Just now – as in 30 minutes ago – an associate called to say hello …
and to tell me his car is totaled …
Fortunately, he’s completely unharmed.
The car? Not so much.
Now he’s got to replace it … or else the work commute gets complicated fast.
So he’s researching online, talking to friends and test-driving in search of his new ride.
When you need to replace a car, cell phone, or even a service provider …
How do you decide?
Are you checking out the buying guides, blue books, and specs?
Are you looking at reviews?
Are your final decisions driven by logic and facts or strong feelings?
According to Professor Anthony Damasio, Professor of Psychology, Philosophy and Neurology at the University of Southern California, feelings play a significant role in buying decisions.
Even when you think they don’t …
Even when you don’t feel especially emotional ...
Even when you’re scanning comparison charts, buying checklists, and lists of features and specs.
Your gut is making part of that decision.
Don’t worry. It’s OK. It’s natural.
While studying patients suffering from damaged connections between the logical and emotional parts of the brain, Damasio found it was difficult for his subjects to make decisions.
And according to Harvard Professor Emeritus Gerald Zaltman, author of How Customers Think, even when people believe and report their buying decisions are based on logic, those decisions are often driven by underlying emotions – emotions they may not be fully aware of.
Taking it one or two steps further, the relatively new science of Neuromarketing uses brain imaging to discover the effect of advertising on positive feelings and compulsive behavior.
Researchers are throwing new light on how emotions can be used to develop profitable pricing strategies. And we’re learning more and more about how emotions affect the ability of consumers to learn and remember.
If you want to write headlines your reader remember, click, and share ….
You’ve got to pay attention to the emotions driving your reader to action. Then, dive deep to see what else is under the surface.
Let’s Take a Look at 10 Classic and Modern Emotional Headlines:
1 – Classic Fear Headline
Do You Make These Mistakes in English?
Emotion Words: The word “You” creates an instant connection with your reader. And “Mistakes” is a negatively-charged word we want to avoid!
Emotions: Who doesn’t want to avoid making mistakes? We enjoy being right. We want to avoid blame and shame.
Diving Deep: For a reader who lacks strong communication skills, the topic of language mistakes tugs at a desire to be seen as competent and educated. For readers whose first language is not English, avoiding mistakes could mean protection from unfair discrimination based on a difference in language, culture, or nationality.
2 – New FOMO Headline
Emotion Words: A “Benefits” list triggers the question, “What do I get?” “Must” lends weight/importance to the content shared.
Emotions: Curiosity + imperative = FOMO, otherwise known as Fear Of Missing Out. FOMO is real. It works.
Diving Deep: Evoking FOMO in this headline triggers the question, “If I ignore email marketing, what benefits do I miss?”
3 – Classic Blame Headline:
Whose Fault When Children Disobey?
Emotion Words: “Fault” and “Disobey” trigger negative emotions that call back to our own childhood – even when we’re the parents.
Emotions: Parents have a natural desire to love their children, avoid guilt, and fulfill their responsibilities. This headline touches on all of these themes.
Diving Deep: Who wants to be blamed for making child-rearing mistakes? And who wants to be seen as a neglectful or incompetent parent? Or worse, actually be one?
4 – New “Secrets” Headline:
Emotion Words: “Secrets”, “Successful”, and “Reputation Management” relate to a desire for insider knowledge, achievement, and control.
Emotions: When we know secrets, we join an exclusive set of people with a shared privilege. The headline builds on a desire for success. And a desire to avoid anything that gets in the way of that – like being stuck with a bad review.
Diving Deep: Going deeper than the cold profit, this headline triggers the fear of anyone seeing you, your company, or your brand (which represents both) as inferior or untrustworthy. Because not only does that damage our pride and reputation, It means lost customers and sales. Which could ultimately mean business failure.
5 – Classic Beauty Headline:
For the Woman Who is Older Than She Looks
Emotion Words: I’m constantly reading that middle aged women in France, aided by trusted skin care regimen and healthy diets, have embraced their natural beauty and desirability at every age. In the context of this American ad, the word “Older” evokes a negative reaction. While some U.S. women may associate the word with their own maturity, confidence and professional power, they’re also likely to associate it with dismissal, invisibility, or feeling undesirable.
Emotions: Who doesn’t want to be seen as younger – while keeping all the benefits of knowledge, wisdom, and experience? And how many eye lifts have you pretended not to notice in the last five years?
Diving Deep: Shallow impressions can cause us to be dismissed as people – or even as objects … Maybe you care more than you think you do. Maybe you don’t.
6 – New Certainty Headline:
Emotion Words: “Make Sure” and “Compliant” are words that lead to hand-wringing at Tax time, inspection appointments, and 5-year performance evaluations.
Emotions: Even the thought of being out of legal compliance may provoke a knee-jerk reaction. Contrasted that with the comfort of certainty. Wouldn’t you rather be “sure” you haven’t unknowingly broken any rules … so you don’t suffer any consequences?
Diving Deep: This headline refers to compliance with the American Disabilities Act. Fail to comply with the legislation, and you’ve crossed more than one line.
7 – Classic Quick Win Headline:
Here’s a Way to Quickly Break Up A Cold
Emotion Words: “Quickly” is a promise word copywriters keep handy and use often. Readers don’t want results after 10-20 years (unless its lack of deterioration), after hours of gruelling labor, or after a 45-minute wait on the phone. They want solutions now. That’s why they searched for and found you.
Emotions: The quick win … instant gratification … a fast end to suffering. “Quickly” promises all of these things. Now.
Diving Deep: The close-up picture is immediate relief. The mile-high appeal is mastery over nature. We can have the power help ourselves and others. We can be the responsible parent who avoids missed school, work, and soccer practice. And it’s all because we know how to stop a cold.
8 – New Success Headline:
Emotion Words: “Plan”, “Success”, and “Free” all trigger positive emotions. Exception – if you’re so laid-back the mention of a plan gives you a rash. If, on the other hand, you have 2 paper planners, a journal, To-doist, Trello, and live by your Google calendar … Oh. Never mind. I was talking about myself.
Emotions: Planning for success? Fantastic! That means you have a desire to be responsible and hit your goals. And “Free” means you’ve beaten the system by getting something for absolutely nothing (except your email address)
Diving Deep: Do you want to be seen as a responsible and successful person? All you have to do is read this article and download our resources.
9 – Classic Challenge Headline:
Dare to Be Rich
Emotions: Are you the kid who always picked Dare over Truth? Are you energized by a new challenge? Or will you stick with the status quo? Rich means different things to different people. What does it mean to you?
Emotion Words: “Dare” and “Rich” … how we are affected by these edgy emotion words depends on how we view safety and money.
Diving Deep: This headline calls for action. If you want financial wealth, it invites you to follow your dreams.
10 – New Guarantee Headline :
Emotion Words: “Steps” and “Guarantee” are words powered by the promise of security.
Emotions: A step-by-step process and guaranteed results ensure security for your readers.
Diving Deep: The headline promises security. And it’s not only because we can count on the landing page to work. It also associates the successful reader with security. Follow the steps, they can be the kind of person others depend on for results.
Which emotional headlines will trigger your next sale?
How can you include them in your headline?
Could you be getting more clicks with your headlines?
