e headlines of all time: "Do you make these mistakes in English?" The reason it's proved so effective for so many years is because it immediately gives the reader an itch. And it's an itch that can only be scratched by reading the copy to discover exactly what mistakes you might be looking a goof by making.

So, let's pretend you're writing an article about -- say -- kite flying. And let's say you wrote: "Ten Top Tips On How To Fly A Kite". Now that's pretty good, because "tips" headlines pull well, because of curiosity and fear of loss. After all, you might only know nine of those ten tips -- then where would you be?

But, knowing what a powerful psychologic

I'm a great fan of article marketing -- and of reading articles. But I'm always amazed how much money most authors leave on the table, because they fail to properly execute the two most vital parts of the operation.

These are:

• The headline and summary paragraphs
• The signature box or resource box

The reason these are so vital is they are the two important "gateways" you have to move the reader through to achieve the purpose of your article.

First, let's be clear about your purpose: the prime purpose, among several, is to attract qualified visitors to your web site.

With this in mind, it's obvious you have less chance than the proverbial snowball in hell, if your article headline and teaser copy doesn't stand out among all the other articles on the article bank or web site. The way many article banks display their articles, the headline is all you have to "sell" your article. So it's no exaggeration to say you have ten seconds in which to live or die!

So it will pay you handsomely to bring some of the tricks of copy writing -- which is really psychology in words -- to your articles.

The reason is this: your headline is just as crucial as the headline on any sales letter -- generally agreed to be 80% of the whole. The purpose is the same, because you are also selling a product: your article. So your efforts must be equally strenuous. A good tip -- which us copy writers always follow -- is to write as many headlines as you can think of. And then leave them for a day or so, sleep on it and then choose, or further modify, the best one. It really is that important!

The summary copy is almost as important, because, when this is also shown, it's a further chance to get the reader to decide to read the full article. Just like in copy writing a sales letter, that first paragraph is almost as crucial as the headline. The best way to handle this is to write the very best summary, you can and spice it with a pinch of curiosity -- preferably curiosity that further enhances your headline.

When writing both headline and summary, always remember curiosity is one of the greatest human motivators. So always ensure your headline and teasers have a certain enigmatic quality -- but always keep on the right side of reality. There's no point in enticing your reader into your article, only to have them feel they've been duped.

It's also a psychological fact people react far more readily to the fear of a loss than the prospect of gain. So, if you frame your headlines and teaser with this in mind, you'll find your response rates rise.

For example, take one of the most effective headlines of all time: "Do you make these mistakes in English?" The reason it's proved so effective for so many years is because it immediately gives the reader an itch. And it's an itch that can only be scratched by reading the copy to discover exactly what mistakes you might be looking a goof by making.

So, let's pretend you're writing an article about -- say -- kite flying. And let's say you wrote: "Ten Top Tips On How To Fly A Kite". Now that's pretty good, because "tips" headlines pull well, because of curiosity and fear of loss. After all, you might only know nine of those ten tips -- then where would you be?

But, knowing what a powerful psychologica

have less chance than the proverbial snowball in hell, if your article headline and teaser copy doesn't stand out among all the other articles on the article bank or web site. The way many article banks display their articles, the headline is all you have to "sell" your article. So it's no exaggeration to say you have ten seconds in which to live or die!

So it will pay you handsomely to bring some of the tricks of copy writing -- which is really psychology in words -- to your articles.

The reason is this: your headline is just as crucial as the headline on any sales letter -- generally agreed to be 80% of the whole. The purpose is the same, because you are also selling a product: your article. So your efforts must be equally strenuous. A good tip -- which us copy writers always follow -- is to write as many headlines as you can think of. And then leave them for a day or so, sleep on it and then choose, or further modify, the best one. It really is that important!

The summary copy is almost as important, because, when this is also shown, it's a further chance to get the reader to decide to read the full article. Just like in copy writing a sales letter, that first paragraph is almost as crucial as the headline. The best way to handle this is to write the very best summary, you can and spice it with a pinch of curiosity -- preferably curiosity that further enhances your headline.

When writing both headline and summary, always remember curiosity is one of the greatest human motivators. So always ensure your headline and teasers have a certain enigmatic quality -- but always keep on the right side of reality. There's no point in enticing your reader into your article, only to have them feel they've been duped.

It's also a psychological fact people react far more readily to the fear of a loss than the prospect of gain. So, if you frame your headlines and teaser with this in mind, you'll find your response rates rise.

For example, take one of the most effective headlines of all time: "Do you make these mistakes in English?" The reason it's proved so effective for so many years is because it immediately gives the reader an itch. And it's an itch that can only be scratched by reading the copy to discover exactly what mistakes you might be looking a goof by making.

So, let's pretend you're writing an article about -- say -- kite flying. And let's say you wrote: "Ten Top Tips On How To Fly A Kite". Now that's pretty good, because "tips" headlines pull well, because of curiosity and fear of loss. After all, you might only know nine of those ten tips -- then where would you be?

