How To Draw Traffic Like A Magnet Using The 4 U’s of Headline Creation
The headline is the workhorse of effective content marketing
Successful marketing and sales on the internet are dependent on traffic. Traffic is the flow of visits to a particular website or web presence generated when someone searches for a term or terms using a search engine like Google, Bing, Yahoo, or some other search engine tool
Without traffic, it is unlikely a business will have much success within the digital marketing space.
The good news is there is an abundance of traffic for anything you can think of. The bad news is all traffic is not good traffic. If you don’t have traffic that is looking for what you have to sell it’s the same as not having any traffic at all.
So what’s the answer? How does a business or individual get the kind of traffic needed to meet greet and make sales to a target market that’s looking for what you have to sell?
The answer is with a HEADLINE.
According to industry experts, the headline is 80% of content marketing effectiveness. It is the first thing seen when a web searcher lands on your website or sees your digital ad wherever it might be displayed.
If your headline gets their attention it is likely they will stick around and read further to determine whether what you have to offer is something they should seriously consider or buy.
If not, they will immediately leave. This is called a bounce in digital marketing speak.
There is a formula for creating very effective headlines that I learned during courses I’ve taken for certifications I have in content marketing.
The formula uses 4 U’s for creating headlines with a magnetizing effect. The 4 U’s stand for:
1. Useful
2. Unique
3. Urgent
4. Ultra-specific
The goal should always be to create headlines that include a minimum of three of these points whenever the content is created. Let’s look at each one of them.
Useful
A headline must be useful to the person reviewing it. From a business standpoint, a headline should be used to attract persons within the business’s target audience. It should address the pain point that the target audience has and is looking to be solved.
For instance, if your product turns tap water into alkaline water without the use of chemicals or harmful stuff and replaces the need to buy bottled water and reduce plastic waste, then a headline pointing out those benefits would be useful.
This speaks directly to the prospect or customer's need.
Unique
A headline message should also be unique. It should clearly jump out as much as possible to the reader that your product or service is different and distinct in some way that distinguishes it from a competitor’s product.
Staying with the alkaline water product subject, it could be described within the headline that the machine also produces water that emulsifies oil and grease. That is definitely unique.
Urgent
Urgency is a motivator for quick action. People searching for products or services often have a problem they need addressing right away. If your product or service can deliver that it should be part of your headline.
In fact, even if it doesn’t there are still ways to generate a sense of urgency and get the reader to continue to read on and take action.
The urgency can be that there is a limited time for the offer and then it will no longer be available or the price will increase. This is a common message of urgency used by content marketers.
Urgency can also be communicated through the concept of scarcity with a headline message stating that only a limited number of something are available and after that, they are gone.
This creates the fear of mission out (FOMO). Just make sure that if this tactic is used that whatever you are saying is true. It really should be a limited amount. Otherwise, it is false, misleading, deceitful, and quite frankly illegal.
Never put yourself in those circumstances. Always be sure you can back up what you say in every piece of the content you create.
Ultra-Specific
Be as specific as possible in your headline. Use words that deliver a clear message and do it quickly. Remove any fluff that isn’t necessary. The more specific the better.
Use specific benefits, not features or descriptions of what your product or services are. Always describe the benefits. You want to paint the image or picture in your reader’s mind of how their life will be impacted after using what you are offering and how much better off they will be.
An Example Headline
Sticking with the subject of alkaline water here’s an example of what could be used. By the way, this is based on a real product that has been selling for over 45 years and growing.
Amazing Water System Turns Tap Water Into Alkaline Water and Eliminates The Need To Buy Bottled Water Forever, All For Pennies on A Dollar.
For the moment, forget about everything else about the headline except whether or not it hits on the 4 U’s formula.
If the reader is looking for alkaline water (a popular type of water on the market now) it meets the useful point because this machine will make alkaline water straight from the home tap water faucet.
It’s unique because it gives the quality of water they want without having to purchase it in the store.
Depending on the desire of the person, it could also be urgent to acquire such a machine.
Finally, it is ultra-specific. It tells what it is, what it does and it tells me I can afford it and banish bottled water.
So, there you are. The 4 U’s of headline creation. If you’re not already familiar with this system, try it out. I’ve used it to generate tons of traffic to websites, landing pages, products/services, social media, and more.
May the 4 U’s force be with you!
