Hey guys:

Do you remember the very first headline you ever wrote for a paying client?

I remember mine, like it was yesterday.

It was in 1985. I had just moved to Florida when I landed my first, official copywriting job.

It was for a new company that made salt water taffy.

They wanted me to write an ad for their grand opening, which was going to run in the local newspaper.

Also, as it turns out, the grand opening was scheduled for right around election time.

So with the blessings of the owner, I put a political slant on the headline. This is the headline I wrote:

Our Salt Water Taffy Is So Mouthwatering Good...It's Endorsed By This Newspaper!

story on page 6...


The headline happened to be the true, because as it turns out, the taffy company also owned the local newspaper.

Of course, all of the locals knew this, but tourists didn't.

To make a long story short, the campaign turned out to be a huge success, and I ended up getting a lot of copywriting jobs, because of that one particular ad.

Okay, your turn!

Dale King

Promise me not to steal this

They Didn't Know I Was Deaf... Until I Revealed To Them This Almost Invincible Piece Of Hearing Aid Which They Had To Squint In Order To See It!

Yes, I do remember my first headline from years ago; I combined it with a graphic for a fax campaign for a large Web developer in a southern state. He wanted a humorous approach that would stick in people's minds, geared to realtors, since he designed websites for realtors.

So, I found a graphic of a barefoot couple, with a basset hound (long-eared, sad-faced) standing in front of their mobile home. The headline said, "Nowadays, Even THIS Couple Goes Online to Look for a Home...When They Do, Will They Find You?"

He got a great response to the ad, and hired me to do the follow-up email campaign.

Sheri, wordsmith thank you for your participation in this thread. Much appreciated!

Dale King