Headlines are like doors

Last week I looked at a homepage that said:

"Welcome to [Company] — where innovation meets excellence."

That’s not a headline. That’s a meeting note that got out.

So here’s my offer. Send me your homepage URL. I read your headline (the one line every visitor sees before they decide whether to stay or leave).

If it’s weak, I rewrite it.
If it’s strong, you don’t pay.

$199. And you’ll have yours within the week. I only do ONE Punch a day (that’s the rule). Because each one gets my full attention and I refuse to rush them.

No strategy calls required. No 10-page audits. No faffing.

You get one line that sells.

One line that provokes.

One line that makes people think: “Oh. This is for me.”

Written by a Pro copywriter known for turning websites from dangerously bland to dangerously persuasive.🦈 That’s moi.

I’ve spiced up a collagen page. Gave a weird kitchen gadget a personality people want in their home (Shark Tank noticed and $1M in lifetime sales followed). And took a boring email marketing agency and added a Japanese hook people instantly remembered.

Now it’s your turn.

10 slots. First come, first punched.

🥊 Find out if your headline can take a hit.

Headlines are like doors. They serve as the connecting link to new possibilities on the other side.

This happens every. single. day. Millions of web pages and ads are unread, ignored and abandoned.

The reason? Boring headlines.

Between 2015 and 2019 Mr. Robot gave us 43 of the most intense, thought-provoking, emotional episodes in television history. Ever.

Mr. Robot tells the story of a genius hacker and an underground hacker group (Fsociety) trying to take down powerful corporations... AND save the World.

In the second season of Mr. Robot there's this scene when Angela is kidnapped and locked in a dark room. 4 hours later she meets Whiterose.

Whiterose is the leader of the Dark Army, a Chinese hacker group. Angela is a childhood friend of Elliot Alderson (a cybersecurity engineer, hacker...and the main protagonist of Mr. Robot).

So Whiterose says, "You've been here close to four hours, and you never thought to walk out the door."

Angela, puzzled, looks back to the door.

Then she says, "The door was locked.

Whiterose replies, "I’ve always found doors fascinating inventions. They hold the entry to unlimited imagination."

Then she adds, "Before you open any door, a World filled with possibilities sits right behind it. And it isn’t until you open it they are realized. Such potential they bring to our minds. And yet a lock stopped you from all of that. How...lazy. "

Every trade has it tricks. You see, in copywriting, getting people's attention is the job of the headline.

That's why headlines are like doors. They serve as the connecting link to new possibilities on the other side.

In other words, the #1 job of your website headline is to get people to read your second sentence.

‍OR as as ad legend David Ogilvy once said, "It's the ticket on the meat". But the reader will never read past the headline unless what you have to say is clear AND relevant to the reader.

Remember, a headline is a story.

You either make it intriguing, or you make it forgettable.

㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡㋡

Dangerous Ideas:

1/ The #1 job of your website headline is to get people to read your second sentence.

OR as as ad legend David Ogilvy once said, "It's the ticket on the meat". But the reader will never read past the headline unless what you have to say is clear AND relevant to the reader.

For example, I’m not the copywriter behind Bokksu but if I were, this is how I’d change their hero headline from a lifeless “Discover Japan through snacks” to:

1. Attention grabber ⇝ “Look at it this way”
2. Use indirect competitor as price anchor⇝ “It’s more expensive than a Netflix subscription”
3. Your promise⇝ “But it’s cheaper than a trip to Japan.”

2/ "Irony is having fun with the long face of reality." - Alexandre Gama

Irony, for example, is a very powerful tool that should be in the tone-of-voice toolbox of any copywriter.

Irony adds tension and makes your headlines more interesting.

That’s because irony involves two messages. It's the art of saying one thing and meaning the opposite. It’s a great hook and it helps you make a point in a relatable way.

3/ A copywriter’s job is to see things from your audience's perspective. And then adapt your message to THEIR worldview

I’m not the copywriter behind the Singaporean hangover pills brand DrinkAid, but if I were, this is how I’d change their hero headline from a lifeless ‘Every part of your day deserves your best’ to:

1. Reveals a surprising truth⇝“Every hangover you’ve ever had wasn’t your fault”

2. Names the enemy⇝ “It was acetaldehyde.”

3. Positions the brand as the obvious solution against the villain