Copy editors at major metropolitan newspapers understand a very basic idea: readers want stories when they pick up a newspaper. Therefore, rather than listing cold hard facts behind events, major news events are described as a story. There are opening statements, there are facts, there are descriptions and there are quotes by the real life characters involved in these stories.
True stories are the most dramatic form of writing. It??™s little wonder then that millions of Americans continue to read the work of journalists while sales of fiction books continue to dwindle.
This concept of story telling in news is also applicable to business writing. Never assume that business writing has to be dull and tedious. No writing in any market should be boring, as the intent of sales writing is excite and to motivate the reader.
However, often times story headlines can be dull, understated and very to the point. Yet successful entrepreneurs who have had to do their own business writing have discovered that when the writer makes ???stories??? out of facts and out of events, that readers are far more interested in the material.
Everybody loves a good story??¦particularly when the material is commonplace. This is why using story headlines may contribute to your success, whether you run a newsletter, magazine or website. Story headlines tend to be more intriguing than everyday, to-the-point headlines and above all else, when you??™re running a commercial website you want your readers to keep reading!
Consider the effectiveness of some of story-grounded business headlines. ???New Jersey Man Sells Brooklyn Bridge for $14.95.??? Right away you??™ve presented the reader with a very alarming premise, and one that he or she will want to read more about, to see just how literal the story is and how it all happened. This speaks of a journalistic style of story headlines.
How about a more fictional style in creating headlines? Analyze the headline and introductory sentence, ???They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano??”But When I Started To Play??¦??? In this sentence you are drawing the audience into a narrative and painting strong images into their mind. What better way to hold your audience??™s attention than by telling a dramatic story? (Which conveniently culminates in a sales pitch for your product)
You can also use unusual story headlines to capture attention such as ???How a Bald Headed Barber Shaved My Hair.??? In this instance, you could give the headline a double meaning or simply approach the story from a humorous angle.
All of these suggestions have proven effective in developing and maintaining a reader??™s interest. Keeping the attention of your audience is of paramount success to your business.