rate headline for you can set you back hundreds upon hundreds, even thousands, of pounds.

Not such a big deal. For here, to set you off on the right track, are five steps to never-fail headlines:

1. Write down the benefits your product or service. What will it do for the buyer? Does it save time? Make people look younger? Include everything you can think of, but only if it's true!

2. Turn them into a set of 30-50 different headlines. Don't stop to ponder which you will use. Just get them down on paper. And don't try too hard at

Marketing guru Gene Schwartz wrote: "Your headline has only one job – to stop your prospect and compel him to read the second sentence of your ad."

You can apply that to any marketing piece you write, including print ads, brochures, emails, web pages, letters and more. Without a compelling headline most readers will stop right there, and then discard the rest. And your message will nose-dive into oblivion.

Think about it, if you run an ad in your local paper, do you think anyone will be looking out for it (apart from your mum)? Heck no! It has to almost wave or yell at them to make readers notice. If your headline doesn't do that, the rest of your ad will go unread. Outcome = no sales.

Heading for ?29m in sales

If Schwartz hadn't bothered to come up with a half-decent headline, the company he wrote for would never have sold 1.98 million copies of a single $25 (?14) book that brought in $50m (?29m) worth of sales.

Like David Ogilvy and many other experts, Schwartz believed the headline is the most important part of an ad. So do I. In fact, I'd go so far to say that a great headline is vital.

“On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy..." says Ogilvy. "It follows that, unless your headline sells your product [service or business], you have wasted 90% of your money."

Buyers make their decisions at the headline

What’s more, around 60–80% of all people will read your headline and no more. If it doesn’t capture their interest enough, your message will stand little chance in an increasingly competitive marketplace. And your prospective client will move on to the next website, the next advert, the next email...

But if it really packs a powerful punch, a headline is capable of making the sale there and then. Advertising legend John Caples wrote: "In a print ad, 75% of the buying decisions are made at the headline alone."

Top copywriters understand these concepts very well. They know how essential it is for the headline to command attention by figuratively grabbing the prospect by the shoulders. And that’s why they spend the bulk of their time crafting a strong and appealing headline.

The thing is, hiring a professional copywriter to write a first- rate headline for you can set you back hundreds upon hundreds, even thousands, of pounds.

Not such a big deal. For here, to set you off on the right track, are five steps to never-fail headlines:

1. Write down the benefits your product or service. What will it do for the buyer? Does it save time? Make people look younger? Include everything you can think of, but only if it's true!

2. Turn them into a set of 30-50 different headlines. Don't stop to ponder which you will use. Just get them down on paper. And don't try too hard at t

most wave or yell at them to make readers notice. If your headline doesn't do that, the rest of your ad will go unread. Outcome = no sales.

Heading for ?29m in sales

If Schwartz hadn't bothered to come up with a half-decent headline, the company he wrote for would never have sold 1.98 million copies of a single $25 (?14) book that brought in $50m (?29m) worth of sales.

Like David Ogilvy and many other experts, Schwartz believed the headline is the most important part of an ad. So do I. In fact, I'd go so far to say that a great headline is vital.

“On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy..." says Ogilvy. "It follows that, unless your headline sells your product [service or business], you have wasted 90% of your money."

Buyers make their decisions at the headline

What’s more, around 60–80% of all people will read your headline and no more. If it doesn’t capture their interest enough, your message will stand little chance in an increasingly competitive marketplace. And your prospective client will move on to the next website, the next advert, the next email...

But if it really packs a powerful punch, a headline is capable of making the sale there and then. Advertising legend John Caples wrote: "In a print ad, 75% of the buying decisions are made at the headline alone."

Top copywriters understand these concepts very well. They know how essential it is for the headline to command attention by figuratively grabbing the prospect by the shoulders. And that’s why they spend the bulk of their time crafting a strong and appealing headline.

The thing is, hiring a professional copywriter to write a first- rate headline for you can set you back hundreds upon hundreds, even thousands, of pounds.

Not such a big deal. For here, to set you off on the right track, are five steps to never-fail headlines:

1. Write down the benefits your product or service. What will it do for the buyer? Does it save time? Make people look younger? Include everything you can think of, but only if it's true!

2. Turn them into a set of 30-50 different headlines. Don't stop to ponder which you will use. Just get them down on paper. And don't try too hard at

“On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy..." says Ogilvy. "It follows that, unless your headline sells your product [service or business], you have wasted 90% of your money."

Buyers make their decisions at the headline

What’s more, around 60–80% of all people will read your headline and no more. If it doesn’t capture their interest enough, your message will stand little chance in an increasingly competitive marketplace. And your prospective client will move on to the next website, the next advert, the next email...

But if it really packs a powerful punch, a headline is capable of making the sale there and then. Advertising legend John Caples wrote: "In a print ad, 75% of the buying decisions are made at the headline alone."

Top copywriters understand these concepts very well. They know how essential it is for the headline to command attention by figuratively grabbing the prospect by the shoulders. And that’s why they spend the bulk of their time crafting a strong and appealing headline.

The thing is, hiring a professional copywriter to write a first- rate headline for you can set you back hundreds upon hundreds, even thousands, of pounds.

Not such a big deal. For here, to set you off on the right track, are five steps to never-fail headlines:

1. Write down the benefits your product or service. What will it do for the buyer? Does it save time? Make people look younger? Include everything you can think of, but only if it's true!

2. Turn them into a set of 30-50 different headlines. Don't stop to ponder which you will use. Just get them down on paper. And don't try too hard at

next email...

But if it really packs a powerful punch, a headline is capable of making the sale there and then. Advertising legend John Caples wrote: "In a print ad, 75% of the buying decisions are made at the headline alone."

Top copywriters understand these concepts very well. They know how essential it is for the headline to command attention by figuratively grabbing the prospect by the shoulders. And that’s why they spend the bulk of their time crafting a strong and appealing headline.

The thing is, hiring a professional copywriter to write a first- rate headline for you can set you back hundreds upon hundreds, even thousands, of pounds.

Not such a big deal. For here, to set you off on the right track, are five steps to never-fail headlines:

1. Write down the benefits your product or service. What will it do for the buyer? Does it save time? Make people look younger? Include everything you can think of, but only if it's true!

2. Turn them into a set of 30-50 different headlines. Don't stop to ponder which you will use. Just get them down on paper. And don't try too hard at

rate headline for you can set you back hundreds upon hundreds, even thousands, of pounds.

Not such a big deal. For here, to set you off on the right track, are five steps to never-fail headlines:

1. Write down the benefits your product or service. What will it do for the buyer? Does it save time? Make people look younger? Include everything you can think of, but only if it's true!

2. Turn them into a set of 30-50 different headlines. Don't stop to ponder which you will use. Just get them down on paper. And don't try too hard at this stage. The point of this exercise is to stir your subconscious into throwing up something that will work.

3. Put your list in a draw and forget about it for a day or so.

4. Read your list out loud. Which headlines sound interesting? Believable? Excitable? Shortlist those and improve on them if you can, emphasising any offers you're currently running. Keep thinking, "What does this do for my customers?"

5. Ask yourself which of your shortlisted headlines really grabs attention and makes the reader want to read on. The one that resonates the most is the one you should test drive.