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What's The Best Way To Title A Special Report?

A publisher posted a question on NEPA's Marketing Listserv: How should a B2B special report for sale, consisting of "recycled" editorial, be titled? Is it effective to use "The Best of XYZ Newsletter" or should the title describe the report's content? Marketing Consultant and Copywriter Don Hauptman offers the following recommendations:

. The title should be specific , accurately describing the content. People have specific problems and are in search of specific solutions. The only danger is that you might thereby exclude some prospects, but that's a risk worth taking.

. The title should communicate a clear and immediate benefit : You will increase revenues and profits, save time, avoid big mistakes, be a hero, etc. The title should be "you" - not "us" - oriented. Don't, as this questioner suggested, use "Case Studies, Tips and Interviews." That's about the publication, not the reader, and it fails to convey a benefit.

. Choose strong, dramatic words: proven, tested, little-known, smart, fast, strategies, success, etc. Also, remember that opportunity and fear are powerful motivators. If appropriate, use such words as: what's working, trends, predictions, developments, alerts, warnings.

. Adding a number - "17 Great Ideas to Generate Cash by ." - often works. But don't offer 3,002 tips.

. "Best of ..." might work if your market consists entirely of subscribers who know and love you - especially those who subscribed after you've been publishing for a while and who are eager to catch up with what they missed.

. A short title with a longer subtitle can be a good combination: "Widget Industry Profits! 37 Breakthrough Tactics to Help You Make More Money in 2003."
In the late 19th century, a wag suggested that the perfect book title would be Abraham Lincoln's Doctor's Dog - because books on those three subjects always sold well. Today, my nominee for a guaranteed best-seller is How to Drive Your Cat Wild in Bed - While Preparing Easy Ten-Minute Recipes .

Don Hauptman, 61 West 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023
(212)246-8229  Fax: (212)397-1964  E-mail: donhauptman@compuserve.com