Throat Grabbers

HOW TO ORGANIZE ALL THE headers I have?

Running your business shouldn’t be…

From overwhlemed to hopeful in 24 hours (the transformation)

These are HOOKS, FASCINATIONS, and THROAT GRABBERS

The challenge for all kickass copywriters is the same: getting the ready to read your copy.

In the subject line and preheader, you have at most maybe 65 characters (10 or 15 words) to grab your reader by the throat and not let go until the message is clicked on.

The following headlines are great for email subject and preview lines, headlines for your ad, bolded text, bullet points, you name it. I’ve seen them on the backs (and front) of books and mailers. Why? Because they work.

I’ve heard these called “fascinations,” “clickbait,” and copy that’s like a car wreck (you know you shouldn’t look but you can’t help yourself.) The term I like is “throat grabbers”—headlines that grab the reader by the through and don’t let go until they click or read on.

Check out the following examples. The reason why they work is because they promise a benefit and pique curiosity. They do this by concealing the information, teasing the benefit and forcing the reader to dig deeper into the copy.

The keys to great throat grabbers (in my most humble opinion) is this:

1. Method writing: Be the reader. The survivor of a heart attack. The terminally ill. The busy mom who can’t make it to the gym.
2. Make value accessible with a single action (a click, like, opening an envelope, flipping to a page)
3. Conjure curiosity by teasing value and embellishing the benefit

The Swipes#

Want to be a highly-paid A-list copywriter?

Learn how to write hooks

A hook has three elements: • Benefit • Emotion • Curiosity

Benefit is the PROMISE.

Everybody on the planet is asking: WIIFM? (What’s in it for me?) What are you promising them?

EMOTION triggers your market. It pushes their buttons. Make sure you use the right ones!

Finally, CURIOSITY, the element of surprise

It inspires, amazes, shocks, confuses by creating a “gap in knowledge”; a tease

Let’s look at some hooks:

NUMBER HOOKS

• 7 ways to ___
• *The # 1 mistake beginner ____ make
• 3 ____ every ____ needs to ____
• The 5-Step system I use to _____

These are basic, reliable hooks. The number creates the curiosity.

WITHOUT HOOKS

How to get [BENEFIT] without [OBJECTION(s)]

• How to lose weight w/o dieting or exercising
• How to make money w/o working or investing
• How to find true love w/o apps, dates, or drama

GIMMICK HOOKS

[WEIRD OBJECT] creates [BENEFIT]

• Why drinking beer can build muscle
• How salt can help heart health
• Eat ice cream to lose weight

InCONGRUOUS JUXTAPOSITIONS

Amazing Secret Discovered By One-Legged Golfer Adds 50 Yards To Your Drives Eliminates Hooks and Slices… And Can Slash Up To 10 Strokes From You’re Game Almost Overnight!

Later in the ad, the “reveal” is that…

This guy golfs better than most people because… he understands “balance” in a way that only a one-legged man would

Discover Something

• Discover the all-natural remedy for burnout and exhaustion that gives you boundless new energy without nerve-jangling caffeine.

How-to Headlines

• How to gain instant relief from a leg cramp—with apple cider vinegar! (Instant gratification)
• How to disinfect an open wound—with sugar!
• How to sleep like a baby all night—with the best all-natural alternative to prescription sleeping pills. Non-addictive. No side effects. (This one also shows hesitations/stakes)

Do THIS for BENEFIT

• If you’re trying to quit, just inhaling the fragrance of this tonic helps you ‘ride out’ the craving for a cigarette.
• To help you quit smoking or cut down on your habit, try chewing on a small piece of (mixture named on page 505).
• If you’re trying to quit smoking cold turkey, drink a lot of (juice named on page 506)… The juice will clear your body of nicotine faster.

For PROBLEM: SOLUTION

• FOR ARTHRITIS: Long-time sufferers see their arthritis go into complete remission. See page 51.
• FOR BLESSED RELIEF OF PAIN: (The remedy on page 127) completely relieved pain in about 65 percent of 1,000 patients… while another 25 percent had enough reduced pain that they didn’t need anesthesia.
• FOR DIARRHEA: When mixed with water, this powder is the safest, simplest and best treatment for diarrhea there is. It has saved many a vacation. Never take a trip without it, especially in foreign countries where the water may cause you problems. See page 277.
• FOR REVERSAL OF AGING: These (nutrients named on page 137) stop free radicals from overtaking healthy cells and thus help slow the natural aging process. They are even believed to offer protection against 60 age-related afflictions, from cancer to cataracts to heart disease and high cholesterol. “It’s hard to think of anyone in our society who couldn’t benefit from taking (them),” says one leading M.D. See page 133 and 137. (Authority)
• FOR QUICK RELIEF OF HAY FEVER, WATERY EYES AND RUNNY NOSE: Follow the simple instructions on page 166… See how to control your allergies without shots or antihistamines on page 165… To relieve allergic sneezing and itching, press this acupressure spot for profound relief. See page 166.
• FOR INHIBITED SEXUAL DESIRE: The remedy ideal for any woman who feels “dead inside” and wants to be more passionate. See page 384… The nutrient that powerfully enhances sex drive and the foods that are rich in them. Also on page 384… The “guided imagery” sexual fantasy sure to arouse passion (a little too steamy to print here, but wait till you read page 385).
• FOR PREGNANCY PROBLEMS: To prevent or minimize stretch marks and to relieve swelling in the feet or legs, see page 465… If you have morning sickness and even the thought of food makes you feel ill, try a dose of (see page 467)… To ease backaches and improve tone in the abdominal area, do this (see page 467)… For sore breasts, do this (see page 468).

