The shock tactic is exactly what it sounds like.  Shocking headlines jump out at you.  They  grab your attention by using words that peak your interest.  We all fall victim to shocking headlines because they stick out so well.  They are so interesting that we just have to learn more.

Shock Tactics In Everyday Life

You see examples of shock tactics used everyday.  If you watch television in the evening, you see shocking headlines everyday.  The evening news only has a minute to capture your attention, so they will say things like “What household item could kill your family?” or “Murderer on the loose, we’ll tell you where at 11″  Another place you see shocking headlines is at the grocery store in the checkout line.  Those outrageous tabloid headlines are ridiculous.  “Elvis and Britney Spear’s Love Child speaks” “John and Kate Selling the 8 on Ebay”  We all know how ridiculous their claims are, yet we still want to grab the tabloid and read the lies.

Shocking Headlines For Affiliate Marketing

Shocking headlines are used in all methods of marketing.  The point of marketing is to get people interested in your products or services.  On a page full of words, yours have to stick out.  Here are a few examples of commonly used headlines

WARNING

DON’T BUY THIS PRODUCT

IDIOT MAKES 4X MORE THAN YOU

IS THIS PRODUCT A SCAM?

IS THIS PRODUCT LEGIT?

DO NOT CLICK THIS

YOUR WASTING X DOLLARS EVERYDAY

STOP BEING A MORON

How Shocking Headlines Turn Dull

When a shocking headline works, affiliates will find out.  Affiliates will monitor ads on larger sites.  They know the people spending a lot on advertising are constantly testing and optimizing.  They will start spending more on the better converting ads, so those ads will start show up more frequently.  The lower converting ads will start to dissapear.  Affiliates will start using these popular headlines in their ads.  The internet will then be flooded with these headlines.

Shock has it’s value because seeing that series of words is uncommon to the person.  As people see the headlines more frequently, they start to become desensitized to it and the headline loses it’s value.

You have to constantly be trying different headlines.  What worked last month, may not work this month.  Be creative and try to use new headlines that will shock your audience again.

Where Should You Use Shocking Headlines

You should use shock when creating headlines for your posts, when creating banners for your sites, when writing copy for ppc ads, and pretty much about everything you do.  But you should not use it all time.  Remember, shock is only shocking when it occurs infrequently.

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