How to Make Ad Headlines that Get Clicks Ep 158

Alex, a marketing expert, shares proven strategies for crafting effective fitness ads, emphasizing the importance of a three-part headline formula that includes duration, benefit, and a power word. He highlights common mistakes, such as neglecting the appeal to status or desired results, and the significance of color and font choices in resonating with the target audience. Additionally, Alex discusses the importance of ad copy that both attracts the ideal customer and repels the wrong ones, the use of compelling creatives, and ensuring ad congruence from the headline to the landing page. He emphasizes tailoring content to specific demographics, such as gender and age, to enhance marketing effectiveness.

• Alex opens with a greeting and expresses enthusiasm for sharing insights on ad creation.
• The focus is on creating effective ads for the fitness industry, specifically for gym owners.
• Alex has been exploring the world of marketing funnels and ads for both B2B and B2C.

Hey, what's going, everyone? Happy Sunday. Hope you guys are rocking and rolling on your Sunday morning, evening, afternoon, whatever time zone you are watching or listening to this in.

This quote sets the casual and friendly tone of the podcast, establishing a connection with the audience and indicating the timing of the recording.

I recently have been doing a deep dive into funnel world and ads for both b two b and b to c.

Alex mentions their recent focus on marketing strategies for different business models, which serves as the background for the upcoming discussion on ad creation.

• Headlines are crucial for ad conversion.
• Alex highlights the common mistakes made by gym owners in their ads.
• A formulaic approach to creating headlines is proposed to improve ad performance.

And so I wanted to make this because I recently had a gym owner send me some of their ads and I was like, oh, crap, these are definitely not going to convert.

Alex identifies a problem with the ads they reviewed, implying the importance of well-crafted headlines for conversion rates.

• Alex shares a three-part formula for creating compelling fitness ad headlines.
• The formula consists of duration, benefit/result, and a power word.

• The duration sets the timeframe for the advertised fitness promotion.
• It establishes the commitment required to achieve the desired result.

The first part is duration.

The quote introduces the first element of the headline formula, emphasizing the importance of including the timeframe in the ad.

• The second part of the headline should clearly state the benefit or result of the promotion.
• Creative phrasing is encouraged to highlight the desired outcome, such as physical transformations or status changes.

Second piece of the headline, and this is what I see, people mess up, is the benefit or the result.

Alex points out that the benefit or result is often where people make mistakes, underlining its significance in the headline.

So you're looking at the prospect within the eyes or from the perspective of their friend, right?

This quote stresses the importance of framing the benefit in a way that resonates with the prospect's social context or aspirations.

• The power word acts as a strong conclusion to the headline, adding emphasis and appeal.
• Words like "challenge," "blueprint," "accelerator," "intensive," and "transformation" are suggested.

The third piece to this is a power word, all right?

Alex introduces the final component of the headline formula, highlighting the impact of using dynamic language to captivate the audience.

• Adherence to the headline formula greatly increases the likelihood of ad conversion.
• Alex notes that many gym owners do not follow this formula, leading to subpar results.

Once you've done that, if your ad doesn't have that, the likelihood that it's going to convert is much lower. Period.

This quote emphasizes the effectiveness of the three-part headline formula in improving ad conversions, suggesting it's a proven strategy.

I see ads all the time from gym owners, even in our community, that don't obey this.

Alex observes that failure to apply the formula is common among gym owners, which correlates with disappointing ad performance.

• Alex discusses a formulaic approach to creating headlines for news or advertising.
• The formula consists of three parts: a duration (e.g., "28 day"), a benefit (e.g., "six pack" or "skinny waist"), and a type of program or challenge (e.g., "blueprint," "challenge," "transformation").
• This structure is designed to capture attention and convey the main offer quickly.

Duration 28 day benefit, six pack or skinny waist or smaller jean size or whatever, right? And then blueprint, challenge, transformation, whatever it is, is the third word, all right?

This quote outlines the three-part structure of the headline formula that Alex mentions, emphasizing the importance of a time-bound offer, a tangible benefit, and a type of program or challenge.

• Creative content is the next step after crafting the headline.
• Alex suggests using a "Legion scrambler" for videos or images, though details on what this is are not provided.
• Group workouts, pitches, images of people working out together, and testimonials are all examples of creative content that can accompany the headline.
• The creative content does not need to be specifically tied to the headline, allowing for flexibility in marketing material.

