Five times as many people read the headlines - David Ogilvy
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"On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money."— David Ogilvy
This photo captures David Ogilvy, the ad legend who believed the headline wasn’t the appetizer—it was the meal. He knew if your first line flops, your sale is already dead.
The Headline Obsession
Ogilvy’s rule was simple: win attention fast. Readers judge in seconds if your ad deserves more time. That’s why he’d write 20 headlines before picking one.
Why This Works
- Stops the scroll before logic kicks in
- Frames your message in one sharp promise
- Attracts the right buyer, repels the wrong one
- Makes every marketing dollar work harder
Real-Life Hits
- BuzzFeed’s “21 Things Only 90s Kids Remember” pulled millions of clicks
- The Economist’s “I never read The Economist” headline doubled subscriptions
- Copyblogger found 8 in 10 people read headlines, but only 2 read the rest
Analyzed by Swipebot
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