Challenge: get your headlines swole in 10 days

In partnership with

If a friend forwarded you this - grab your subscription. Inbox Hacking delivers marketing insights, news, and tools - minus the yawns. *Following message also has a sponsored offer we like you to check out.

Swole 💪headlines in 10 days

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…

The best part of being in marketing is:

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

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 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.

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

Onward…

Learn how to launch and grow an affiliate program for SaaS

Launching an affiliate program for your SaaS business can be intimidating if you’re new to it, but it is pretty simple. Rewardful has boiled it down to three core principles in their free online course:

  • Principle 1: Make it simple for affiliates to earn money

  • Principle 2: Run your program like a professional

  • Principle 3: Build an affiliate recruitment system

By the end of the course, you'll have a clear picture of how affiliate marketing can work for your business.

This Week’s Marketing Wrap-Up

🤠Surviving the AI era - that’ll preach!

Swipeable engaging content (how Product Hunt blew up)

📽️Chart: Gen Z’s fav channels for news & products

Consumers choose sides (top brands) pre-holidays

🛍️The future of IRL stores? 

IG Ad targeting options - take notes

🙄Helicopter parents sue school after dumb kid uses AI 

🎢4 lessons learned from 2024 rollercoaster

⬇️ Bonus: Ad of the Day at end of email 

Thanks for reading Inbox Hacking.

Please share it with a friend or rando-strangers, whatever you feel comfortable with, just know my livelihood depends on you sharing… no pressure.

Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin