Stop Your Prospect in his Tracks with the Right Headline

"It's a non-stop blitz of advertising messages," president of the marketing firm Yankelovich, Jay Walker-Smith told CBS News recently. "Everywhere we turn we're saturated with advertising messages trying to get our attention." According to Walker-Smith, back in the 1970's we each saw about 500 ads a day whereas today, that number has jumped to 5,000 a day.

Which means your headlines have to work overtime to stand out in the sea of marketing gobbledygook.

Four tips for effective headlines:

1. First and foremost, your headline must capture the attention of your prospect.

2. Clarity is key – the meaning of the headline should be crystal clear, and the benefits to the prospect immediately apparent.

3. The message must telegraph to your prospect that there’s something in it for him. The headline should resonate with your prospect so that he thinks, “This speaks to me!” You can accomplish this by stepping into the prospect’s shoes and addressing his biggest concerns.

4. Lastly, your headline should pull the prospect into the copy, reeling her in with each word.