilstein, for example, is a master at tying in the trials and tribulations of celebrities to promote his “Physiology Of Excellence” program.
So, use this to add some spice and variety to your attention grabbing devices such as headlines. Don’t overdo it, of course, and make sure the body copy links in with the headline. In this post, the link is a little tenuous but I’m sure you get the point!