--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Headline Principle Get attention by…" description: "\"“The Headline Principle Get attention by starting with your best material, especially a grabbing, thought-provoking line that makes listeners think, I ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/bill-mcgowan-19272_integrity_the-headline-principle-get-attention-by_1911748.jpg" --- # The Headline Principle Get attention by starting with your… ![“The Headline Principle Get attention by starting with your best material, especially a grabbing, thought-provoking line that makes listeners think, I want to know more. Don’t bury the lead. Don’t copy others. Don’t resort to clichéd formulas. Don’t ease into a point. Start with a concise and…” quote by Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/bill-mcgowan-19272_integrity_the-headline-principle-get-attention-by_1911748.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/bill-mcgowan-19272_integrity_the-headline-principle-get-attention-by_1911748.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b9c/bill-mcgowan-19272_integrity_the-headline-principle-get-attention-by_1911748.jpg) > ““The Headline Principle Get attention by starting with your best material, especially a grabbing, thought-provoking line that makes listeners think, I want to know more. Don’t bury the lead. Don’t copy others. Don’t resort to clichéd formulas. Don’t ease into a point. Start with a concise and compelling statement.”” [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective communication begins with a strong, attention‑grabbing opening that conveys the core message immediately. **In simple terms:** Start with your best, most compelling line. Key Takeaway Capture interest from the first sentence. Themes communication writing marketing Mood engaging direct Type instructional motivational When to use this quote - public speaking - advertising copy - blog introductions - sales pitches Key Concepts Attention capture message framing audience engagement Questions to Reflect On - What opening line would make your audience eager to hear more? - How can you balance intrigue with authenticity? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on shock can alienate thoughtful audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Headline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headline/) [Headline Principle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headline-principle-2882995/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Principle Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle-attention-2882997/) [Provoking Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provoking-line-2882998/) [Start Concise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-concise-2882996/) ## Related quotes > [I also like to use a sensational headline. Many people read blogs in aggregators, which generally show only the headline. So you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/i-also-like-to-use-a-sensational-headline-many-people-read-blogs-in/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [Exposed! shines a harsh light on the myriad horrors of modern society and reports back from the fearful frontlines with wicked wit and paranoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-robert-johnson/exposed-shines-a-harsh-light-on-the-myriad-horrors-of-modern-society/) [Jeremy Robert Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-robert-johnson/) > [I don't need a sensationalized headline to sell music or to bring attention to my music. It's the music and it's always been about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-boi/i-don-t-need-a-sensationalized-headline-to-sell-music-or-to-bring/) [Big Boi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-boi/) > [Why don't you put that in the headline: 'He Only Did Three With Doris!' Set a lot of people straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-hudson/why-don-t-you-put-that-in-the-headline-he-only-did-three-with-doris/) [Rock Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-hudson/) > [Headlines, in a way, are what mislead you because bad news is a headline, and gradual improvement is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/headlines-in-a-way-are-what-mislead-you-because-bad-news-is-a/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“Her name has been released to the press. Her photograph is released, too. I want to talk to the press about it. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/her-name-has-been-released-to-the-press-her-photograph-is-released/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Headline writing is tough because often times you are given a predetermined number of spaces and words depending on the layout and the type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/headline-writing-is-tough-because-often-times-you-are-given-a/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [The headline is the most important element in most advertisements. It is the telegram which decides the reader whether to read the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/the-headline-is-the-most-important-element-in-most-advertisements-it/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [Based on hundreds of tests conducted, a good headline can be as much as 17 times more effective than a so-so headline. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nicholas/based-on-hundreds-of-tests-conducted-a-good-headline-can-be-as-much/) [Ted Nicholas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nicholas/) > [You are reading a bold and universal headline which says ,’I am here, I am here, I am here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-are-reading-a-bold-and-universal-headline-which-says-i-am-here-i/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Digest-digests, digest-digest-digests. Politics? One column, two sentences, a headline!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/digest-digests-digest-digest-digests-politics-one-column-two/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If the headline is a good one, it is a relatively simple matter to write the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/if-the-headline-is-a-good-one-it-is-a-relatively-simple-matter-to/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [A long headline that really says something is more effective than a brief heading that says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/a-long-headline-that-really-says-something-is-more-effective-than-a/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [ When this is over, the media will lose interest \[in the relationship\]. There’ll be nothing to say. It won’t fit into a headline anymore.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/when-this-is-over-the-media-will-lose-interest-in-the-relationship/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [A good quotation must be a complete entity. It must be like a headline - sharp, clear, whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-good-quotation-must-be-a-complete-entity-it-must-be-like-a-headline/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More by Bill McGowan > [“For the next three hours . . .” Wow! Talk about an interest-killer. The last thing any audience wants to be reminded of is that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/for-the-next-three-hours-wow-talk-about-an-interest-killer-the-last/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“fact, good communication is a lot like pasta sauce. The more you boil down and reduce a sauce, the more dynamic the flavor. Speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/fact-good-communication-is-a-lot-like-pasta-sauce-the-more-you-boil/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“According to Inside Apple, Steve Jobs practiced dozens of times before a big presentation, staging and rehearsing so that nothing was left to chance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/according-to-inside-apple-steve-jobs-practiced-dozens-of-times-before/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“The Conviction Principle Convey certainty with words, eye contact, posture, and tone of voice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/the-conviction-principle-convey-certainty-with-words-eye-contact/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“To Drive Home a Point People think that the more they elaborate and explain, the more convincing they will be. They confuse quantity with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/to-drive-home-a-point-people-think-that-the-more-they-elaborate-and/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“To be more thoughtful and selective, we need time. To gain more time, we need to slow down. Yes, it really is as simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/to-be-more-thoughtful-and-selective-we-need-time-to-gain-more-time-we/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“Speaking cleanly is a very Zen experience. It’s about being 100 percent focused on the thought you are in the midst of articulating. