The Important Rule of Belief

In today's skeptical, over-marketed world, with our search for more powerful claims, we can forget too easily one very important rule:

Never make your claim bigger than your proof. And, always join your claim and your proof at the hip in your headline, so that you never trumpet one without the other. If you remember this rule, there is no more powerful or consistent way to explode your response. Surround your claims with stronger, bolder proof and watch your response soar.

Whenever you face the question: Which of these headlines or main themes will likely out pull the other? One of the most reliable ways to know in advance, without spending a dime or precious time on testing, is to ask: Which headline offers the more compelling proof?

Your prospects are not morons. They are as savvy as you. They can spot your hype miles away. And, they will stop reading your e-mails and throw them into the trash. This is why the smartest, most reliable way to get a prospect to read your message and respond is not by cranking up the volume on your promise. That just makes it look like a bigger pile of hype.

With this in mind, take the following two headlines... which one promises the reader more proof?

Headline (A.) Tension Headache?

Headline (B.) When Doctors Have Tension Headaches, What Do They Do?

Headline "B" won by a fat and happy 71%

Remember this always: Almost everyone in the world, in every field of endeavor, is desperately searching for someone to believe in. Belief is today's most overlooked, most powerful key to boosting response in any medium.