Testing Ad Copy: 7 Simple Headline Ideas for Targeted Advertising

Qualities of a great headline:

— Attention
The headline should be intriguing and draw in your target audience with its offer.
— Clarity
The headline should be easy to understand and concise. Statistics show that 80% of audiences disengage when the author fails to communicate the key point in the headline.
— Audience
One headline for one specific target audience. Don’t try to cram offers for everyone into a single message.
— Leaves them wanting more
The headline should make readers want to keep reading and get to the main body of the text.
— Specifics
Use precise numbers and facts. No vague claims or fuzzy phrases like “You’ll earn tons of money” or “This is the best weight loss solution.”

Here are a few simple recommendations to make your headlines stronger:

1. Ask a question
We’re all human and share similar needs and desires. You don’t need to get too specific — we’re talking about basic instincts. Everyone wants to feel valued and have their opinion matter. You can use that. Instead of making a direct statement, just ask the person a question.

This signals that their opinion matters and filters out people who aren’t your target audience. Questions open up a conversation, pull people in, and are a powerful persuasion tool.

2. The power of negativity
We’re used to seeing headlines dripping with positivity and sweetness. Try a different approach. Use negative headlines.

Research from Outbrain shows that negative headlines outperform positive ones by 63%.

Example:
Instead of “The Best Way to Get Rid of Oily Skin” try “These Methods Are Useless Against Oily Skin.”

3. Change the word order
Experimenting with different word sequences in your headline can help you find the most effective version. Most users scan a headline from left to right, which means the first word they see will influence everything that follows. If that first word puts them off, the rest of the headline is wasted.

4. Power words
Often, people don’t even finish reading the headline before clicking through to the full article. That’s the work of “power words.” Maybe the reader spotted “free” or “cheap,” or some other word that grabbed their attention. This is one more reason to study your target audience and test your headlines repeatedly. You never really know whether the full text or just one specific word will do the trick until you see it in action.

SEMrush once analyzed around ten thousand ads in Google Ads and uncovered some of the most clickable and popular words used on Google.

5. Personal experience
People tend to gravitate toward content that features a personal story. The logic is: someone else has already done this, they know the ins and outs, they know how to solve the problems. Follow their lead and things will work out.

Examples:
— How I Made $30,000 in Affiliate Marketing
— How I Earned My First Dollar Online

6. Fear
These headlines can drive outstanding results. After all, people instinctively seek protection. When someone reads about a problem, they’ll want to find the solution in the body of the text.

Examples:
— Without This Skill, You’re Losing Up to $15 a Day.
— Running Your Car Without This Will Lead to Irreparable Damage.

7. Authority
Trust in the content multiplies when it references recognized experts in the field.

Examples:
— Business Success Secrets from Warren Buffett.
— Improve Your Public Speaking Skills Using This Proven Method.

Takeaway
We’ve only covered 7 techniques here. These are far from the only ways to make a headline clickable, but even testing with just these basic methods will help you achieve solid sales numbers and strong click-through rates.