Curiousity Didn’t Kill Just The Cat

Richard,

There's a lot of wisdom in your post if you read it carefully.... You pack a lot of great stuff into a small area... :)

> “It’s essential that your headline promise
> one or more specific benefits. ‘Curiousity’
> headlines don’t work.”

> Wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen
> this. I always feel guilty when I read it.

> I wonder what’s wrong with me?

> Lots, no doubt, but let me plod on with my
> thought.

> There’s probably no piece of marketing lore
> more universally accepted than “Curiousity
> headlines don’t work.”

> Or more untrue, in my experience.

> Some of my headlines that have built
> businesses:

> “Tomato Warning!”
> “Dead Doctors Don’t Lie!”
> “The Strangest Nutritional Secret!”
> “I REALLY Expected To Be Dead By Now!”

> I’ve really tried. I’ve tested
> benefit-oriented heads. They didn’t pull as
> well as my “curiousity” heads.

I find that VERY interesting.... I think I prefer reading curiosity headlines myself. Guess I'm a curious fellow. :)

I have TWO favorite copywriters (though it's expanding to three).... One of them is, guess who, Gordon Alexander. The other is Joseph Sugarman. And as for the third.... I'm really beginning to admire Richard Dennis!

Joe Sugarman writes a lot of curiosity headlines.... Here are a few from the back of his book "Success Forces".... (All these ads are from the 1970s)

the End (for a new type of calculator)
Checkbook with a brain (for a "checkbook holder" with a "built-in computer")
Miracle Fuzz (for a negative ion generator)
Soviet Challenge (for a chess computer)
Bone Fone (for some sort of portable stereo radio system)

I don't have my copy of Sugarman's "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word" with me just now, but I think one of Joe Sugarman's headlines from that is

Pickle Power (for a new type of rechargeable battery)

> I don’t know why. But I have a theory.

> In researching press releases a few months
> ago, I came across a poll of media editors.
> The question was, what types of stories do
> they most want?

> Their subjects:

> 1. human interest (stories that choke you up
> or make you smile)
> 2. personal relationships under pressure
> 3. bulletted tip lists
> 4. unique stuff: achievements or ideas,
> websites or products
> 5. stories with political or social impact
> 6. humor, wisdom, fun, tragedy
> 7. holiday/event stories

Richard, that's a golden list! Thanks for sharing it.... :)

As I said, Gordon Alexander is my other favorite copywriter.... And Gordon uses a lot of interesting stories in several of his promotions.... I can't help but enjoy reading them! :) In Remote Hypnosis he also shares some of his other successful techniques....

> The reason they want these types of stories
> is, that’s what appeals to their readers. If
> you’re writing a press release, it’s easier
> to get it published if it focuses on one of
> these subjects. And if you carry the idea of
> the “advertorial” to its logical conclusion,
> then your ad copy would be best to include
> human interest stuff or … Tell a story.

> And we know that stories sell. But I think
> ads with benefit-laden headlines are far
> less inclined to tell a story.

It makes a lot of sense to me....

Thanks Richard, for that dose of wisdom....

By the way, if you've liked Richard Dennis's posts, you'll love his web site.... I've linked to it below.... (Hope that's okay Richard. :)

Be sure to check it out!

Dien


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