Writing Attention Grabbing Headings - 10 Copywriting Techniques

By Author: Roger Jenkins
Total Articles: 37
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A heading is the first thing that people see when viewing your copy. Therefore, it has to stand out, first of all. Then, the heading has to entice the reader to want to find out more. There are many writing techniques that copywriters employ to make their headings stand out. Here are some examples:
Opening with a question to engage the reader e.g. 'Are you Paying too much for Electricity?'

Opening with interesting facts or figures to arouse curiosity, and encourage potential customers to read on e.g. 'Thousands of People are Switching Gas Suppliers'. This might trigger the question, 'Why?' in your reader's mind.

Using Alliteration - this is when a sequence of words all start with same letter. This technique adds interest and can be easily remembered, e.g. 'Sample our Sizzling Sausages'.

Humour can be very effective in attracting attention, especially if the subject matter can be regarded in a light-hearted way.

Use of Metaphors - where something is compared to something completely different in meaning to produce an effect e.g. 'Our Course is a Recipe for Success'. Metaphors can also contain ...
... humour.

Employing Similes - this is when something is described by comparing it directly to something else e.g. hair like spun silk, selling like hot cakes.

Including an oxymoron in the heading - this is when two words with different meanings are joined together so that they mean something else, e.g. 'Our Prices are Increasingly Low'. The words 'increasingly' and 'low' are an oxymoron when used together as they are usually almost opposite in meaning. The same principle applies to the words 'pretty ugly'.

Use of homophones - these are words that sound the same, but are spelt differently e.g. rain and reign.

Using a brief summary of the story or article, which provokes curiosity e.g. 'Reds beat Blues in Biggest Battle yet'. This might cause the reader to ask - Who are the reds and blues? Does it refer to sport? If so, what kind of sport? Why was it the biggest battle yet? And so on...

Opening with a powerful adjective then supplementing it e.g. 'Sensational - One Day Offer'
Once the heading has succeeded in grabbing the reader's attention, you need the rest of the copy to keep him absorbed. This is where the skills of a copywriter can also help, by producing interesting, succinct copy that draws the reader in, and provokes the desired response. Because most copywriters write on a daily basis, they are used to employing these writing techniques and know what will work for a particular project.

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