This document discusses key aspects of copywriting, specifically related to headlines. It notes that headlines should attract attention, engage the audience, and present the key benefit. Common powerful words to use in headlines are listed. The main types of headlines covered are benefit, news/informative, provocative, question, and command headlines. Subheads are described as transmitting key sales points below the headline. The body copy should cover features, benefits and utility of the product or service and can be in straight sell, institutional, narrative, dialogue/monologue, picture caption, or device styles. Slogans are defined as providing continuity across ads and reducing the advertising message to a brief, memorable statement.

1. Copywriting
Aiden Yeh
Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages

2. The
headlines contains the words in the
leading position in the advertisement.
The words that will be read first
They are situated to draw the most
attention.
They appear in larger type (font) than
other parts of the ad
Headlines

3. Attract
attention
Engage the audience
Explain the visual
Lead the audience to the body of the ad
Present the key benefit
Role of the Headlines

4. Free
Now
Amazing
Suddenly
Announcing
Introducing
It’s here
Improved
At last
Just arrived
New
Use Power Words

5. Benefit
headline
News/informative headline
Provocative headlines
Question headlines
Command headline
Types of Headlines

6. Promises
the audience that using the
product will be rewarding
Simple statements – not cute or clever
Gore-Tex Fabrics
Keep you warm and dry, Speak a
foreign
Regardless of what falls
language in
Out of the sky
30 days or
your money
Includes the
name of the
back.
product
Benefit Headline

7. Benefit
Headline

8. Announces
news or promises information
Sea World’s It’s a Girl!
News/Information Headline

9. News/
Information

10. Provoke
reader’s curiosity
To stimulate questions or thoughts
Provides story appeal
Lay’s Potato ad ‘Betcha can’t eat just one’
Provocative Headlines

12. Asks
a question
Encouraging readers to look for answers
in the body of the ad
“What makes out tires smarter & richer
than others?”
Question Headline

13. Orders
readers to do something
“Obey your thirst.”
“Please don’t squeeze the Charmin”
Command Headlines

14. Smaller
texts that appear above or below
the headline
◦ -above [kickers/overlines]
◦ Below [underlines
Also transmits key sales points fast
Carries less important information than
the headline
Subheads are longer and more like
sentences than headlines
They bridge the headline to the copy
Subheads

15. Headline
Sub-headline

16. Interest
Credibility
Desire
Actions
steps
Covers features, benefits, and utility of
the product or service
Body Copy or Text

17. Straight
sell
Institutional
Narrative
Dialogue/monologue
Picture caption
Device
Body Copy Styles

18. Straightforward,
factual presentation
Presents facts and clear solutions
Good for high think-involvement products
◦ Citibank’s Service
Straight Sell

19. Straight sell

20. Promote
philosophy or merits of a
company
Organization’s image
 Banks
 Insurance companies
 Public corporations
 Large manufacturing firms
Institutional Copy

22. Tells
a story
Creates a situation and uses the product
as a rescue or saver
◦ Insurance company (the man who dies but,
fortunately, had just renewed his policy)
Narrative Copy

24. Characters
in the ad do the selling
Dialogue/Monologue Copy

27. Story
with illustrations and captions
Picture-caption Ad

28. Alliterations
Puns
Figures
of speech
Rhymes
Humor
Exaggeration
Device Copy

29. Taglines/themelines
Standard
statements
Provide continuity to a series of ads
Reduce advertising message strategy to a
brief, repeatable, and memorable
positioning statement
◦ AT&T’s “Reach out and touch someone”
◦ Cereal ad “Breakfast of Champions”
◦ DeBeers ad “Diamonds are forever”
Slogans

30. Picture
Caption
Copy
Slogan

31. Guess the type of headline

32. News/
Informative
http://carlastedwell.com/print.
html

33. Benefit
http://carlastedwell.com/brutal
.html

34. Question

35. Command

36. Provocative

37. Provocative/
Command

38. Practice Writing Headlines

40. Protective
Helmets
Sensodyne
Protects

41. Product:
Microsoft Office

45. Do a web search
Look for a print ad to analyze
Identify the elements of the ad
◦
◦
◦
◦
What kind of headline was used?
Was there a subhead and a slogan?
Was the visual attractive?
Was the overall lay-out creative? Does it make
the readers think? In what way?
Embed
your chosen ad into your blog post
(add the web link)
TASK