Comments on: Do Questions Work as Headlines?

By: Tery

Tery — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:00:48 +0000

Due to this article, I just re-wrote a headline for a retirement guide I’m writing. The new headline is:

“Has The Current Economic Crisis Made You Want To Curl Up Into A Fetal Position and Hide?”

We’ll see how it does.

By: 3 Amateur Copywriting Mistakes

3 Amateur Copywriting Mistakes — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:01:09 +0000

[...] One of my most popular copywriting articles on my blog is Do Questions Work as Headlines? Check it out when you have a minute. Email, Print Or Share This [...]

By: a make money blogging carnival - March 14, 2008 : SuccessPart2.Com

a make money blogging carnival - March 14, 2008 : SuccessPart2.Com — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:21:55 +0000

[...] Healy presents Do Questions Work as Headlines? posted at Ryan M. Healy, saying, “Some of my most popular blog posts use questions as [...]

By: Franck Silvestre

Franck Silvestre — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 05:45:40 +0000

Questions work. Here is the proof. I came to your blog through Terry’s blog.
He posted 7 links, and 3 of them were questions. These are the first blog I visited because they really grabbed my intention and make me curious.

By: Ryan M. Healy

Ryan M. Healy — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:16:27 +0000

Varun – Too funny! Thanks for sharing.

By: Varun Pratap

Varun Pratap — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:39:38 +0000

Do Questions Work as Headlines?

Well, They obviously work, cause that one made me opened only your email in the list of 100’s I get daily… Trust me, I don’t spend most of my time reading emails looking for THAT perfect one…

By: Are Questions The Anwser In Your Copy? | Keith Goodrum

Are Questions The Anwser In Your Copy? | Keith Goodrum — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:59:02 +0000

[...] in your headline is considered risky at best. Ryan Healy confirms this statement in his blog post Do Questions Work As Headlines?. He tested a question in a headline and he was sure it lose the split test. However the question [...]

By: Ryan M. Healy

Ryan M. Healy — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:33:26 +0000

Rasheed – Thank you. I remember a thread that Alan Forrest Smith started on Copywriter’s Board a while back. It got an ENORMOUS amount of feedback. The title was this: “Is Bush a Dictator?”

Carolyn – Of course I remember you. :-) Glad to see you’re doing well with your copywriting business.

Pat – Great example. Thanks for sharing it. I learned German in high school, so I can imagine the accent well. ;-)

Becki – Good points. Glad you like the new look!

By: Becki Maxson

Becki Maxson — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:12:35 +0000

What I like about using questions is it automatically forms an answer in the reader’s mind. There almost seems no way around this psychologically — it’s some need to complete the loop.

I find it’s really good for subject lines in email marketing. After all, the point of the subject line is simply to get them to open up.

A question lays out an invitation that engages them, as though you’re starting a conversation and they decide it interests them enough to see what you’re going to say about that.

P.S. I like the way you’ve redone the blog. Looks good!

By: Pat B. Doyle

Pat B. Doyle — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:36:33 +0000

I can think of a great offline example – locally, the best known car dealer is a guy named Ernie VanSchledorn, and his headline/tagline ran for decades as “Who do you know wants to buy a car?” (sic)

Yes, it’s bad grammar, but he was playing on the fact that he was foreign-born – he would say the line in his German accent in his commercials.

My German-born mother would get irritated every time she heard it, because she thought it implied that Germans couldn’t speak English very well.

But it sure was effective – everyone remembered it.