South Burlington

With all the time that copywriters spend on their headlines, you'd think that they'd spend at least a little time on their subheads. This is probably one of the most neglected areas of sales copy. Many new writers think that they can just throw something up on the page in big bold red font and it will do the job. What you say is just as important as what it looks like on the page. A big red bold subhead does not necessarily make a good one. This article is going to explore this subject somewhat so that you can get a decent idea of what a good one really is.

Okay, there are three things you MUST understand about writing subheads. Those three things come down to why you are writing them, when you write them and how you write them. If you get these three principals, and they're not hard, yours will be much more effective.

The why is the easy part. You write them because you have just finished one thought and are ready to lead into another thought. In order to prepare your reader for the next thought, you lead into it with a subhead. This way, they have some idea of what's coming next, or at the very least that something IS coming next.

The when is not quite as easy but still not difficult. You write subheads naturally when you've finished one thought and are ready to branch into another. But even more importantly, you write them when you've reached the point in your copy where, if you don't include one, you're going to lose your reader. The reason is because most people have very little patience. If your copy drags on and on with nothing to break it up, you'll never get your prospect to the end of it. Plus, they are great for capturing the attention of skimmers. So it's a good idea to have a subhead for every page or two of copy.

Finally, there is the how. And this is the hardest part of all because this is where you actually say whatever it is you have to say. Here is the rule of thumb that I live by. Whatever I'm going to tell the prospect in the next section of copy...tell it briefly in the subhead. For example, if I've just finished a section where I am talking about my battle with acne and in the next section I'm going to talk about the cure I found, I want my subhead to alert the prospect that the cure is what's coming next. So I might say something like, "I Found The Miracle I Was Looking For" The prospect is going to want to know what that miracle is.

The subhead is to keep your prospect reading...period. If you follow the above principals, you should have no trouble doing just that.

Want more great copywriting tips? Check out the link in my signature. You'll be well on your way to writing killer copy that converts like gangbusters.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Want to save $2,500 to $15,000 in copywriting costs? Want to write copy yourself that can command that kind of payday? Visit my site at http://www.bcipe.com/ and discover killer copywriting tips that have allowed me to write my own copy for years and earn myself a 6 figure a year income selling my own products.