28. The 7 Step Checklist to Writing Killer Headlines that Crush Your Competition

Anyways, let's talk about headlines!
"Good copy speaks to the bleeding neck first"
- Perry Marshall

I agree but it should also evoke curiosity as well.
From my experience dissecting a TON of headlines...
There are really 7 key elements that you'll find.

Headline Elements Checklist:
Curiosity
Call Out Pain Point
Promise Solution
Specificity
Simplicity
Credibility/Address Skepticism
Time Frame to Achieve Results of Promise
"I'm always looking for a hook in my ads (and especially in the headlines) that will jar the reader awake. I want every ad to be the one thing he reads that stays with him all day long. He tells his friends about it. It haunts him, causes him to shake his head in wonder, gooses his brain, and gets his blood flowing."

- John Carlton

Let's dive right into some examples:

Example #1:

Curiosity:

One-Legged Golfer
Call Out Pain Point:

Hooks and slices
Promise Solution:

Adds 50 Yards To Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks and Slices
Slash Up To 10 Strokes From Your Game
Load every drive with 200% more explosive power
Nailing shot-after-shot exactly where you want it, as accurate as clockwork
Knocking a pile of strokes off your next round
Specificity:

50 yards
Slash up to 10 strokes
200% more explosive power
Simplicity:

If a one-legged golfer can do it, so can you.
Credibility/Address Skepticism:

Impossible? Not if you believe what lifelong professionals and hot new amateurs worldwide are now saying.
Time Frame To Achieve Results of Promise:

Almost Overnight.

Example #2:

Curiosity:

Naked Girls
Little Pudgy Guy
Fight With 3 Enormous Bikers
Call Out Pain Point:

The opposite sex is laughing behind your back because you're little and pudgy.
Promise Solution:

Not in the headline but very early in the lead.
Specificity:

3 Enormous Bad-Ass Bikers.
It's not "Girls Laughed Behind His back" it's "The Naked Girls All Laughed Behind The Little Pudgy Guy's Back".
Simplicity:

Not in the headline but very early in the lead, a few easy-to-master-secrets.
Credibility/Address Skepticism:

Not really.
Time Frame To Achieve Results of Promise:

No, but pretty early into the lead promise of "pretty much overnight" again.

Example #3:

Curiosity:

Gin Soaked Raisins
Call Out Pain Point:

"Hopeless" Arthritis
Promise Solution:

Cured
Specificity:

Kitchen Cure #619
Simplicity:

Kitchen Cure
Gin Soaked Raisins
Credibility/Address Skepticism:

No
Time Frame To Achieve Results of Promise:

No

Example #4:

Curiosity:

1,500 Year Old Himalayan Secret
Call Out Pain Point:

Sexual Problems
Promise Solution:

Boosts sex drive
Increases stamina
Promotes stronger, longer-lasting erections, and more
Specificity:

1,500-Year-Old Himalayan Secret
Simplicity:

Not Really.
Credibility/Address Skepticism:

Scientists
Time Frame To Achieve Results of Promise:

Not really

Example #5:

Curiosity:

Secret West African Red Tea
Call Out Pain Point:

Hunger Cravings
Promise Solution:

Proven to stop hunger cravings in their tracks
Helps you shed one pound of fat every 72 hours
Specificity:

Melt Away up to 1 pound of FAT every 72 hours
West African Red Tea
Simplicity:

Red Tea
Credibility/Address Skepticism:

"Proven" but that's about it.
Time Frame To Achieve Results of Promise:

One pound of fat every 72 hours.

Example #6:

Curiosity:

Humiliating high school reunion
BioHarmony Switch
Call Out Pain Point:

Endless Dieting, Exercising, and Counting Calories
Battle with Waistline
Promise Solution:

Win the battle with Her Waistline
Melt the fat away
Restore their slender body
Make friends green with envy
Specificity:

Women over 35
Simplicity:

"Switch"
"Simple solution"
Credibility/Address Skepticism:

Used by hundreds of women across the country
Time Frame To Achieve Results of Promise:

No (but intentional due to compliance).

Example #7:

Call Out Pain Point:

No
Promise Solution:

Rewind the aging process
Going back in time to the best version of yourself
A real-life Fountain of Youth
Youth-preserving
Specificity:

22 Nobel Prize-Winning Scientists
$100,00 per year
(NOTE: I bet if I did $103,000 per year or $97,000 per year it would be better)

Simplicity:

Time Capsule In A Bottle
Credibility/Address Skepticism:

22 Nobel Prize-Winning Scientists
It's not science fiction
It's the power of Stem Cell Science
A-List Celebrities and Pro Athletes
Time Frame To Achieve Results of Promise:

Try it today