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General Articles >> Copywriting Tips >> Attention-Grabbing Headlines
Direct Mail Postcards: 7 Ways to Grab Attention With Your Headline
by Brandon Cornett
By reading this sentence, you have proven the point I'm about to make. Direct mail postcards with numbers in the headline get people's attention!
The method behind this direct mail headline is simple:
First, pick a goal or a benefit -- increasing performance, saving time or money, improving health, etc. Make sure the benefit matches your target audience. Then tell the reader how to accomplish this goal in X number of steps (or give them X number of ways to achieve the same goal).
Here are seven things you can do to maximize your success with this direct mail strategy:
1. Write numbers as numbers.
Numbers catch the eye better in numerical form (7), as opposed to written form (seven).
2. Use odd numbers.
With everything else being equal, odd numbers have been shown to outperform even numbers. Odd numbers appear more scientific and legitimate. That's why Listerine kills 99% of germs instead of 100%.
3. Write clearly.
Keep your headline straightforward and simple. The reader should understand your message (and the benefits behind it) right from the get-go. She should not have to read the headline twice or puzzle over its meaning.
4. Use strong action words.
Strong words conjure up strong emotions. Boring words yield boring results -- drop them from your direct mail vocabulary. Instead of telling readers how to "increase the safety of their computer systems," tell them how to "safeguard their data and shield their servers."
5. Crank up the benefits.
To increase the motivating power of your numbered headline, simply increase the reward promised by the headline. For example, instead of "7 Ways to Decrease Your Debt," you might say "7 Ways to Eliminate Your Debt." Only one word has changed, but now the promise of value is much greater. "Decrease" is vague. "Eliminate" is absolute.
6. Deliver on your promise.
If your direct mail postcard mentions "21 Ways to Increase Your Web Marketing Success," you better follow up with (you guessed it) 21 ways to improve the reader's web marketing. At the very least, offer a summary or excerpt of those tips and then point to a full report that offers the rest. Be sure there's a product behind the promise.
Stay away from "bait and switch" headlines that don't deliver on the promise. Trickery and deceit will get you nowhere.
7. Follow a formula.
Develop a formula when creating your postcard headlines. This will help you ask all the right questions and shape a headline around the answers to those questions.
Example formula:
- Audience
- Product
- Number of parts
- Benefit
- Headline
Now let's imagine we're a financial services company using this headline formula for a direct mail postcard. It might go something like this:
- Audience: Middle-income taxpayers
- Product: Financial seminar
- Number of parts: Three
- Benefit: Saving money
- Headline: Get More Money at Tax Time – 3 Simple Steps
You can see how the formula builds the headline. It also helps us identify the heart of our message and the audience it's intended to reach.
Bonus Tip: Write a Dozen, Keep the Best.
Headlines can make or break a direct mail postcard. So don't settle for your first attempt. Even professional copywriters rarely hit the mark on the first try.
Personally, I'll write at least a dozen versions of a direct mail headline. Then I'll eliminate half of them (the weaker half) right off the bat. Then I'll put them aside for a day or so, and when I review them again I'll pick what I think is the best one.
Related article: Direct Mail Marketing: The Headline Factor
About the Author
Brandon Cornett is the editor of PostcardSmart.com, the Internet’s largest website dedicated entirely to direct mail marketing with postcards. For more expert articles on postcard marketing, visit http://www.PostcardSmart.com.
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