Member-only story
Catching Headlines — Lessons From 49 Years Experience of Legendary John Caples
In 1925, John Caples was commissioned to come up with a headline for an advertisement for a music school course. Caples had no experience in advertising, but he had a natural talent. He sat down at a typewriter and created the most famous headline in advertising history:
This title was so successful that a century later, marketers around the world continue to use it. And the advertising agency BBDO, in which Capeles worked, became famous.
What is the secret of these headlines? They contain a story with intrigue. Intrigue grabs attention and awakens curiosity. But curiosity is not yet the strongest quality of good headlines.
Caples conducted many experiments. In the same newspaper, he ran the same advertisements, with only the words in the headlines and the return address differing. And when the client contacted the specified address, Caples could determine exactly which header worked and which didn’t.
Caples claims the headline has up to 75% impact on the end result. And the most important quality of a catchy headline is the viewer’s personal interest. The headline must…
