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The weekend cometh like a thief in the night. Use that time wisely on the challenge I’m tossing at you below… but only if you give a flip about writing better headlines—arguably your best shot at improving sales. 

Just a 10% improvement in your headlines will rock the boat in a good way. 

Feel free to skip to the weekly Wrap-Up if you are making too many sales already. Quick poll starts this thing off…

Headline Challenge

Two-headed challenge.

#1 Commit to reading one of the books below within 10 days 

#2 Commit to checking your sales metrics 60 days from now to see any impact from better headlines

Not asking you to run around the block or Arizona with David Goggins, folks. This challenge is doable and it will MATTER.

21 Books to Choose from (extra credit after the list)

Here are 21 books related to writing eye-snatching headlines, including ratings where available. 

Here is the list with Amazon links added to each book title:

1. "The Copywriter's Handbook" by Robert W. Bly (4.5/5 stars)

2. "Headline Writing" by Garst and Bernstein (vintage book, ratings not widely available)

3. "Tested Advertising Methods" by John Caples (4.7/5 stars)

4. "The Adweek Copywriting Handbook" by Joseph Sugarman (4.6/5 stars)

5. "Words that Sell" by Richard Bayan (4.5/5 stars)

6. "The Ultimate Sales Letter" by Dan S. Kennedy (4.5/5 stars)

7. "Everybody Writes" by Ann Handley (4.5/5 stars)

8. "Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich" by David Garfinkel (4.3/5 stars)

9. "Ogilvy on Advertising" by David Ogilvy (4.7/5 stars)

10. "The Art of Writing Advertising" by Denis Higgins (4.4/5 stars)

11. "Scientific Advertising" by Claude Hopkins (4.6/5 stars)

12. "Web Copy That Sells" by Maria Veloso (4.5/5 stars)

13. "Headline Hacks" by Jon Morrow (e-book, ratings not widely available)

14. "The Boron Letters" by Gary Halbert (4.7/5 stars)

15. "Made to Stick" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (4.6/5 stars)

16. "Breakthrough Advertising" by Eugene Schwartz (4.8/5 stars)

17. "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser (4.6/5 stars)

18. "Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This" by Luke Sullivan (4.6/5 stars)

19. "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini (4.6/5 stars)

20. "The Wizard of Ads" by Roy H. Williams (4.6/5 stars)

21. "Copywriting Secrets" by Jim Edwards (4.6/5 stars)

Extra Ways to Get Swole Headlines

To write better headlines, use wisdom tucked away in other fields.

1. "Neuromarketing" by Patrick Renvoise and Christophe Morin (4.4/5 stars)

2. "Building a StoryBrand" by Donald Miller (4.7/5 stars)

3. "Words That Work" by Frank Luntz (4.4/5 stars)

4. "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely (4.5/5 stars)

5. "Don't Make Me Think, Revisited" by Steve Krug (4.6/5 stars)

I’ll come along on this challenge with ya. I’ll be reading “Don’t Make Me Think.” 

Onward…

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Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin

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