photo credit: Bobbie

Ahh, a fresh piece of paper … a completely blank screen … your fingers poised for action …

And nothing. You don’t have a decent shred of an idea to work with. Problem is you can’t afford to wait for the muse to strike because you’re on a deadline that can’t be moved or pushed back. Before you go into panic mode, grab whatever it is you grab as an idea folder and slide this little beauty right out.

In today’s issue of The Golden Thread newsletter from the good folks at AWAI comes this handy tip sheet of 52 ways to kick start your own brilliant headline. Read then, love them, learn from them and make ‘em your own!

1. How To (ACCOMPLISHMENT) By (DOING SOMETHING UNEXPECTED)
2. How To (ACCOMPLISHMENT) In (TIME FRAME)
3. How To Turn (PROBLEM) Into (BENEFIT)
4. How To Get (GOAL) From (SOMETHING COMMON)
5. How To Improve Your …
6. How To Start …
7. How To Have …
8. How To Make (SOMEONE/SOMETHING) Do (SOMETHING GREAT)
9. (PROBLEM) – How To Fix It
10. How To Get Free (PRODUCT/PROGRAM)
11. How You Can (ACTION) In The Next (TIME FRAME)
12. How An Uninformed (PERSON/ACTION) Made A Fortune In (BUSINESS TYPE)
13. How An Unexpected (EVENT) Changed My (SITUATION)
14. How I (ACCOMPLISHMENT) In (TIME FRAME)
15. How I (ACCOMPLISHMENT) By (SOMETHING UNEXPECTED)
16. How I Improved My (PROBLEM)
17. (#) Ways To (PROMISE)
18. (#) Ways To Avoid (PROBLEM)
19. (#) Steps To …
20. (#) Ways To …
21. (#) Ways To Beat (PROBLEM)
22. Get Rid Of Your (PROBLEM) Forever!
23. Buy No (PRODUCT TYPE) Till You’ve Seen (PRODUCT NAME OR DESCRIPTION)
24. Read This And (PROMISE/THREAT)
25. Dare To Be …(PROMISE) !
26. Read This Or (THREAT)!
27. What Makes … ?
28. Do You Make These Mistakes In … ?
29. Want To Be (BETTER CONDITION)?
30. (PROBLEMS) – Which Do You Want To Overcome?
31. (PERSONALIZED GREETING), Here Are (#) (PRODUCTS) Of Interest To You. Which (#) Do You Want Free?
32. Are You Ever (PROBLEM)?
33. Tired/Fed Up With (PROBLEM)?
34. Should You (SOMETHING YOUR PROSPECT IS THINKING ABOUT DOING)?
35. Are You … ?
36. Are You Ashamed Of (PROBLEM)?
37. Secrets Of (SOME KIND OF EXPERT)
38. What Never Ever To (COMMON CHORE/ACTION)
39. The Truth About …
40. What You Should Know About …
41. The One Sensible Way To …
42. What Every (PERSON) Should Know
43. The Secret Of …
44. Why …
45. What It Takes To …
46. What Everybody Ought To Know … About This (BUSINESS TYPE)
47. Little Known Ways To (BENEFIT)
48. The Wrong Way And The Right Way To (DO SOMETHING DIRECTLY RELATED TO YOUR BUSINESS)
49. The Secret Of (ACCOMPLISHMENT)
50. When Experts (FAILURE/PROBLEM) – This Is What They Do
51. The Secret Of … – Yours If You Qualify
52. Your (SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO YOU) Is In Imminent Danger

You find this and lots, lots more in this new AWAI resource. A Copywriting Goldmine Eight Years in the Making and tell them the Maven sent you!

And if you have one to add, add your comment below!

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• My favorite resource on landing pages – The ultimate guide to writing and designing effective landing pages – Marketing Sherpa’s Landing Page Handbook, 2008 (aff)