Everything.

Still don't see the copywriting connection? Let me connect the marketing dots for you.

Imagine walking through your local mall. You're on a mission and come Hades or high water you're gonna accomplish it........when through no conscious decision of your own, your head snaps to the right, your swift stride slams into a slow-motion vortex and your eyeballs stare, riveted to the scantily clad mannequins in Victoria Secret's window.

Laugh if you like, but you know it's true. There isn't a man or woman alive who DOESN'T look twice at slinky slips and risqué lingerie when so strategically staged.

So what do great headlines have in common with lingerie? Three things.

1. They get your attention.

2. They stop you in your tracks.

3. They make you want to know more.

That's the theoretical explanation. Here's the practical one broken down by "Rules," "Key Words," "Examples," and "Formulas"...

Headline Rules

1. Immediately, succinctly and clearly answer the only question prospects care about, "What's in it for me?"

2. If you have news, such as a new product or new way to use an old product, play it up BIG in your headline.

3. Avoid curiosity-based headlines. Curiosity is great when used with either option listed above, but it can't get the job done all by its little lonesome.

4. Communicate that your solution is a quicker or easier way to get what the prospect wants.

5. Your headline is a hook, not a fishing rod. Don't ask it to do more than its job.

Key Words

At last, Free, You, Gift, Finally, How, Sex, Instantly, New, Why, Money, Get, Now, Who else..., Guaranteed, Surprising, Announcing, Which, Easy, Yes, Introducing, Wanted, Save, Discover

Headline Examples

o What Do School Teachers And Sumo Wrestlers Have In Common?

o 7 Ways To Sell Your House Faster And For More Money

o Who Ever Heard Of 17,000 Blooms From A Single Plant?

o The Truth About Homeowner's Insurance

o What Every Woman Should Know About Bargain Shopping

o How To Skyrocket Your Website Traffic

o How A Bald-Headed Barber Saved My Hair!

o Who Else Wants A Whiter Wash—With No Hard Work?

o Which Of These Car Buying Mistakes Will You Make?

o The Top 13 Mistakes Self Publishing Authors Make

o To The Woman Who Will Settle For Nothing Less Than The Presidency Of Her Firm

o How To Prevent Online Identity Theft

o All Skydiving Instructors Are Not Created Equal

o If Indiana Jones Were An Economist, He'd Be Steven D. Levitt

o The Hidden Fortune In Your Worthless Tech Stocks

Headline Formulas

1. What Do (your product or service)_ And (unexpected comparison) Have In Common?

2. Who Ever Heard Of _(unexpected something) From A __(your product or service)_?

3. The Truth ("solve a problem" or "get a result").

4. What Every (your audience) Should Know About __(your product or service)_.

5. How To Skyrocket Your (benefit).

6. Which Of These (area of concern) Mistakes Will You Make?

7. The Top _(X #) Mistakes (your audience) Make.

8. To The (your audience) Who Will Settle For Nothing Less Than The (benefit).

9. How To Prevent (pain).

10. All __(subject of article) Are Not Created Equal

11. If _______, then _______.

12. The Hidden Fortune In Your (unusual place).

There you have it. A down and dirty synopsis of:

o What a headline should do

o What words will have the greatest impact in your headlines

o What a great headline looks like, and

o Easy formulas for creating your own profit producing headlines

And the best news is these guidelines and suggestions apply whether you're a business to business marketer, business to consumer marketer, a copywriter-for-hire, operating a home business or practicing any other form of professional marketing.