Writing Headlines for Music Ads

Headlines carry disproportionate weight in advertising effectiveness. Most viewers scan rather than read, making the headline often the only text that receives attention. For music advertising, headlines must capture interest and communicate value within moments of viewer consideration.

Headline Function

Headlines serve several purposes simultaneously.

Attention Capture: Headlines must interrupt scanning behavior and hold attention long enough for message delivery.

Value Communication: What benefit does engagement provide? Headlines should answer this question.

Relevance Signaling: Headlines indicate whether content is meant for specific viewers.

Action Prompting: Many headlines include or lead to calls to action.

Curiosity Creation: Effective headlines make viewers want to learn more.

Headline Types

Several headline approaches work well for music advertising.

Announcement Headlines: “New Single Out Now” or “Tour Dates Announced.” Direct communication of news.

Benefit Headlines: “Your Next Favorite Song” or “Experience Live Music Again.” Focus on what viewers gain.

Question Headlines: “Ready for Something New?” Creates engagement through prompting mental response.

Command Headlines: “Listen Now” or “Get Your Tickets.” Direct action instruction.

Curiosity Headlines: “The Sound Everyone Is Talking About.” Creates desire to investigate.

Testimonial Headlines: Pull quotes from press or fans as headline content.

Clarity Over Cleverness

Headlines must communicate immediately. Clever wordplay that requires thought fails in scanning environments.

Instant Understanding: Viewers should grasp meaning without pause.

Straightforward Language: Simple words understood universally.

No Puzzles: Headlines requiring interpretation lose viewers during the solving time.

Context Independence: Headlines should work without requiring additional context.

Length Considerations

Headline length affects performance across different contexts.

Platform Limits: Character restrictions on some platforms enforce specific lengths.

Display Constraints: Longer headlines may truncate in certain placements like display ads through LG Media (starting at $2.50 CPM).

Scanning Behavior: Shorter headlines match scanning behavior better than longer ones.

Mobile Reality: Small screens favor concise headlines.

Information Needs: Some messages require more words for clarity. Balance brevity against completeness.

Specificity Principle

Specific headlines outperform vague ones consistently.

Concrete Details: “New Album Out May 15” beats “Exciting News Coming Soon.”

Numbers When Relevant: “10 New Tracks” or “First Show in 2 Years” provides tangible information.

Named Entities: Mentioning specific platforms, collaborators, or places adds substance.

Avoid Empty Phrases: Phrases like “amazing” or “incredible” provide no actual information.

Emotional Resonance

Headlines can connect with audience emotions effectively.

Feeling Acknowledgment: Headlines acknowledging audience feelings create connection.

Anticipation Building: Headlines suggesting something worth waiting for.

Belonging Signals: Headlines implying community or shared experience.

Nostalgia Triggers: References to shared memories or experiences.

Audience Targeting Through Headlines

Headlines can speak to specific audience segments.

Fan-Specific: Headlines for existing fans differ from new audience headlines.

Genre Signals: Language indicating musical style helps right audiences self-select.

Demographic Alignment: Language appropriate to target age and cultural context.

Interest Connection: Headlines connecting to interests beyond music specifically.

Testing Headlines

Headline effectiveness can be measured and optimized.

A/B Testing: Same creative with different headlines reveals which words perform better.

Click-Through Comparison: Headlines directly affecting CTR can be compared systematically.

Engagement Metrics: Beyond clicks, measuring how headlines affect broader engagement.

Audience Segmentation: Testing which headlines work best with different audience segments.

Headline Formulas

Proven structures provide starting points for headline creation.

[Number] + [Noun] + [Benefit]: “5 Songs to Change Your Monday”

[Question] + [Implied Answer]: “Looking for Your New Favorite Artist?”

[Command] + [Benefit]: “Listen Now and Discover Something New”

[News] + [Context]: “New Single Drops After Two-Year Hiatus”

[Social Proof] + [Call to Action]: “Join 10 Million Listeners”

Headlines for Different Objectives

Campaign objectives influence headline approach.

Awareness Headlines: Focus on introduction and interest generation.

Engagement Headlines: Invite interaction and response.

Conversion Headlines: Drive specific actions with clear prompts.

Retargeting Headlines: Acknowledge previous interaction; provide reason to return.

Common Headline Mistakes

Several patterns consistently weaken headlines.

Generic Claims: Headlines that could apply to any artist provide no differentiation.

Artist-Centric Language: Focus on artist rather than audience benefit.

Clichés: Overused phrases that signal nothing distinctive.

Excessive Punctuation: Multiple exclamation points or all caps reduce credibility.

Missing Action: Headlines that inform without prompting any response.

Inside References: References only existing fans understand when targeting new audiences.

Headlines for Different Platforms

Platform context affects headline requirements.

Social Media Ads: Headlines compete with platform native content. Standing out matters.

YouTube: Titles function as headlines. Search optimization may influence choices.

Display Ads: Limited space demands extreme concision.

Email: Subject lines function as headlines with unique considerations.

Headline and Visual Relationship

Headlines should complement rather than duplicate visual content.

Additive Information: Headlines providing information not visible in imagery.

Emotional Amplification: Words reinforcing visual emotional tone.

Context Provision: Headlines explaining what visuals show when not immediately clear.

Action Direction: Headlines directing attention toward specific visual elements.

Writing Process

Systematic approaches improve headline quality.

Volume Generation: Writing many options increases likelihood of finding strong ones.

Variation Exploration: Trying different approaches to same message.

Revision Practice: Refining initial attempts through editing.

Feedback Integration: Others catching issues writers miss.

Testing Orientation: Writing with testability in mind.

Headline Hierarchy

When multiple text elements exist, hierarchy determines emphasis.

Primary Headline: Main attention-capture element.

Secondary Headlines: Supporting information expanding on primary.

Call to Action: Often separate from informational headlines.

Consistency: Hierarchical relationships should be visually clear.

Effective headlines for music advertising require balancing attention capture, value communication, and action prompting within severe length and attention constraints. The investment in headline quality pays returns across campaign performance.