Wimpy Headline Writers Should Be Burned At The Stake

This is part 2 of 3 or 4 or 5 in my “Burned At The Stake” sales and marketing series.

Earlier this week I wrote a blog post, Wimpy Salesmen Should Be Burned At The Stake, and it struck a nerve.

Few of those that commented read my entire post and even fewer have ever heard of, let alone actually read, Jonathan *Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” but they felt compelled to lay into me for the post. (TLDR: sell children as food to the wealthy in Ireland to solve their famine and hunger issues.)

But this headline proves an invaluable point: Headlines matter. Headlines matter A LOT. Driving home the point that HEADLINES MATTER A LOT is the purpose of this post.

Great copywriters will tell you they’ll spend up to 80% of their effort nailing the headline and it’s the truth.

If your headline does not cut through the clutter, if it does not stand out, if it does not get the attention of your audience your product, your offer, your goodwill, your service, your years in business don’t matter AT ALL.

They don’t matter because you are INVISIBLE when your headline is milk toast, lukewarm. (See what Jesus does to lukewarm Christians in Revelation 3:16.)

Have the courage of your convictions to shout from the rooftops what you do and whom you serve.

Have the strength to “choose who to lose.”

Have the wisdom to boil down what you do into a hard-hitting, impactful headline that gets you noticed.

Have skin thick enough to stand strong against the ensuing assault from those you choose to lose.

There’s another adage amongst great marketers, which says

In my live trainings I always bring up Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh.

EVERYBODY knows them both and EVERYBODY has an opinion of them one way or another.

There are no lukewarm followers of either men. Both DOMINATE their niches.

They do what they do and do not back down, water down or break down because one person—or 1,000—get upset with their message.

If you are in business your goal should be do dominate your niche. You can’t dominate anything hiding under a bushel basket.

Be known for something. Be disliked for something. Stand up and be counted. Make a difference.

Jesus. Ghandi. King. All brought a message of peace. All were killed despite peacefully setting the example to love one another and treat everyone with care and respect.

If those men were hated for their message you and I don’t stand a chance so we might as well go all in with our own message like they did.

We are going to piss some people off for spreading our marketing message.

(I even pissed some people off by saying “piss some people off.” I do it on purpose. While that’s not how I usually talk or train, I’m not afraid to use strong language to convey a strong message. 

That’s how I consult.

I work with strong people that want to get stronger. I donate to my church so others may preach to the meek and humble. I’m not good at that and I don’t try to be.)

Now go sell something by writing the best headline of your life. Your family and your new clients will thank you.