How to Write a Headline.

Since I began issuing my monthly EWAs in May of 2002, my purpose has remained constant: to tell my readers everything I know about writing in bite-size chunks. I have considerable skill when it comes to writing headlines. Let me know if you find this EWA helpful.

Writing a headline is a easy as 1,2.
Step #1: Figure out what you want to communicate in a phrase or sentence.
Step #2: Type those words at the top of your page. That's your headline.
But wait! There is method to my facetiousness. All headlines begin with an understanding of what you wish to communicate. Whether you're writing a direct mail piece, a brochure, a landing page or an e-mail blast, the best headlines (or subject lines) contain appealing benefits. The best headlines dramatize. And the best headlines often work on a turn of phrase, for example:

High blood pressure:
Ignore it and you'll go away

There is a knack to writing headlines, a knack that you can acquire and improve upon with practice. Here are two best practices:

1. Write the headline early and often. Whether you are writing a news feature or a direct response piece, start out by writing just a phrase or sentence that sums up what you think the piece is about. Do not try to make the language pretty or clever. As you proceed, let your headline be your creative platform. Take chances. As I'm fond of saying: ''Give the reader something to get, so the reader can say, ''Oh, I get that.'' Your readers will think more of themselves and of you when they do. Sometimes playfulness will do the trick, for example:

The most convenient bank branch is one you never have to visit.

Sometimes you may want to bring out the drama in a story:

She did not know how much her husband loved her until he sent her a Tupperware container on her birthday.

This walks down the time-honored path of effective story-telling ads from days of yore such as, ''They laughed when I sat down at the piano.'' The Tupperware ad tells the story of a husband who placed a ring inside a Tupperware container.

2. Write a list of possible headlines. There is no substitute for sitting down and banging out a bunch of possible headlines for any given piece. This is not easy, but force yourself. Go into stream-of-consciousness mode. Turn off the inner voice that says, ''This is no good.'' You will be amazed by what you can accomplish in a short time if you choose not to censor yourself.

Those are two principal techniques I recommend. To reprise: Let the headline come out of what you want to say, and force yourself to brainstorm.

Here are some other tips:

1. Make sure you write a headline, not a title The title of a Gothic romance is Candlelight Ecstasy. The headline that advertises that book is: Once you have knownCandlelight Ecstasy you will never settle for mere romance.

Titles can be short theme markers, e.g., The Year of Living Dangerously, or Tender Mercies. Headlines contain benefits, or when taken in with the visual, create the impression of a benefit.

2. Do not think that a headline must be short and snappy. More great ads were never written for this reason than any other. The writer refused to consider a longer headline because the writer thought it was just too long to be good. One headline I wrote: A bill in Congress right now will let your pension go up in smoke unless you stop it in time.'' It was a very effective ad. Sometimes you need more than a three-word headline. Longer can be better if it taps into emotion.

3. Always use active verbs. Use hyperactive verbs, if possible. Do not go blah with passive voice. Use active voice for cut-through power. If you would like to learn more about active vs. passive voice, e-mail me; I will send you an EWA on that subject.

4. Beware of puns. Using puns in headlines is like opening a speech with a joke. You had better know what you're doing, and it had better be good. Consider an ad for a flat monitor: We flattened our prices on LCD monitors. No one flattens their prices. Stores cut their prices. The pun doesn't work. Avoid overreaching. Compare that to the Wells Fargo line. The next stage. That dog can hunt.

5. Practice truth in headlines Think of your headlines as promises to your readers. Does the body copy or the content of the e-mail or web page deliver on the promise in the headline? Once a magazine ran a celebrity cover story under the headline: What is Her Secret? As it turned out, the article never covered that point. The headline was a sham. Make sure you deliver the goods. If you don't, your audience will feel cheated. I really wanted to know that celebrity's secret.

There you have it: a few thoughts on how to write a headline. And what was the headline I used for this piece? How to write a headline. How-to books are often best sellers for a very good reason. They earn their keep by teaching, as I hope my EWA has earned its keep with you.