Several years ago Raphael Marketing searched and compiled what we believe is arguably the definitive list of the best press advertising headlines ever written. The advertisements that ran under these headlines sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products for the advertisers, and many of them continued to be used – unaltered – for close to three decades.

Although some of these headlines are a little dated now, their pulling power is undeniable. A headline is generally the single most important part of an advertisement. If your headline does not grab a readers attention, its unlikely they will ever get to read your copy. After all, how many advertisements do you ignore every day because they failed to “grab” you? Probably hundreds! Whenever we have to prepare advertisements for our clients and were at a loss for a good “grab”, we review this list to refresh our thinking and jog our minds. We have found it incredibly useful, and we hope you do too.

1. They laughed when I sat down at the piano – but when
I started to play!
2. They grinned when the waiter spoke to me in French – but their laughter changed to amazement at my reply.
3. Do you make these mistakes in English?
4. Can You Spot These 10 Decorating Sins?
5. How a “fool stunt” made me a star salesman
6. How a strange accident saved me from baldness
7. Who else wants a screen star figure?
8. Who else wants a lighter cake – in half the mixing
time?
9. Free to brides – $2 to others
10. Free to high school teachers – $6 to others
11. Announcing the new Ford cars for (year)
12. Are You Ashamed of Smells In Your Home?
13. Buy No Desk Until You Have Seen The Sensation Of The
Business Show
14. Can You Talk About Books With The Rest Of Them?
15. Car Insurance At Low Cost – If You Are A Careful
Driver
16. Car Owners. Save One Gallon of Gas Every Ten
17. Double Your Money Back If This Is Not The Best Onion
Soup You Ever Tasted
18. Free Book Tells You 12 Secrets Of Better Lawn Care
19. Get Rid Of Money Worries For Good
20. Girls.Want Quick Curls?
21. Greatest Bible News In 341 Years
22. Great New Discovery Kills Kitchen Odours Quick –
makes indoor air “country fresh”
23. Hand Woven by the Mountain People of New Mexico
24. Have You These Symptoms of Nerve Exhaustion?
25. Five Familiar Skin Troubles – Which Do You Want To
Overcome?
26. “Here is an extra $50, Grace – I am making real money
now!”
27. Here is a Quick Way to Break Up a Cold
28. How a Man of 40 Can Retire In 15 Years
29. How I Became Popular Overnight
30. How I Improved My Memory In One Evening
31. How I Made A Fortune With A “Fool” Idea
32. How Investors Can Save 70% On Commissions This Year
33. How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In
Selling
34. How To Do Your Christmas Shopping in 5 Minutes
35. How I Retired On a Guaranteed Income for Life
36. How I Started a New Life With $7
37. How $7 Started Me On The Road to $35,000 a Year
38. How The Next 90 Days Can Change Your Life
39. How To Beat Tension Without Pills
40. How To Collect From Social Security At Any Age
41. How To Feel Fit At Any Age
42. How To Get Rid of an Inferiority Complex
43. How To Get Your Cooking Bragged About
44. How To Have A Cool, Quiet Bedroom Even On Hot
Nights
45. How To Make Money Writing Short Paragraphs
46. How To Stop Worrying
47. How To Stretch Your Inflated Money
48. How To Win Friends and Influence People
49. How $20 Spent May Save You $2000
50. How you Can Get a Loan of $500
51. I Lost That Ugly Bulge in 2 Minutes With This
Reducing Belt
52. It Cleans Your Breath While It Cleans Your
53. “I Gambled With 3 Cents And Won $35,850 In 2 Years”
54. Imagine Me. Holding an Audience Spellbound for 30
minutes.
55. “I Have Tried Em All, But This Is The Polish I Use
On My Own”
56. I Was Tired Of Living On Peanuts – so I started
reading (publication)
57. Men who “know it all” are not invited to read this
page
58. Money-saving Bargain from Americas Oldest Diamond
Discount House
59. New. A Cream Deodorant Which Safely Stops
Perspiration
60. New House Paint Made By (manufacturer)
61. No Time For Yale – Took College Home By Reading The
Harvard Classics
62. Now! Own Florida Land This Easy Way. $20 Down and
$20 a Month.
63. One Place-setting Free For Every Three You Buy.
64. Order Christmas Gifts Now – Pay After January 20.
65. Owners Save 20% to 50% On Fuel With The (name) Oil
Furnace
66. Play Guitar in 7 Days or Money Back
67. Quick Relief for Tired Eyes.
68. Lose Ugly Fat – an Average of 7 Pounds a Month.
69. If You AreAa Careful Driver You Can Save Money On
Car Insurance.
70. Readers Digest Tells Why Filtered Cigarette Smoke
Is Better For Your Health
71. Ways To Beat The Overweight Habit
72. Ways To Beat The High Cost Of Living
73. New Ways To A Mans Heart In This Fascinating New
Book For Cooks
74. The Lazy Mans Way To Riches – Most people are too
busy earning a living to make any money

75. The Deaf Now Hear Wispers
76. The Most Amazing Shakespeare Bargain Ever Offered
77. The Most Comfortable Shoes You Have Ever Worn Or
Your Money Back
78. The Most Complete and Most Scholarly Dictionary in
the English language $17.50. Publishers List
Price: $90 79. The Secret of Making People Like
You
80. The Tastiest Ocean Treat from Gloucester- Plump,
Tender, Juicy Salt Mackerel Fillets
81. They Thought I Was Crazy To Ship LIVE MAINE
LOBSTERS as far as 1,800 miles from the ocean.
82. Thousands Have This Priceless Gift – But Never
Discover It
83. Thousands Now Play Who Never Thought They Could
84. To A Mother Whose Child Is Three Years Old
85. To A $15,000 Man Who Would Like To Be Making
$30,000
86. To A Man Who Is 35 And Dissatisfied
87. To Men Who Want To Quit Work Some Day
88. You Do Not Have To Be Rich To Retire On a
Guaranteed Income For Life
89. A WARNING To Men Who Want To Be Independent In The
Next Five Years
90. Wanted: Safe Men For Dangerous Times
91. Wanted – Your Services As A High-Paid Real Estate
Specialist
92. Whats New In Summer Sandwiches?
93. Tonight Serve This Ready-mixed Chocolate Pudding
94. Who Else Wants A Whiter Wash – With No Hard Work?
95. Whats Wrong In This Picture?
96. When Doctors “Feel Rotten” This Is What They Do
97. Which Of These Five Skin Troubles Would You Like To
End?
98. Will Your Scalp Stand The “Fingernail Test?”
99. Give Me 5 Days and Ill Give You a Magnetic
Personality. Let Me Prove It Free
100. What Makes A Woman Lovable?
101. To People Who Want To Write – But Can Not Get
Started.

There are people who make things happen
There are people who watch things happen
There are people who wonder what happened!

Which are you?