The news headline is my favorite kind of headline. Or close to my favorite. It’s hard to decide. All I know is that anytime I see the word “NEW,” my eyes are immediately glued to it.
And that is exactly why it’s such a powerful headline.
People love to learn what’s new. Your reader doesn’t want to be left behind, left out of the loop, or left clueless. They want to be informed, aware, and generally be seen as on top of things. And even more, your reader loves it if she finds out about something before it’s common knowledge.
You can take advantage of this “need to know now” driver by featuring headlines in your copy that say NEW!
What is a news headline?
A news headline simply informs your reader that something new is on the scene. It tells your reader about new uses and new improvements to an old product or service.
Short story: I used to sell Pampered Chef. When I first started, I asked my director why the company discontinued items. “Sooo…. we can bring out new products?” She said this slowly while nodding her head up and down, as though I was three fries short of a Happy Meal.
And she was right. The Pampered Chef corporate office was right. Who wants the same selection year after year? Pampered Chef understands the powerful psychological concept of collectibles and they are masters when it comes to introducing a “new” addition to a current collection or category.
Their fans have to buy the new item. They drool over this stuff. (Believe me, they do. I’ve been at the conferences when they roll out the new items. You’d think we were at a Tim McGraw concert.)
Examples of a news headline:
Introducing a Special Offer Only Available to Our Subscribers
Announcing the New ABC Bank
Say Hello to our Newest Addition
Each headline pulls in the reader with it’s promise of informing them of something new, something that just rolled out and can help them.
Why? Because it’s improved.
Whenever a reader sees something “new,” they immediately wonder what type of new features or additions have been developed, knowing instinctively that it’s all been done (usually) for their benefit.
The “new” says to the reader: “You’re the center of our universe and we’re now going to prove it by delivering something so amazingly fresh and brilliant that you’ll know you must have it!”
Doesn’t matter if that promise really materializes. We usually fall for that promise over, and over, and over again.
And it’s a good thing. Because a news headline is one of the easiest ones to write.
However, a few caveats.
You have to actually have something new to announce. And you can’t announce something “new” and then leave it in your marketing collateral or on your website for two years and expect people to respond to it.
How to write a news headline
Use these words:
- Introducing
- Announcing
- New
- Finally
- Presenting
- Just published
- Hot off the press
- Today’s…
- Now
Think of a news headline just as you would a newspaper’s headline. Newspapers need to grab a reader’s attention immediately. With a news headline, you do this by using such words that will cause the reader to pause and find out why there is such a fuss.
I’ve noticed that many web services start rolling out a new service or product by sending out teaser emails to their lists. “Get ready…” “We’re about to blow the lid off…” And so on. They’re building up anticipation and excitement. So if you have something new to introduce to the world, consider following that strategy.
Then when the time comes, blare out your news headline EVERYWHERE. On your website. In social media. Send out press releases. Target industry thought leaders and let them know.
The news headline is the equivalent of a battalion of horn players, blaring out a victorious song. Announcing the best thing since sliced bread! Since peanut butter met chocolate! Since touchpads made our lives so much easier and occupies the attention of toddlers!
Yeah. You’ve got something to shout about. Let your headline do it for you.
The Headline Deep Dive Series:
