Headline formulas I found in an old Reader's Digest...

[Dien Rice]

Originally Posted by -TW

Good News for Bad Backs
Good News for Bad [whatever]

Ten Ways to Win at Work
Ten Ways to Win at [whatever]

Getting the Best Deal on Car Insurance
Getting the Best Deal on [whatever]

Hi TW,

Thanks for posting those headline formulas from Reader's Digest.

I remember reading somewhere that Reader's Digest heavily tested their headlines - I wonder, do they still do that? (Hopefully so!)

Anyway, your post reminded me of something... I once attended a talk by copywriter John Carlton - http://www.john-carlton.com

One of the things he said was he liked headlines from the "Weekly World News." I think he meant back when the Weekly World News was still published in print - they needed "catchy" headlines to get people to buy them as "impulse purchases" on their way out of the store!

I remember John Carlton saying that one of his favorite headlines from the "Weekly World News" was...

Boy Eats Own Head

(That brought chuckles from the audience - and I'm chuckling now, too, as I think about it!)

Of course, John Carlton is famous for his headline, "Amazing Secret Discovered By One-Legged Golfer..." (you can Google it for the rest!)

With that headline, the "mental picture" of a "one-legged golfer" hooks you, and makes you want to read more!

(I think you can see the influence of the "Weekly World News" on that headline, too...)

Anyway, I found this resource...

A truck-load of issues of the Weekly World News (back when it was printed) - courtesy of Google Books!

http://books.google.com.au/books/ser...sa=N&start=960

You can easily see all the headlines on the covers. (These seem to be complete issues - so if you want to read articles such as "Two-Headed Boy Found In Jungle" - you can do that, too! To read the issue, click on the cover, then click on "Preview this magazine.")

Best wishes,

Dien

P.S. Here's a great John Carlton blog entry on the topic...

http://www.john-carlton.com/2007/07/...ing-preachers/

P.P.S. Good, short, analysis of the "one-legged golfer" headline by copywriter Peter Stone...

http://peterstonecopy.typepad.com/pe...s_a_hook_.html