But, knowing what a powerful psychologic

also selling a product: your article. So your efforts must be equally strenuous. A good tip -- which us copy writers always follow -- is to write as many headlines as you can think of. And then leave them for a day or so, sleep on it and then choose, or further modify, the best one. It really is that important!

The summary copy is almost as important, because, when this is also shown, it's a further chance to get the reader to decide to read the full article. Just like in copy writing a sales letter, that first paragraph is almost as crucial as the headline. The best way to handle this is to write the very best summary, you can and spice it with a pinch of curiosity -- preferably curiosity that further enhances your headline.

When writing both headline and summary, always remember curiosity is one of the greatest human motivators. So always ensure your headline and teasers have a certain enigmatic quality -- but always keep on the right side of reality. There's no point in enticing your reader into your article, only to have them feel they've been duped.

It's also a psychological fact people react far more readily to the fear of a loss than the prospect of gain. So, if you frame your headlines and teaser with this in mind, you'll find your response rates rise.

For example, take one of the most effective headlines of all time: "Do you make these mistakes in English?" The reason it's proved so effective for so many years is because it immediately gives the reader an itch. And it's an itch that can only be scratched by reading the copy to discover exactly what mistakes you might be looking a goof by making.

So, let's pretend you're writing an article about -- say -- kite flying. And let's say you wrote: "Ten Top Tips On How To Fly A Kite". Now that's pretty good, because "tips" headlines pull well, because of curiosity and fear of loss. After all, you might only know nine of those ten tips -- then where would you be?

But, knowing what a powerful psychologic

iosity -- preferably curiosity that further enhances your headline.

When writing both headline and summary, always remember curiosity is one of the greatest human motivators. So always ensure your headline and teasers have a certain enigmatic quality -- but always keep on the right side of reality. There's no point in enticing your reader into your article, only to have them feel they've been duped.

It's also a psychological fact people react far more readily to the fear of a loss than the prospect of gain. So, if you frame your headlines and teaser with this in mind, you'll find your response rates rise.

For example, take one of the most effective headlines of all time: "Do you make these mistakes in English?" The reason it's proved so effective for so many years is because it immediately gives the reader an itch. And it's an itch that can only be scratched by reading the copy to discover exactly what mistakes you might be looking a goof by making.

So, let's pretend you're writing an article about -- say -- kite flying. And let's say you wrote: "Ten Top Tips On How To Fly A Kite". Now that's pretty good, because "tips" headlines pull well, because of curiosity and fear of loss. After all, you might only know nine of those ten tips -- then where would you be?

But, knowing what a powerful psychologic

e headlines of all time: "Do you make these mistakes in English?" The reason it's proved so effective for so many years is because it immediately gives the reader an itch. And it's an itch that can only be scratched by reading the copy to discover exactly what mistakes you might be looking a goof by making.

So, let's pretend you're writing an article about -- say -- kite flying. And let's say you wrote: "Ten Top Tips On How To Fly A Kite". Now that's pretty good, because "tips" headlines pull well, because of curiosity and fear of loss. After all, you might only know nine of those ten tips -- then where would you be?

But, knowing what a powerful psychological trigger that headline is, try this one: "Do You Make These Fatal Mistakes Flying Your Kite?"

If you were a kite enthusiast, you would immediately feel the fear rising in your throat. Suppose you're making one, or --heaven forbid -- more than one fatal mistake! Even if the house was starting to burn down, I bet you'd ignore it, click on that headline and devour the article. Tests show, switching to that style of "negative" headline can increase your response rate by up to three times!

Come to that, you're reading this article because my headline: "Are These Simple Mistakes Reducing Your Response?" induced you to.

So having got your reader into the article, it goes without saying the article should be of sufficient quality and content to get them to read it all the way to the bottom, where lurks your resource box. So the core idea of the article is to be full of useful information, but sufficiently incomplete to compel the reader to seek more information. This is a further psychological technique, called a "nested loop", based on the deep need humans have for closure. You see this in action every day on the news broadcasts, when the anchor person reads out the headlines of the upcoming items, designed to keep you watching the entire broadcast just to catch the last -- and most intriguing -- item.

This desire should be translated into action by the words in your resource box. In copy writing, this is the second most critical part of the sales letter, after the headline -- and so it should be for you. When I tell you that, in copy writing, this part is known as "the call to action" you'll get the idea. And the idea is to get the reader, having been interested in what you have to say in your article, to take action and come to your web site, where you can further enhance the relationship, the eventual aim of which is to turn them into long term customers.

But, unless you get your reader through this next gateway, you have wasted your article. So these are the vital points of a resource box that works:

Your name must be included (to build your "brand") and you must give a compelling, but succinct, reason why your reader should now visit your web site. This should have an urgency about it and be built around the promise of a free report, or other information which must be closely related to what they have just been reading.

Then, when your reader comes to your site, they will be a qualified prospect. In short, they know a bit about you (from your article and resource box) and are interested enough to pursue the same theme further. So, be sure to capture their name and e-mail before you provide the freebie and then follow this u