The subject of writing a good headline could fill a book in itself. There is no right or wrong way to write a headline, and you should always test different variations of your headline because if you have a weak headline very few people will continue reading, thus resulting in lost sales.

The best way to come up with a headline is to put you in your visitor's shoes. Ask yourself "If I were one of my potential customers, what words, features, benefits, etc would make me want to keep reading and eventually order my product?".

We'll give you a few tips to get you started on writing or rewriting your own headline:

• Social proof headlines work well. Use phrases such as "Who else wants to [have whatever your product does]", "Learn how thousands of people have [done whatever your product does]", "Here's how to [get the benefits your product provides]", etc.
  
  
• Your headline should stress the top benefit of your product. It should be short and to the point and should make visitors want to keep reading to learn more.
• Avoid head lines that sound too good to be true or include too much hype, such as "With only one hour a day you too can become a home-based-business millionaire in only 4 weeks".
• Research. Look around the Internet for headlines that grab your attention and copy their format, or think back to recent purchases you've made online and note down the headline or web content that persuaded you to buy and use it on your own site.

Formality Not Required

Any good business owner should think of his customers as extension of him and his company. I know that when I answer emails from our customers (and I answer at least 50 a day) or if I'm writing sales copy for our web site, I structure my sentences as if I'm talking to a close friend. I find that formality in web copy, email or phone conversations only adds awkwardness, so I try to avoid it.

Sure, if you're an enterprise-level company formality is a must, but most people buy from small companies because they prefer personal interactions and appreciate the attention to detail. Here's an example of what I like to call "stiff" copywriting:

The new version of Interspire SendStudio is ideal for email marketers. It includes dozens of new features perfect for anyone looking to start and maintain an email marketing campaign.

Bland, boring, no benefits, and it doesn't speak to the visitor. Always try and use the word "you" as much as you can, whilst refraining from using your company name or references to your organization as much as possible.

Here's a partial reworking of the stiff copywriting from above:

Are you looking for an email marketing solution that will increase your revenue, put you 10 steps ahead of your closest competitor *and* make your clients worship you?

If so, SendStudio is for you. We understand small businesses like yours and have built an affordable email marketing solution...

I've bolded the references to "you" or "yours", and I've colored the benefits red. This is just a simple example, but I'm sure you can see what I'm getting at. Remember, they don't care about you or your company. They only care about what's in it for them.

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