Write Better Headlines: 3 Ways to Get Unstuck That Aren’t AI.

Thanks for the heads up ... I think.

With deadlines pressing and multiple tasks needing good lines, AI can become an easy crutch. But if you want to write something good, here are a few ways I’ve found to get stuck headlines moving again.

Dig In on Idioms. 

Sometimes, the easiest way to get someone’s attention is to play with, play against, or play off something they’re familiar with. What I like to do is come up with a few words that either explain the benefit I want my reader to focus on, or words that describe the problem. Then, I go to this website, a free idiom dictionary. 

When I have a list of idioms, I look for ways to pull them apart and create new meaning that benefit my concept. Here’s an example:

A true workhorse line of hunting binoculars, the Diamondback® HD, was due for a rerelease. Our team was thrilled to bring new optical coatings to the line, coatings that enabled better performance in low light.

One of the words I sought out idioms for was “light.” The phrase “First Light” appeared in the list. I was immediately drawn to it because hunters favor first light and last light because that’s when game is most frequently on the move.

In playing with these phrases, simply writing down ideas they reminded me of, I found “Love at first sight.” It wasn’t a far leap to combine these ideas into one strong tagline that put the product’s benefit front and center: “Experience Love at First Light.”

This line came from a simple exercise, just playing with idioms.

(As a complete side note: The interplay between idiom and advertising isn’t simply one way. Phrases like, “Good to the Last Drop,” (Maxwell House Coffee) and “Don’t Leave Home Without It” (Discover Card) began as advertising lines and became idioms. The most unforgettable ads frequently find their way into our idioms and vernacular. Another way to put it: How many years did it take before movies, TV, and other media stopped saying “Wazzzzuuuup?” And if you’re too young to remember that particular cultural ear worm, just think of “67” but without the presence of 10,000 other memes to distract people…)

Embrace the Negative.

One of my toxic writing traits is getting locked into a lane and forgetting that there are countless ways to attack concept development and headline building. For example, it’s easy to default to a “here’s what you’ll get when you buy this product/service/widget.” (These are taglines, so not apples to apples, but think BMW’s “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” or Disney’s “The Happiest Place on Earth.” Couldn’t be much more on the nose…)

But what if we flip that approach on its head and focus on what you’re choosing to get by NOT buying. One of my favorite lines that takes this approach is this Harley Davidson gem:

By not getting that Harley, you’re choosing the boring, predictable, impotent life of a man on a plane who can’t even open his own bag of peanuts.

My own take on this execution is way tamer, but the same principle applies.

A small, regional hospital noticed patient numbers dropping, and discovered the reason was people were relying on technology, self-diagnosing on the web and relying on their FitBit for health info. My line took the approach of focusing on what they’re NOT getting, which is a living doctor with real experience.

“I Wish It Was 50-Feet Tall and Made of Brass.”

I had a sculpture teacher in college who used to walk up to student work, pinch his chin with a thumb and forefinger, take a really affected, deep breath, then say, “I wish it was 50 feet tall and made of brass.” In other words, I wish it was something totally different than what it is.

Here are a few ways to use this idea:

1. Headline Length – Sometimes, you have to fit a headline into a defined space. Other times, though, headline length is negotiable, as long as the line is worth it. So, if you’re trying to be really concise, use a headline that tells a story. If you were working in a longer form, try to get the job done in four words. (Here’s an example from my own work. With some billboards, you just have to be concise. But with others, using more words can be just as effective.)

   
   

2. Get Interrogative – If you’ve been stuck trying to write a declaritive headline, or one that pushes for action, try and change things up by asking a question. One of the most famous examples of this style of line is, “Do You Close the Bathroom Door Even When You’re the Only One Home?” Written for a direct mail piece for Psychology Today by Bill Jayme, this line lives on in Reddit discussions to this day as not only a fun icebreaker, but a great example of a line that makes you stop.

   
   

3. Put Your Tongue On It – Your senses are the most powerful tool you have to evoke real emotion in your audience. Try to make your reader experience your headline with a different part of their body, like Pringles with their tag “Once You Pop, You Can’t Stop.” It’s subtle, but the ad leverages that “pop” the can makes when you open it, a sound deeply familiar to fans of the chip. Here’s an example that takes this idea to the extreme: Dunkin Donuts, in a South Korean ad campaign, played Dunkin ads on the radio and simultaneously released the smell of Dunkin coffee into the bus with special devices.