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/speaking-cleanly-is-a-very-zen-experience-it-s-about-being-100/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“Gratuitous Gratitude Gratitude has a place, but don’t spend the first full minute of your remarks thanking a long laundry list of people. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/gratuitous-gratitude-gratitude-has-a-place-but-don-t-spend-the-first/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“Consumers don’t want to know about the process of how something came into existence. What they want to know is: How will this product…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/consumers-don-t-want-to-know-about-the-process-of-how-something-came/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“Focus on What You Want to Say, Not on What You Think the Audience Is Thinking Many people pay too much attention to how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/focus-on-what-you-want-to-say-not-on-what-you-think-the-audience-is/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“Prepare, prepare, prepare. Practice, practice, practice. From here on, accept every invitation you get to do public speaking. Be the first one with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/prepare-prepare-prepare-practice-practice-practice-from-here-on/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“Discomfort Many of us are uncomfortable with silence, so we compensate by filling that silence with words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/discomfort-many-of-us-are-uncomfortable-with-silence-so-we-compensate/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“Five minutes before you start speaking, take a long inhale through your nose—hold it for a couple of seconds—and then very slowly exhale through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/five-minutes-before-you-start-speaking-take-a-long-inhale-through/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“Being on the Defensive Many people think that the faster they talk, the more convincing they’ll sound. As I’ve said before, however, the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/being-on-the-defensive-many-people-think-that-the-faster-they-talk/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) > [“The first thirty seconds of any conversation or presentation are like the last two minutes of a football game. This is when victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mcgowan/the-first-thirty-seconds-of-any-conversation-or-presentation-are-like/) [Bill McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) [Explore all 33 Bill McGowan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mcgowan/) ## More Headline quotes > [I also like to use a sensational headline. Many people read blogs in aggregators, which generally show only the headline. So you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/i-also-like-to-use-a-sensational-headline-many-people-read-blogs-in/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [ When this is over, the media will lose interest \[in the relationship\]. There’ll be nothing to say. It won’t fit into a headline anymore.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/when-this-is-over-the-media-will-lose-interest-in-the-relationship/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [A long headline that really says something is more effective than a brief heading that says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/a-long-headline-that-really-says-something-is-more-effective-than-a/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [If the headline is a good one, it is a relatively simple matter to write the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caples/if-the-headline-is-a-good-one-it-is-a-relatively-simple-matter-to/) [John Caples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caples/) > [“Digest-digests, digest-digest-digests. Politics? One column, two sentences, a headline!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/digest-digests-digest-digest-digests-politics-one-column-two/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [You are reading a bold and universal headline which says ,’I am here, I am here, I am here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-are-reading-a-bold-and-universal-headline-which-says-i-am-here-i/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Based on hundreds of tests conducted, a good headline can be as much as 17 times more effective than a so-so headline. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nicholas/based-on-hundreds-of-tests-conducted-a-good-headline-can-be-as-much/) [Ted Nicholas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nicholas/) > [The headline is the most important element in most advertisements. It is the telegram which decides the reader whether to read the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/the-headline-is-the-most-important-element-in-most-advertisements-it/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [Headline writing is tough because often times you are given a predetermined number of spaces and words depending on the layout and the type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/headline-writing-is-tough-because-often-times-you-are-given-a/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [“Her name has been released to the press. Her photograph is released, too. I want to talk to the press about it. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/her-name-has-been-released-to-the-press-her-photograph-is-released/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Headlines, in a way, are what mislead you because bad news is a headline, and gradual improvement is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/headlines-in-a-way-are-what-mislead-you-because-bad-news-is-a/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Why don't you put that in the headline: 'He Only Did Three With Doris!' Set a lot of people straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-hudson/why-don-t-you-put-that-in-the-headline-he-only-did-three-with-doris/) [Rock Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-hudson/) > [I don't need a sensationalized headline to sell music or to bring attention to my music. It's the music and it's always been about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-boi/i-don-t-need-a-sensationalized-headline-to-sell-music-or-to-bring/) [Big Boi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-boi/) > [Exposed! shines a harsh light on the myriad horrors of modern society and reports back from the fearful frontlines with wicked wit and paranoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-robert-johnson/exposed-shines-a-harsh-light-on-the-myriad-horrors-of-modern-society/) [Jeremy Robert Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-robert-johnson/) > [A good quotation must be a complete entity. It must be like a headline - sharp, clear, whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-good-quotation-must-be-a-complete-entity-it-must-be-like-a-headline/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) [Browse all 95 Headline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headline/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Headline Principle Get attention by starting with your best material, especially a grabbing, thought-provoking line that makes listeners think, I want to know more. Don’t bury the lead. Don’t copy others. Don’t resort to clichéd formulas. Don’t ease into a point. 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