Seamless Subheads

I love to use "seamless subheads."

I learned it simply by observation. Reading John Carlton letters, Gary Halbert letters, etc.

And I want to share the technique with you here.

Basically, a seamless subhead creates a visual break in the copy (to stop scanners) without hurting the flow of the copy (for those who are reading all the way through).

Seamless subheads have another advantage. They work to grease your copy so readers slide right through it.

Joseph Sugarman says that the purpose of each line of copy is to get your reader to read the next line. Seamless subheads do this amazingly well.

Let me give you an example from some copy I just wrote:

Are you beginning to see how profitable it could be for you to purchase your retail space? It’s literally like taking one business...

...And Transforming It Into Two!

Instead of just your retail business, you’ll now have a commercial real estate business running in the background.

This business will require very little of your time and energy... yet it will produce amazing financial benefits over the course of your business’s life.

Can you see how the copy flows right into the subhead and just keeps on rolling after that? Let me give you another example from the same letter:

What’s more, McDonalds is quickly becoming...

The Largest Landowner in Russia!

The Agribusiness Examiner calls McDonalds land ownership in Russia a “real estate empire.”

You see, the guys running McDonalds are no dummies. They know the real money isn’t in hamburgers... it’s in real estate.

I can't say this technique was easy to learn. It simply took practice. Every time I write a letter, I try to "stitch" the body copy and subheads together so they become seamless.

Not every subhead can be a seamless subhead. Some have to be like islands that float between two sections of body copy.

Yet, as much as possible, I encourage you to write seamless subheads. Your copy will be so much smoother... so "slippery"... that it will be easier for your prospects to keep reading than it will be for them to bail out!

Comments

[Katie Cummings]

That's great! I forgot about this one. I usually make my subheads an introduction to the proceeding paragraph. This works great on the web for those who simply scan pages, but this is a great idea for visitors who read everything. Using them as intros is a problem because it makes each piece seem like not to fit together to make the sum of the whole. Thanks for the tip, I'll be trying this in more of my copy.

[Chris]

Excellent post, Ryan. It simplifies the concept perfectly.

Kudos!

[marcus]

Mr. Healy,

I am the winner from Michel Fortin's webinar. If I understand correctly I have three things to choose from. Would love to hear from you. Thanks you Ryan.

Regards,
Marcus

[Robert Lehrer]

Ryan, your blog on HOW to write subheads was helpful.
I'm still not sure however, WHEN subheads should be used.
When is it optimal to create the visual break that you mentioned? Is a subhead to just create a visual break or is it to stress a point as well? At what point is it optimal to add a subhead?

[Tim Schaefer]

I read an article in Motor Trend today - about the new Porsche 911 GT3 - and each time I came across a subhead, I would be stopped dead in my tracks.

The writer, in an effort to be clever (with a sub like "Suspension by Cinnabon"), made the article a chore to read...

I quit halfway through.

[Stephen Dean]

I love this technique Ryan, my best letters are packed with seamless subheads!

Stephen

[Joseph Ratliff]

Ryan,

The Gary Halbert Letter was probably the best series of documents to read when it came to "seamless subheads".

I use this little litmus test when I finish a letter to see if my subhead's hold water...

I read them from top to bottom, and if they can be scanned and feel like the "cliff's notes" version of your sales letter...they are smooth.

Almost like they read as a letter themselves.

Joseph Ratliff
http://www.buildinginternetwealth.org

[Brian O.]

Excellent technique to keep the copy 'flowing,' but also in the formatting (color and font of the subheads) to keep it easy to read.

Are there any books available on how to format your copy effectively?

[Ryan Healy]

Hi Brian - There aren't any copy layout books that I'm aware of specific to direct response copywriting.

One book I'm aware of that's helpful for all kinds of copy layout is called The Non-Designers Design Book by Robin Williams.

I just checked Amazon and there's a newer book she's written called The Non-Designers Web Book.

The tough part about sales letters is that any layout that becomes overused is often overlooked (by the reader). So it's hard for there to be any kind of long-term standard.