# Headline Formulas -- Gary Bencivenga Method

## The Complete Headline Arsenal

### Formula 1: IF...THEN Construction (Most Powerful)

The word "IF" followed by a reasonable condition magically switches off the reader's skepticism alarm.

**Pattern:** IF [reasonably easy requirement] + THEN [strong promise]

**Examples:**
- "If you've got 20 minutes a month, I guarantee to work a financial miracle in your life"
- "If you've got 20 minutes a month, I guarantee a thinner, healthier you"
- "If you can follow a simple recipe, you can build a $10K/month business"
- "If you can send an email, you can master this marketing system"
- "If your child can read, this system can turn them into a straight-A student"

**Why it works:** The "IF" creates a conditional frame. The reader thinks "yes, I can do that easy thing" and their skepticism drops for the promise that follows. It's a two-step mental jiu-jitsu.

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### Formula 2: The Condition Technique (Soft Language)

Adding qualifying conditions paradoxically INCREASES believability and response.

**Soft words:** may, could, almost, believe it or not, what appears to be, seems to

**Split-test proof:**
- "Why the price of silver MAY rise steeply" beat "WILL rise steeply" by ~200%
- The softer word "may" snoozed the reader's "Yeah, sure..." alarm

**Rules:**
- Use soft language where proof is THIN
- Use strong language where proof is OVERWHELMING
- Mix both in the same piece for rhythm and credibility

**Examples:**
- WEAK: "This system WILL make you rich" (triggers skepticism)
- STRONG: "This system could be the most profitable discovery of your career" (bypasses resistance)
- WEAK: "You WILL lose 30 pounds" (Yeah, sure...)
- STRONG: "What may be the fastest natural path to your ideal weight" (intriguing, believable)

---

### Formula 3: Promise + Embedded Proof

The headline itself contains a proof element, not just a promise.

**Pattern:** [Promise] + [Proof Qualifier]

**Examples:**
- "Announcing a direct response advertising agency that will guarantee to outpull your best ad" (the guarantee IS the proof)
- "How a lazy 23-year-old turned $500 into $47,382 in 90 days" (specific numbers = proof)
- "What doctors at Johns Hopkins discovered about belly fat" (authority = proof)
- "The Harvard-tested method that rebuilds memory in adults over 50" (institution = proof)

**Key insight:** Adding authority words ("doctors," "Harvard study," "clinical trial") raises response because it raises the level of proof embedded in the headline itself.

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### Formula 4: The Borden 4-Stage Headline Test

Run EVERY headline through this filter before approving:

| Stage | Reader's Internal Reaction | Your Headline Must... | Fix If Failing |
|-------|---------------------------|----------------------|----------------|
| 1. "Ho-hum!" | Boredom, indifference | Electrify. Shock. Intrigue. | Add specificity, a counterintuitive claim, or a startling number |
| 2. "Why bring that up?" | "What does this have to do with me?" | Be immediately relevant to THEIR life | Reframe around the reader's problem, not your product |
| 3. "For instance!" | "Prove it. Give me details." | Provide or promise specific examples | Add numbers, names, timeframes, case references |
| 4. "So what?" | "Even if true, why should I care?" | Drive toward action and personal benefit | Add "so you can..." or make the benefit to THEM explicit |

---

### Formula 5: The "Reason Why" Headline

Based on Bullet #9: The most persuasive tool is reason-why copy.

**Pattern:** [Statement] + because/why/reason + [compelling explanation]

**Examples:**
- "Why some people almost always make money in the stock market"
- "7 reasons this dental plan saves families $2,000+ per year"
- "Why your diet keeps failing -- and the surprisingly simple fix"
- "The reason 94% of resumes get rejected in under 6 seconds"

---

### Formula 6: The News Announcement

Bencivenga Maxim #1: "Make your advertising itself valuable. Leave prospects better off for reading your promo."

**Pattern:** Announcing / Introducing / New / Now / At last + [newsworthy claim]

**Examples:**
- "Announcing a breakthrough in natural pain relief that works in 7 minutes"
- "New: The first investment fund that guarantees your principal"
- "At last -- a CRM that actually saves time instead of creating more work"

---

### Formula 7: The Specificity Headline

Specific numbers and details are always more believable than round numbers or vague claims.

**Rules:**
- $47,382 beats "almost $50,000"
- "In 17 days" beats "in about 2 weeks"
- "94% of users" beats "most users"
- "3 minutes and 42 seconds" beats "a few minutes"

**Examples:**
- "How I turned $500 into $47,382 in exactly 90 days"
- "The 11-minute morning routine that added 14 years to his life expectancy"
- "She lost 23.4 pounds in 6 weeks without giving up pasta"

---

### Formula 8: The "What" Opener

Based on Bullet #4: "What are we REALLY selling?"

**Pattern:** What [authority/group] + [action that creates curiosity]

**Examples:**
- "What Wall Street doesn't want you to know about retirement"
- "What your dentist checks FIRST (and why it has nothing to do with cavities)"
- "What successful copywriters do in the first 30 minutes of every project"
- "What the top 1% of salespeople never say in a pitch"

---

### Formula 9: The Metaphor Headline (Golden Key)

Based on Bullet #25: Metaphors bypass critical analysis.

**Pattern:** [Familiar metaphor/image] + [applied to your topic]

**Sources for metaphors:** Bible, fairy tales, sports, movies, universal stories

**Examples:**
- "A Sleeping Beauty stock that's about to wake up"
- "The Cinderella opportunity hiding in your email list"
- "This ugly-duckling supplement is about to become the swan of the wellness industry"
- "Your David vs. Goliath strategy for beating big-budget competitors"

---

### Formula 10: The Question Headline

**Pattern:** [Intriguing question the reader MUST answer]

**Rules:**
- NEVER ask a question the reader can answer "no" to
- The question must create an information gap they need to fill
- Best when the question implies a surprising answer

**Examples:**
- "Do you make these 7 mistakes in English?" (classic -- implies reader might)
- "Can you pass this 10-second financial health test?"
- "Which of these 5 marketing myths is costing you the most money?"
- "Are you paying the 'ignorance tax' on your investments?"

---

## Headline Generation Protocol

When creating headlines for a user:

1. Write 10-15 raw headlines using different formulas above
2. Run each through the Borden 4-Stage Test
3. Eliminate any that fail at any stage
4. Select the top 5-7 and rank them
5. For each, note: formula used, why it should work, what to A/B test
6. Always include at least one IF...THEN and one Condition Technique headline
7. Suggest testing the top 2 against each other first