To [GET RESULT]

• TO RELIEVE HEADACHES AND NECK PAIN: Take your thumb and press here (see page 338).
• TO GET RID OF WATER RETENTION PROBLEMS: Press here (see page 557) to improve your body’s fluid balance and shed excess water that makes you look overweight with swollen fingers, plumped-up legs and a bloated belly.
• TO KEEP PERSKY MOSQUITOES, GNATS AND OTHER BUGS FROM BITING YOU: This natural herbal oil (see page 202) repels insects and effectively as the synthetic chemical DEET—but without DEET’s toxic effects on your body.
• TO CURE EXTERNAL HEMORRHOIDS—yes, cure them—use this simple topical ointment you can make from common ingredients in your kitchen. Hard to believe, but true. See page 355.

Problem?

• Indigestion? “I don’t believe there is a gastric problem that doesn’t respond to (see page 377),” says one top M.D. “Nobody really knows how or why (it) works, but it is truly a miracle.”

• Insomnia? Turn to page 387 and discover the world’s best known herbal remedy and why it works so well.

• Impotence? Discover the herbal oil with such potent aphrodisiac qualities, just inhaling its fragrance can instantly trigger passion. Expensive—but lasts a long time and, judging by the fireworks it arouses, worth every drop! See page 369… The vitamin supplement that can stop impotence and restore virility. See page 372… The ancient herbal cocktail said to be so effective in increasing sexual energy, it can even help sperm counts to go up. See page 369.

• Sinus pressure and pain? Press these two points on the outside of your nostrils. Amazing relief! See page 501.

• Incontinence? A simple exercise controls it. Explained on page 374.

• Urinary tract infections? The best treatment is also the cheapest. See page 546.

• Constipation? “Cure constipation for life.” See page 254.

• Jet lag “So great for jet lag that some airlines have started giving (them) to their first-class passengers.” See page 399.

• When you have a painful callus or corn, peel it right off using nothing more than lemon juice, tea and garlic. Just follow the directions on page 230.

• When you feel an asthma attack coming on, do this immediately. See page 190.

• Press here to relieve dizziness at any time. See page 280.

• Press here, and hold for two minutes, for wonderful relief of eye strain. See page 293.

• How to improve your vision without glasses… easy “eye aerobics” strengthen eye muscles, prevent aging eyes! Page 554.

• Easy ways to calm down, beat stress, anytime you need it. See page 517.

• Nobody knows why this safe, natural remedy helps stop stuttering. But it sure does work! See page 522.

• Yes, you can slow down the balding process. See page 334.

• “To ease menstrual problems, take one tablespoon of (see page 423) with one pinch of black pepper.”

• BEWARE! The five foods that most often trigger migraine headaches. See page 427.

• BEWARE! Why certain coffee can damage your vision. See page 554.

• The common spice that has wonderful blood-thinning properties that can help lower cholesterol levels. For best results, use it in a tea, as you’ll read on page 364, and drink twice daily.

• Two delicious foods which can make your cholesterol levels plunge. (Turn to page 365.)

• “Studies show that people who take (supplement named on page 139) cut their risk of heart attack and stroke in half compared with those who don’t. (This same remarkable nutrient has also been shown to “greatly reduce precancerous lesions of the mouth,” according to cancer researcher Harinder Garewal, M.D.)

• A five-year Dutch study of 805 elderly men found that those who regularly consumed (two potent “trigger” foods named on page 96) were less likely to die of heart disease than those whose intakes were lower, regardless of their intakes of other nutrients!

• For angina, “The most powerful treatment I know,” according to one leading M.D. See page 175.

• New discovery from John Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore: this nutrient, found in a common vegetable, offers protection against breast cancer. See page 53.

• “Animals exposed to tobacco carcinogens were half as likely to develop cancer when fed a diet rich in (vegetable named on page 53).”

• Another common vegetable which, when fed to laboratory animals exposed to tobacco carcinogens, slashed their risk of lung cancer by 50%! See page 53.

This is Mel What’s His Nuts#

• Birth defects and air travel… inside report
• Hair dryer/breast cancer connection
• College aid for families with money
• Airbags confidential. What can go terribly wrong.
• Inside ways to beat the lottery. You only think it’s a game of chance. page 271
• New health peril at self-service gas pumps. Very scary. Page 235
• Sexual position recommended by all the experts can cause impotence. Page 250
• Useful book for retailers
• Supermarkets: Shocking new reports
• … And lots more you’re not supposed to know (red)

“A Staggering fact about today’s construction companies.”