About Lesson
To write headlines that work, you must first understand your audience and choose the right style for your business. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to define your audience’s needs to make your headlines resonate. By the end of this lesson, you will have:
- Identified your audience and their needs.
- Selected the most appropriate headline style for your business type.
- Drafted your first headline.
1. Why Audience Understanding Matters
Headlines are about your audience—not you. To succeed, you must:
- Know your audience.
- Reflect their problems, desires, or aspirations.
- Choose the right style of headline to grab attention based on your business type.
2. Choosing the Right Headline Style
Here’s a table breaking down headline approaches by business type, with examples and psychological explanations:
| Business Type | Headline Approach | Example | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Businesses | Specific, outcome-driven | “Save 20% on Energy Bills This Month.” | Smaller businesses need to earn trust quickly by solving a clear problem and showing measurable value. |
| Big Brands | Broad, emotional, aspirational | “Open Happiness.” (Coca-Cola) | Larger brands rely on emotional triggers and existing recognition to create connection and brand loyalty. |
| Niche or Specialized Biz | Ultra-specific, targeted value | “Cut Shopify Cart Abandonment by 30%.” | Niche audiences respond to tailored solutions that directly solve their unique, high-priority pain points. |
| Startups | Innovative, curiosity-sparking | “Track Fitness—No Wearables Required.” | Startups grab attention by sparking curiosity or offering an unexpected, innovative solution to a problem. |
| Service-Based Professionals | Expertise and transformational benefits | “Grow Your Business by 50% in 90 Days.” | Service professionals build credibility by focusing on transformation and expertise-driven results. |
| E-Commerce Brands | Benefits, offers, and emotional triggers | “Save 30% on Premium Cookware This Weekend.” | Shoppers respond to urgency, emotional desires (better lifestyle), and clear benefits like savings or quality. |
| B2B Companies | Outcomes and problem-solving | “Automate Invoices and Save 10 Hours a Week.” | B2B audiences value efficiency and measurable outcomes that improve productivity or revenue. |
3. Activity: Audience Worksheet
Answer the following to choose the right headline style for your business and audience:
-
- Who is your audience?
- Example: Small business owners, homeowners, e-commerce managers.
- What is their biggest pain point?
- Example: Wasting time on manual tasks, losing customers, unexpected high costs.
- What transformation do they want?
- Example: Save time, grow revenue, improve lifestyle, streamline processes.
- What business type applies to you?
- Small business, niche, startup, e-commerce, service-based, etc.
- Write Your First Headline
- Use the recommended approach from the table above to draft your headline.
- Who is your audience?