Top 30 Best Advertising Headlines (And How to Use Them)
When writing an advertisement, there are several different elements you need to be aware of. The body copy has to be entertaining in order to keep a hold on the reader’s attention, the imagery has to stand out, and the offer has to encourage action. But each of these things only accounts for a fraction of the ad’s performance.
Without a value-packed, curiosity-piquing headline, the reader won’t even get to the body copy or the offer. In this post, we’ll go over the 30 best headlines in advertising history and how you can use them for your Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and blog articles.
TOC
What makes a good headline
Understanding your audience
Value and benefits
Headlines are vital for creating an effective ad.
What Makes a Good Headline
A good headline draws in attention, summarizes the most prominent benefit of your product or service, and uses engaging words to illustrate and resonate with the reader. A good headline makes the benefits obtainable with one easy step - the call-to-action listed at the bottom of your ad. The best headlines are short, concise, engaging, pique curiosity, and present an irresistible benefit.
A good headline uses action words, descriptive text, common vocabulary, and is specific to the target audience. Good headlines also incite inspiration to continue reading.
Understanding Your Audience
In order to write a good headline, you have to understand your audience. In order to understand your audience, you have to know their biggest problems, largest desires, their needs and wants, and their fears.
Knowing what drives them to take action will be the only way you can connect your product or service to their immediate needs and wants. It will inspire them to learn more and take action with your brand.
Value and Benefits
The best headlines provide value to the reader. This can be a solution to their problem, a way to get what they want, or helpful information they have been looking for. Headlines also illustrate benefits. Choose the number one most outlying benefit a consumer can derive from your product or service and make it the focal point of your ad’s headline.
Top 30 Best Advertising Headlines
1. The Secret to Making People Like You
Everyone loves a good secret, especially when it benefits themselves. Learning how to be more persuasive and get people to act and think like yourself will always be a motivating factor throughout business professionals.
2. A Little Mistake That Cost a Farmer $3,000 a Year
This headline relies on the “risk of loss” factor. The idea of losing something valuable, especially money, will inspire most people to go to great lengths to prevent that from happening.
3. Advice to Wives Whose Husbands Don’t Save Money - By A Wife
This headline is meant to hit home to a very specific crowd - wives that are tired of their husbands not saving money. It’s one of this “written just for me by someone just like me” type of headlines. If seen by the right crowd, this ad would perform phenomenally.
4. Are You Ever Tongue-Tied at a Party?
This headline confronts a common fear or struggle that the majority of people have, at least the majority of people that are in this brand’s target market. Asking a question that calls out a specific struggle within a target audience is a great way to produce results.
5. How a New Discovery Made a Plain Girl Beautiful
Some headlines you can circle the winning words. New, discovery, beautiful, plain; all are words that describe something desirable and relevant. These descriptive words help make it easier for the reader to visualize before and aftereffects of the product or service. The reader may even resonate with the “plain girl” aspect and may also want to achieve that feeling of beauty.
6. How to Win Friends and Influence People
“How to” statements always insight curiosity, especially when the benefit is relevant. Winning friends and influencing people are two of the most desirable traits known to humankind, which is why this book title made the author one of the best-selling writers among the professional businessperson demographic.
7. Do You Make These Mistakes in English?
Another question, this headline sparks anxiety and fear that something the reader may be doing is wrong. You can imagine that skimming through a magazine, this headline could cause you to stop out of curiosity for learning more.
8. Why Some People Almost Always Make Money in the Stock Market
This headline succeeded for a handful of reasons. People love life hacks, especially when it involves earning money. This headline also answers the question “why” and gives an almost guarantee for “always” making money. This headline also targets a specific group of people - those who are interested in the stock market.
9. How I Improved My Memory in One Evening
This one also has the “how to” aspect of a general benefit that can easily resonate with its target audience.
10. Have You These Symptoms of “Nerve Exhaustion”
Health concerns are a very effective way to capture someone’s attention, especially if you subtly instill the question and curiosity of the reader possibly having the symptoms. This can be a very negative headline if used unethically, but definitely encourages the reader to continue reading to find out if they have symptoms that could affect their nerves.
11. Six Types of Investors - Which Group Are You In?
Giving readers the chance to categorize themselves works wonders - that’s why those surveys identifying your answers as a character from your favorite tv show are so popular.
