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Welcome to The Healthcare Marketing Connection! This week we are taking a close look at headlines. What their purpose should be, what absolutely should NOT be in your headlines, and we look at a few examples of great headlines you can tweak for your healthcare practice.

Big news here at A Marketing Connection and The Copywriting Institute. I've had several companies ask me if I have copywriters on staff in the last month. I don't. What I do know is a lot of copywriters that want to grow their business AND work in the healthcare industry. I have one client lined up with copywriting assignments right now, looking for at least ten copywriters to write articles about alternative healthcare and possibly another client in December - what I need are some trained copywriters willing to write some copy with my guidance and feedback! Right now—this client is on a deadline. If this sounds interesting to you follow this link to learn more: www.thecopywritinginstitute.com/learntheropes.html

Finally, happy Labor Day to my friends in the U.S.! My family is going to spend the weekend at the pool, enjoying every last second of summer before it is over. I plan to read three books, get a tan, and let my husband grill dinner every night. I hope you can do the same.

To your success!

Kelly

Headlines - are you giving them the attention they deserve?

Studies show that the first thing a reader scans in your ad is the headline, and the second thing is subheads. Your headline is probably the most important part of anything you write, especially when we are talking about advertisements.

Your headline has one purpose - to grab the reader's attention and get them to read the rest of your ad.

What should never be in your headline? The name of your clinic or the doctor's name. That is not attention grabbing. That is not getting your prospect so curious that they HAVE to read the article.  

Many of us write articles or post to blogs to grow our business. The headline for these purposes should grab attention with a benefit or arousing curiosity. In these instances the headline should also tie the reader right back into the story you are telling.

As a copywriting coach and teacher it's been interesting critiquing other people’s writing. It's definitely a very different experience from critiquing your own. One of the most common things I see when doing critiques is a lot of weak headlines. I think this is because the writers are writing their headlines first, before they write the article. I do this as well sometimes.

But while I may go through and edit this article five times (or 30 times) before it's done, I don't think these writers are doing this with their headlines. They write the headline, play with the article a lot - meanwhile the original intent changes along the way - but then never go back to evaluate the headline. So there's a huge disconnect between the headline and the article.  

What can you do to stop this problem? When you are done with the article, ask yourself if the headline is still relevant to the article. Oftentimes it is not.

That's why I recommend you write the headline last. And if you HAVE to write the headline first (and some of us do), brainstorm 10 or more headlines and put them off to the side. Decide on a headline when your article is done.

Here are a few samples of great, attention grabbing headlines.

"Have you got these symptoms of (degenerative disks or deviated septum)"
"When doctors are in pain, this is what they do"
"Health secrets that drug companies don't want you to know about"
"5 Ways to get rid of pain”

If you use a headline like this, be sure to answer the question or address the issue you bring up right away in your article. When I say right away I mean in the first or second sentence. This is important because if you don't address the claim you are making (which is big enough to grab the reader’s attention) you will lose both the readers interest and your credibility.

My last tip on headlines...
Tests show that headlines within quotes, like I showed you above, increase response by 25%. I can't tell you where I read that, but I did. The best way to know if this is true for you is to test this for yourself.

(c) 2007, A Marketing Connection

Want to use this article in your e-zine or web site? No problem! Just let me know at info@KellyRobbinsLLC.com. I'll send you a short bio to include at the end of the article.

This week Kelly recommends Bob Prosen's RESULTS. This e-newsletter is a great resource for business leaders. Published, every other month, editor Bob Prosen provides you with proven business management advice and tips to help you lead your company/organization to successful operational and financial results.

If you have any other great resources you'd like me to share with everyone, let me know and I'll check it out. kelly@KellyRobbinsLLC.com

Fr.ee business building teleseminar: Tips, Tricks and Tools to Make High Profits in Copywriting...Fast! - Wednesday September 12th from 1pm to 2pm MT. Register here: www.kellyrobbinsllc.com/businessbuilding.html

Annual SHSMD conference in Washington DC - October 3rd - Kelly will be presenting a 3 hour workshop, entitled It's Lonely Out Here...How to Connect with Customers When You're on a Limited Budget.

To learn more about healthcare copywriting and marketing, visit my Web site at www.KellyRobbinsLLC.com/article_archives.shtml. There are tons of fr ee articles on a variety of helpful topics.