David Ogilvy headlines Recipe: How to Write Headlines That Sell, 11 Variables.

The headline is the most essential aspect of most advertisements, whether for a product, a copy, or a copy as a product. Typically, 80% of the readers or customers will begin reading from the headline, and only 20% will start with the main body of the text. This makes the headline essential in capturing the reader's attention and drawing them into the rest of the content.

Headlines that sell = (Prospect Name + Benefit + New + Wonder + Emotion + Brand + Promise + Bait - Wordplay - Negatives + Fullness)

Main components of a headline that sell:

1. Name your prospects in the headline.

If you sell a remedy for bladder weakness, display the BLADDER WEAKNESS in your headline. 

2. Promise a benefit in the headline.

Example: for hormone cream: HOW WOMEN OVER 35 CAN LOOK YOUNGER.

3. NEW! or FREE!

Customers are always looking for new products or improvements to old products. You can seldom use FREE, but almost always, it's NEW.

4. Add more wonder phrases.

HOW TO, SUDDENLY, NOW, ANNOUNCING, INTRODUCING, IT'S HERE, JUST ARRIVED, IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT, IMPROVEMENT, AMAZING, SENSATIONAL, REMARKABLE, REVOLUTIONARY, STARLING, MIRACLE, MAGIC, OFFER, QUICK, EASY, WANTED, CHALLENGE, ADVICE TO, THE TRUTH ABOUT, COMPARE, BARGAIN, HURRY, LAST CHANCE.
They may be trivial, but they work.

5. Add emotional words

DARLING, LOVE, FEAR, PROUD, FRIEND, BABY.

6. Add brand name

Yes! Don't forget it is part of your product values.

7. Add a selling promise

Need a room?   Don't worry. The New York University School of Retailing tests 6-12 headlines sell more than 3-6 words. 
Example: At sixty Miles an Hour, the Loudest Noise in the New Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.

8. Add the Bait

Always add the bait at the end to read the body.

9. Remove wordplay

Customers don't have time to understand the meaning of obscure headlines.

10. Remove the negatives

No "NO."   Readers may miss a negative word, and all message meanings will turn 180 degrees.

11. Add fullness

The headline has to be self-sufficient without the main body; remember, only 20% will read the body.

Source:

About David Ogilvy

David Mackenzie Ogilvy CBE, a British advertising mogul and the founder of Ogilvy & Mather, was famously referred to as the "Father of Advertising." He received training at the Gallup research organization and relied heavily on meticulous research of consumer behavior to achieve success in his campaigns.

David Ogilvy Book:

Confessions of an Advertising Man: David Ogilvy, Sir Alan Parker: 9781904915379: Amazon.com: Books

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