The ultimate headline secret to creating highly converting meta ads.

Let me share with you something fixable with 90% of local businesses' Facebook advertising.

Actually, probably closer to 95%.

A good headline is a crucial part of any ad you will ever run, ever!

For you to even get a chance to sell your product/service, first your audience has to read your ad in the first place. 

That starts with your headline. 

If it's good, it doesn’t just make the person get past the first line, it makes them hooked to learn more about what you’ve got! 

The problem is…

Most headlines are utter garbage. 

They’re dreadful. 

Try recounting an ad that you saw in the past week whether it be billboards or on social media; it doesn’t matter.

I almost guarantee that you’d struggle to think of something. 

That’s because most headlines are boring, uncreative, or just far too salesy. 

But how do you judge if your headline is one of those three?

Here’s a decent litmus test that I learned from Dan Kennedy about writing effective headlines:

"If you took an ad, and you had just the headline and a response mechanism, is your headline strong enough on its own to get any leads?"

Now, I’ve got some ad headlines I found on Facebook this past week.

Let's see if they pass the test:

“Meet Miguel; our lead carpenter.” - that was for a carpenter's business. 

“Paperwork piling high?” - that was for an accounting firm. 

“Is your mum special?” - that was for a candle company doing a Mother’s Day promo. 

Do any of them pass the test?

Of course not and why would they?

All 3 of them give ZERO reason for an audience to care.

You know what a good headline that would instantly get an audience to pay attention would look like? 

“If you're suffering from sciatica, you need to hear this.” - This is the hook for an ad on the Dainley belt, an electronic belt that relieves back pain.

If you're someone suffering from sciatica, and it's getting worse, you're hooked on this ad; I have your full attention.

Now I’ve shown what's bad about bad headlines, and what's good about good headlines, but how do you create juicy headlines for your ads that lure your readers in? 

1. Don’t talk about yourself.

The most important person in your audience's life is… themselves.

So the quickest way to make them move past your headline is if you don’t talk about their wants and interests, but you instead talk about yours. 

Remember people don’t care about you, they care about themselves.

Use that to your advantage. 

2. Put yourself in their shoes.

Think about what would be an interesting offer to them. 

For example; If you’re selling mortgage brokerage services an example of a lame headline would be

“Your Ideal Home Awaits – Let Our Experts Find the Perfect Mortgage for You!”

It’s so obvious it's really about you and what you do.  

Instead, we do 

“4 little-known tricks to get a higher mortgage rate.”

Not only have you made the headline about them, but you’ve also made a compelling offer right there. 

If I was in a position where I was looking for the best mortgage deals, I’d be far more likely to pay attention than the lame headline.

And finally…

3. Make it believable but make it unique. There is such a thing as an offer “too good to be true”.

That’s the kind of sleazy marketing that gives the industry a bad reputation. 

People can smell when someone is overselling something, both in person and in text.

Am I suggesting you should make your offer boring? 

No, of course not. What I am saying is to make sure that whatever you're trying to sell in the headline is not only interesting but seems attainable.

Remember;

1. Don’t talk about yourself. 

2. Put yourself in their shoes.

3. Make it believable but make it unique. 

Follow these tips, and you will be able to create attention-grabbing headlines that keep your reader glued to the screen. 

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