One of the key parts of any advertisement is the headline. But it’s not just advertisers who want to “grab eyeballs”…newspapers and magazines have the same need and were writing attention-grabbing headlines well before the first direct-response copywriter put pen to paper (or whatever it was they were using!).
So, the advice from great copywriting teachers such as David Garfinkel and John Carlton is to study headlines from publications such as the National Enquirer. Along with other gems such as “Boy Eats Own Head” and “Preacher Explodes on Pulpit”, one of John Carlton’s favourites is “Headless Body in Topless Bar”. Even the most buttoned-up individual must wonder what that is all about and…want to read more…which is the action the headline wants to produce.
“Headless Body in Topless Bar” appeared on the front page of the “New York Post” on 15 April 1983…some 40 years ago.
The “Philadelphia Inquirer” reports on the story behind this iconic headline…
“Headless Body in Topless Bar: The Story Behind an Iconic Newspaper Headline”.
“Headlines sell newspapers — at least, they sell the print newspapers offered via those relics known as newsstands. In 1983, almost all of the 965,000 daily newspapers that rolled out of the Post’s building in Lower Manhattan were sold on newsstands.”
That day, pretty much every copy of the Post was sold…something that was almost unheard of.
So, why not have a browse through a magazines section…perhaps pick up an issue of something like “The National Enquirer”…and see if you can come up with some inspiration? Imagine you are going to write a sensational headline about your product or service for the next issue. You might not use that particular headline, but you might well find something you can use that will grab attention.