So that's going to be group workouts, a pitch of you explaining what it is going to be. Any images of people sweating together in the group together, testimonials, work. All of that stuff is creative.

Alex is providing examples of what could constitute the creative aspect of an ad, such as group workouts and testimonials, demonstrating that the creative content can vary while still using the same headline.

• When writing Facebook ad copy, the first line should target the desired audience without directly calling them out due to Facebook's ad compliance guidelines.
• The copy should differentiate between who the service is for and who it is not for, without using direct language like "you."
• The subhead of the ad copy should tie back to the headline, creating a cohesive message.
• The ad copy should tell a story or present a scenario that relates to the potential customer, leading into the main message of the ad.

Like residents that are in this area, right. There's obviously ad compliance guidelines of making sure that you can't say you and you can't say like, you ladies, because you can't identify the prospects because Facebook doesn't like that.

In this quote, Alex is explaining the necessity of adhering to Facebook's ad compliance guidelines, which restrict direct identification of the reader in the ad copy.

• Alex provides an example of how to lead into an ad with a relatable scenario, making it engaging and interesting to the reader.
• The narrative should suggest that the desired outcome (e.g., being "the skinny friend") is achievable through teachable habits, not just genetics.
• Implied authority is used to establish credibility, mentioning past successes with a local audience.
• A call to action is included to encourage the reader to take the next step.

Wouldn't it be nice to be the skinny friend for once? We all have those friends, right? And that's the lead in. That's the lead into the ad. It's like we all have those friends. It seems like they can eat whatever they want and they never gain weight. Wouldn't it be nice to know that it's not their genetics, it's actually their habits.

This quote illustrates how to create a narrative within the ad copy that connects with the reader's desires and introduces the offer as a solution to a common problem.

• Alex touches on the strategy behind making ads, suggesting that many people work on their ads on Sundays.
• The implication is that there is a specific timing or routine that marketers follow when creating advertising content.

So when you're making ads, and this is what a lot of people are making ads is on Sundays, right?

This quote hints at a common practice among marketers, which is to prepare ads on Sundays, although the reason behind this timing is not explained within the transcript.

• Podcast growth relies on listeners sharing content.
• The host does not use traditional advertising methods like ads or sponsorships.
• The host asks listeners to share the podcast as a form of support and good karma for entrepreneurs.

The only way this grows is through word of mouth. My only ask is that you continue to pay it forward to whoever showed you or however you found out about.

These quotes emphasize the importance of word-of-mouth promotion for the podcast's growth, as the host does not engage in paid advertising.

• Start with the headline, focusing on duration, benefit, results, and power words.
• The creative aspect of the ad is meant to grab attention.
• The significance of color in advertising is highlighted, especially in targeting gender-specific audiences.
• Font choice is important and should match the intended audience.

When you're making the ads, start with the headlines for the actual banner on the ad itself... Duration, benefit, results, powerword. A fun side note is make sure that the color makes sense. Colors and fonts matter, sometimes even more than the words.

Alex provides a step-by-step guide for creating effective ads, emphasizing the importance of headlines and the psychological impact of colors and fonts on the targeted demographic.

• Women may not respond well to color combinations like black and yellow or black and red.
• Stenciled spray lettering is not recommended for targeting women.
• Men are more receptive to colors like black and green or black and blue.
• Some fonts, like 'permanent marker,' are versatile and can work for any audience.

Women are going to be like, that looks hardcore, right?... You don't want like, stenciled spray lettering, which is like kind of like hardcore GI Joe lettering for women, right?

Alex discusses how certain visual elements can influence the perception of ads based on gender preferences, suggesting that advertisers tailor their designs to appeal to the intended audience.

• Many people overlook basic advertising principles.
• Experienced advertisers consistently apply these fundamentals.
• The combination of the right headline, font, and colors is crucial.
• Being selective in targeting can make ads more effective.

But if you're not doing these, and you'd be surprised how many people don't do the fundamentals. Like, the advanced people just never don't do them.

This quote underscores the notion that success in advertising often comes down to consistently applying basic principles, which many advertisers neglect.

• Creative content includes images and videos that convert well, such as workout pictures, food images, and selfies.
• The creative should include eye-catching visuals and direct engagement with the camera.
• Ads should clearly identify the target audience and repel those who are not a good fit.
• Selectivity in advertising can enhance the appeal and effectiveness of the campaign.

