• 24 Ways to Create Compelling Headlines for Your Sales Letters
• Six Good Reasons for Sending HTML Email Newsletters

The headline is the most important part of your sales letter because it must capture attention instantly and also fuel interest. Headlines should succinctly communicate the essence of your message and wet visitors' reading appetite. Without a strong compelling reason to read on, the visitor will leave your web page.

There are so many ways to create attention-grabbing headlines. For example, you could:

1. Start with a question
   "Is Google AdSense Driving Potential Customers Away from Your Site?"
   "Hate exercise? Me too"
    
2. Address your target market
   "Attention Small Business Owners!"
   "If You Are A Webmaster And Looking For Free Tools…"
    
3. State a fact
   "Your Competitor Could Be Your Best Friend"
   "Marriage is the Biggest Investment In Your Life"
    
4. Use a quotation
   "I Lost 20 Kilos In 60 Days"
   "I Made $8,397 Last Month With My Affiliate Program!"
    
5. Arouse curiosity
   "Did You Know That…"
   "What Your Boss Doesn't Want You to Know…"
    
6. Connect emotionally
   "Do You Feel Tired When You Wake Up in the Morning?"
   "Are You Frustrated Because Visitors Leave Your Site Without Buying?"
    
7. Present your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
   "Get your University  Degree In 12 Months Even If You Have Not Completed High School"
   "Combine AdWords and ClickBank for Huge Online Profits and Make $1000 Per Month Without Having A Website Or A Product To Sell."
    
8. Create dreams
   "What Will You Do With That Extra $1,000 A Week?"
   "If You Could Convert 80% Of Your Website Visitors To Customers, How Much Money Would You Be Making?"
    
9. Provide newsworthy information
   "New Study Founds That 8 Out of 10 Websites Could Be Damaging Business' Credibility"
   "Drink Two Glasses Of Red Wine Every Day And You Will Live Longer, Reveals…(name of Study)"
    
10. Explain 'How To'
    "How to Promote Your Ebook And Become a Celebrity"
    "How to Choose Your Wedding Diamond Ring"
     
11. Give reasons
    "12 Good Reasons For Drinking Red Wine" (by now, you know I love red wine!)
    "24 Reasons To Form Strategic Alliances"
     
12. Start by 'why'
    "Why You Should Not Use 'Click Here'"
    "Why Potential Customers Are Abandoning Their Shopping Carts"
     
13. Guide Step-by-Step
    "Five Easy Steps To Win Customers"
    "Three Critical Steps To Gain Customer Loyalty"
     
14. Instil fear
    "Did You Realise That You Could Be Sued If…"
    "What Will You Do If Your Computer Crashes?"
     
15. Command
    "Lose Weight While Sitting At Your Computer"
    "Create Ads That Will Boost Your Sales"
     
16. Use Comparisons
    "Organic Search Engine Marketing Versus Pay-Per-Click"
    "Should You Give Away Or Sell Your Ebook?"
     
17. Add Secrecy
    "Insiders' Secrets For Instant Online Profits"
    "Psst! For Your Eyes Only...Expert (name of Expert) Shares How He Earns $25,000 Per Month With EBay"
     
18. Educate
    "Learn To Promote Your Website On A Shoestring Budget"
    "What's Blogging? Is It For You?"
     
19. Provoke
    "Women Over 35 Are Better Lovers"
    "Buying Shares Is A Waste Of Money"
    Provocative and controversial statements can attract attention but they can also infuriated your readers. Use with caution.
     
20. Start with negatives
    "Don't Make Your Sales Page Look Like An Advert"
    "12 Reasons Not To Buy A Web Cam"
     
21. Offer expert advice
    "All You Should Know About…"
    "Doctor (name of Doctor) Recommends…"
     
22. Give a new perspective
    "The Art (or Science) of Writing Headlines"
    "The Language of Success"
     
23. Exaggerate (if you can justify it)
    "The Revolutionary Formula Of…"
    "The Best Recipe to Cure Hangovers"
     
24. Give away incentives
    "Free pedometer"
    "Win A Holiday In Paris"

© 2006 Henriette Martel
 

Six Good Reasons for Sending HTML Email Newsletters

HTML Email Newsletter provides some advantages over Text Email Newsletters. These are:

1. Branding
   You can include your company logo.
    
2. Recognition
   For consistency and brand reinforcement, you can give your email newsletter the same look as your website.
    
3. Tracking
   You can estimate the number of times your messages are opened by recipients.
    
4. Highlighting
   You can draw attention to important parts of your message by varying fonts size and colours, use bold and italics fonts and coloured highlighting effects.
    
5. Images
   You can display images to reinforce your message.
    
6. Links
   You can hide long ugly URLs with meaningful descriptions.

The good news is that you don't need to employ a graphic designer to create a professionally looking template for your HTML email newsletter.

Feedback and suggestions are most welcome. Send to