12. They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano… But When I Began to Play!
One of the most iconic headlines of all time, this one tells a story. Why were they laughing? What made them stop? Who is this person?
13. Little Leaks That Keep Men Poor
Another headline that relies on the risk of loss. This headline is sure to resonate with men that feel they are capable of much more.
14. Pierced By 301 Nails… Retains Full Air Pressure
You can picture what this tire might look like in your head, can’t you? Great imagery, and an even stronger claim.
15. I Lost My Bulges… And Saved Money, Too
Two appealing factors here - achieving a desired benefit and saving money. Readers will be curious as to how the writer was able to accomplish both and will continue reading on.
16. New Cake-Improver Gets You Compliments Galore!
Introduces a product as a solution and illustrates a common desirable benefit - getting noticed for your skills.
17. It’s a Shame For You Not to Make Good Money - When These Men Do It So Easily!
Hints at an easy way to make money and provides actionable insight into how available it is for virtually any man.
18. Thousands Now Play Who Never Thought They Could
Illustrates the amount of people who doubted their abilities but found it possible with whatever product or service this headline is promoting. Makes this desirable benefit easily accessible to virtually anyone.
19. Make This 1-Minute Test - Of An Amazing New Kind of Shaving Cream
People love fun test and trials. The quick 60 second test this headline outlines how you can test this new shaving cream and just exactly what the results will be.
20. Again She Orders… “A Chicken Salad, Please”
A commonly relevant experience for any husband or boyfriend, their significant other ordering a salad at dinner. This headline is more relevant in context to the time of its existence, but pulled in readers’ attention through relevance and concise accuracy.
21. For the Woman Who is Older Than She Looks
Every woman dreams of looking younger than they are, and perhaps the secret to achieving this will be revealed in the body copy of this headline.
22. Where You Can Go in a Good Used Car
Headlines and advertisements that provide ideas and helpful information is very effective in pulling in reader attention. Consumers are always looking for new ideas to try and this headline might provide interesting insight into new things you can do with a used car.
23. Here’s A Quick Way to Breakup a Cold
A health ailment - always a relevant and curiosity-piquing topic. How to start feeling better, how to cure yourself, and how to achieve this “quick fix” will always draw attention.
24. There’s Another Woman Waiting for Every man - And She’s Too Smart to Have Morning Mouth
This headline is very edgy. Morning mouth, something that makes every human self-conscious, is sure to strike undeniably relevant to not just women that read this and fear losing their man, but anyone that experiences bad morning mouth.
25. Suppose This Happened On Your Wedding Day
A wedding day - every bride’s dream since she was a little girl. Any possible even that could ruin this would cause a bride to go above and beyond whatever it takes to prevent it from happening. This headline strikes fear and anxiety in every woman’s heart.
26. Former Barber Earns $8,000 in Four Months as a Real Estate Specialist
A barber, which used to be a relatively low-income occupation, suddenly making $8,000 in just four months was unheard of during this time. But if this barber can do it, wouldn’t you like to learn how so you can do it too?
27. Free Book - Tells You 12 Secrets of Better Lawn Care
Nowadays this is what we call a lead magnet - a free resource that readers can claim in exchange for contact information. This headline outlines 12 secrets to having a better-looking lawn - a lawn that your neighbors might ask you about how you did it. This headline works wonders because it leads on the idea that you could have the best lawn in the neighborhood (attention), holds 12 secrets (that everyone wants to know), and has the best offer known to humankind - free!
28. Now! Own Florida Land This Easy Way… $10 Down and $10 a Month
The idea that anyone could own land in Florida for just $10 a month is insane - I have to learn more!
If not out of curiosity, then out of doubt. Either way, this headline draws in readers of all kinds.
29. How to Get Rid of Acne In As Little As 24 Hours… Even If You’ve Tried Everything Else!
A commonly desirable benefit that can be achieved in a given amount of time, even if you’ve tried other solutions and failed. This headline hits the three sweet spots of advertising: actionable and achievable benefits, a timeframe for results, and hope against failing.
30. WARNING: Don’t Even Think About Trying to Invest in Cryptocurrency Until You Read These Market Reports
A common trend (investing) that you should completely avoid until reading what this article has to say. This headline is sure to draw a few eyes and encourage readers to continue on.
