Looks like we have a two-fer today! This is a headline and sub-headline combination for the same release. They were collectively so bad that I had to discuss them together.
I’ll examine each part separately and then discuss them together. Here are some tips for writing amazing headlines.
Time for another poorly written headline! For a refresher on good headline writing, check out my tips.
Now onto the bad headline! Continue reading “Poorly Written Headlines #3”
This has been a bit of a slow week, so I thought I’d do another edition of Poorly Written headlines. It’s been a while since I did the first of these, so here’s a refresher on strategies to writing good press release headlines and sub-headlines.
This headline is more of a statement than a news announcement. It reads as if it was pulled from a descriptive paragraph and slapped into the headline.
Why does it matter that this book takes place in a parallel universe? The vast majority of speculative fiction takes place in some form of alternate reality, whether it’s our universe with some weird shit happening, or a completely unique fantasy world.
Try searching for “parallel universe” on Google and you’ll get 500 million results. Add “books” to that search, and the top bar will show works by authors ranging from Pratchett, to Asimov, to Pullman. The book named in this headline is not competing with those names.
Basically, the back half of this headline is fluff; it has no real meaning, and it’s not doing the press release or the book it’s promoting any favors by being so generic.
Instead, the author could hint at why this parallel universe is interesting, or maybe provide a news announcement, such as the release date. Here’s an example without completely butchering the format:
[Author’s] exciting action thriller, [Book’s Title], will be Released this Summer!
It’s not perfect, but it provides some valuable information to the reader–they should check out this book and add it to their summer reading list.
What do you think? How would you make this headline pop more?
Steve D
Yesterday, I discussed how a bad press release headline can kill your book promotion efforts before they’ve begun. But I’d like to provide some actual examples of what headlines do right, and what they do wrong.
So here’s the first in what will be an ongoing series:
What this headline does right:
What this headline does wrong:
What makes a book fabulous? What makes this specific book fabulous? Is it fabulously well-written? Is there fabulous characterization, or fabulous world-building? Is the plot fabulously paced?
Flowery adjectives can make a headline pop, but by leaving the description vague, this headline is effectively meaningless.
The first ten words tell me a lot about the What, which is great. But the final two give me no hint of Why I should care. Young adult sci-fi books are a dime a dozen right now, and this headline fails to stand out from the crowd.
That’s it for now. I’d be happy to hear anyone else’s thoughts on this headline or my critique. I’ll try to do one or two of these each month.
Steve D
Way back in 2017, I wrote about the four basic elements of a good press release. In that post, I discussed how the headline and sub-headline should be used to hook a potential reader into actually reading the rest of your press release.
But I don’t think I emphasized enough one simple truth about press releases:
If your headline and/or sub-headline are not eye-catching, no one will read your release. Continue reading “How Bad Headlines Ruin Your Book Marketing Efforts”
Well, I wasn’t planning on talking about this until after the dust settled, but I’ve had a change of heart.
I was laid off from my job last week. I am actively looking for a new position, but in the meantime, I need to keep my options open.
That’s why I’m officially offering freelance services in writing, editing, or online marketing. Here’s a little bit about my background:
Now that I’ve pimped myself out, I’ll get into my sudden unemployment a bit. Continue reading “Anyone Need a Freelance Writer / Editor / Content Marketer?”
Analytics.
That’s a big scary word that most people try to avoid at all costs. Unfortunately (for some), it’s the most important part of any marketing campaign. Analytics tell you how well your marketing campaign is performing in real data.
For an online press release, there are a few key data points you should be looking at. But let’s back up for a moment. I sent my first press release on April 25th. Continue reading “Press Release Analytics: How Our First PR Performed”
Disclosure: I work for a marketing firm. While I have no formal education in marketing or business and would never claim to be an “expert”, working in online marketing for two companies over the last four years has taught me a lot. This series will explore the marketing strategies I will use to promote my upcoming novel.
Well, it’s been quite some time since I’ve updated this series. The last time we checked in, I discussed marketing through social media.
Today, I’m going to take a look back to a previous post, in which I provided a summary of sending online press releases. Why?
Because I just sent my first press release! Continue reading “Marketing Your Novel: Why Send Press Releases?”
Disclosure: I work for a marketing firm. While I have no formal education in marketing or business and would never claim to be an “expert”, working in online marketing for two companies over the last four years has taught me a lot. This series will explore the marketing strategies I will use to promote my upcoming novel.
A few weeks ago in this space I discussed the specific marketing channels I would be using to achieve my goals for 2017, including the publication and distribution of my first novel, The Warden of Everfeld: Memento.
I have already discussed two of those channels (Facebook and PPC Ads) in previous posts, so now I’d like to discuss my third marketing channel: press releases. Continue reading “Marketing Your Novel: Online Press Releases”
Disclosure: I work for a marketing firm. While I have no formal education in marketing or business and would never claim to be an “expert”, working in online marketing for two companies over the last four years has taught me a lot. This series will explore the marketing strategies I will use to promote my upcoming novel.
As I mentioned in my Friday Write-Day post a few days ago, some business-like details have fallen into place regarding the publishing of my book this year. This has allowed me to lay out a basic timeline and strategy for promoting and publishing my upcoming fantasy novel, The Warden of Everfeld: Memento. Continue reading “Marketing Your Novel: The Marketing Strategy!”
Evening Satellite Publishing 