We can have our creative, which we know, converts, which is going to be people working out together. Food, pictures, images of sweaty selfies, eye based images where someone's staring at the camera, selfie pitch videos.

Alex provides examples of creative content that has proven to be effective in engaging the audience and improving conversion rates for ads.

• Ads should call out the intended audience while also deterring the wrong demographic.
• Being selective can make a brand more attractive by showing that it is exclusive.
• Data analysis helps determine the most profitable and loyal client segments.
• Gym Launch ads specifically target gym owners with certain qualifications based on data analysis.

The who it's not for is just as, if not more powerful than who it is for because it shows that you're selective and you're going to be more magnetic and repulsive when you make that, right.

Alex explains the strategy behind targeting a specific audience and how exclusivity in advertising can make a brand more compelling and desirable to the right customers.

• Emphasize the importance of identifying and targeting the specific client demographic that brings the most value.
• Use targeted copy in marketing materials to attract the desired clients and repel those who are not a good fit.
• Higher quality clicks are achieved by appealing directly to the identified audience.

"It's fucking gym owners. Right? So we're just making sure that we are 100% clear that that's just who we work with."

• This quote highlights the necessity of clarity in marketing efforts, specifically stating that their service is tailored for gym owners.

"Now, if you want to look at your own clients and find out which clients are actually worth the most to you and then put it in your copy, ward off the people who aren't good and the people who do read that and are like, wow, that's really me, right?"

• The quote suggests a strategy to refine marketing copy in order to attract valuable clients and deter those who are less ideal.

• Discusses the structure of an effective ad: headline, banner, and copy.
• The headline should include the duration, benefit, and result, along with a power word.
• Banner images should be attention-grabbing and relevant to the ad's message.
• The subhead acts as a lead-in to the main content and should be connected to the headline's promise.

"And the next thing, finally is the subhead is the lead in, right?"

• This quote introduces the subhead as a crucial element that draws the reader into the rest of the ad content.

"So if you are making your ads, make sure to use those headlines. Make sure that the banners are set that way. Three pieces, duration, benefit, result, and then powerword."

• The quote outlines the components of a strong headline for an ad, emphasizing the importance of including key elements that convey the ad's offer clearly.

• Stresses the importance of maintaining congruence between the ad and the landing page.
• Ensuring the marketing message is consistent throughout the customer's journey improves the effectiveness of the campaign.
• Marketers must be diligent in aligning their messaging across different platforms and materials.

"Once they click from there to the page, you want it to be congruent."

• This quote emphasizes the need for consistency between the ad's message and the landing page to which it directs potential clients.

"This is where good marketers beat mediocre marketers just by not being lazy."

• The quote implies that diligent and attentive marketers are more successful due to their effort in maintaining message congruence.

• Highlights the importance of tailoring ads to different demographics, such as gender and age.
• Suggests creating separate funnels for men and women, and even more specific segmentation for different age groups.
• Customized messaging and page design can significantly improve marketing effectiveness.

"You can have two funnels that are running for the same campaign, just one's for men and one's for women."

• This quote suggests using separate marketing funnels to cater to different genders, acknowledging the basic split in targeting.

"I would imagine that you probably talk to a 55 year old woman differently. Talk to a 25 year old girl, right?"

• The quote acknowledges the need for different messaging when targeting various age groups within the same gender demographic.

• Encourages following the outlined guidelines for creating ads to increase clicks and leads.
• Requests the audience to engage with the content by tagging others, liking, commenting, or leaving a podcast review.
• Ends with positive reinforcement and a farewell.

"If you're making your ads today because it's Sunday, which is what a lot of our gym owners do, make their ads follow those guidelines, you'll get more clicks, you'll get more leads."

• This quote is a direct instruction to follow the given advertising guidelines to improve campaign performance.

"And if you found this valuable tag, somebody drop a like or a comment."

• The quote encourages audience engagement with the content, suggesting that they share it if they find it helpful.

"Please leave a review. All right?"

• This quote is a call to action for listeners of the podcast to leave a review, highlighting the importance of feedback.

"Keep being awesome."

• This quote is a positive affirmation to the audience, encouraging them to continue their efforts.

"Lots of love."

• This quote expresses affection and goodwill towards the audience, ending the conversation on a positive note.