Headline-Helpers For Your Swipe File

Here are some headlines to help you build your Swipe File. Your headline is the "A" of AIDA (attract, interest, desire, action). If you're creating a poster, your headline may be all the copy there is, aside from the business name and contact number.

Therefore, your headline is the most important part of your copy. I often don't settle on a headline until I've written the copy, and I always aim to write at lead 40 headlines before I settle on my two favorites that I'll send the client --- it's better give your clients a choice in draft copy.

Read magazine covers for headline ideas. The covers sell the magazine, so the headlines are often clever, and you can copy the cleverest into your Swipe File.

If you're thinking: isn't this plagiarism? No, it's not, because you won't use the exact wording. You'll vary it. The idea may be similar, and there's no copyright on ideas.

Should you use Title Case in your headlines, or not? That depends on the design. I usually leave it up to the designer to decide. In the examples below, I've used both Sentence Case and Title Case, but you can certainly use plain Sentence Case only in all your headline copy if you wish.

Note: if you're writing long copy, a brochure or booklet for example, settle on a headline style and then stick with it.

=> What's a Swipe File?

It's a collection of copy examples. I keep mine in a three-ring binder. In addition to the examples, I make notes about copy I like or dislike, and put the sheets into the file.

I include copy I've clipped from newspapers and magazines, and printed out from Web sites. I paste the clips onto a sheet of paper first to make them easier to handle.

Think of your Swipe File as a brain-primer. I also use my Swipe File to build my enthusiasm before a marketing session, to remind myself why I love writing copy.

Use these headlines to prime your idea pump:

Superb Quality. Great Price.

New For You, A ________

This Is The One!

Prepare for a surprise!

The solution to your ______

For your home (children, garden, kitchen, bedroom etc) ___________

How To Improve Your ___________

Your Personal Invitation To _______

Your chance to try _________

Win A _________

=> Question Headlines

Asking a question taps into our need to feel important, and our curiosity, so it's a powerful way to gain attention for a product.

Where would you like to go?

What if _________?

Are we right? Can _________?

Have you tried _________?

How much can you save with ________?

Can this be genuine?

Is This You?

Whenever you find a headline you like, make a quick note of it, and put it in your Swipe File.

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Credit Cards - A Powerful Wealth Tool

In fact, when used properly, credit cards are a very powerful wealth-building tool! I use credit cards for every single possible purchase.

By using credit cards you get...

1) A two-months interest free loan

When you buy a product using your credit card, you will only be billed for it at the end of the month. You are then given another month to make payment. So, if you pay off your total bill, you would have effectively gotten a two-month interest free loan.

2) Bonus points and dollars

Each purchase you make on your credit card(s) will earn you bonus points which you can use to redeem for free products and services like extra flyer -miles and dining vouchers, saving you even more money.

3) A monthly statement that tracks and consolidates all your expenses

At the end of every month, the credit card company will tabulate for you the total expenses for the month, making it easy for you to track your total expenditure. So it becomes a free money management tool.

However, you MUST ALWAYS PAY THE OUTSTANDING BALANCE when you pay the full balance every month. This way, the bank does not earn a cent off you, but you get the three great wealth building services mentioned above. This is what I do and that is why my bankers hate me.

So why do banks go all out, giving freebies and spend millions of dollars in advertising to hook you on using their card? They know that there are many consumers out there who just pay the minimum sum every month (about 3% of the total debt you owe), because it is so tempting. What's worse is that many credit card owners don't even pay their minimum sum on time because of a cash crunch or because they plain forgot.

The moment you pay only the minimum sum and allow your outstanding balance to roll, you become the bank's best friend. This is when they will make a killing off you! Why? This is because banks charge a 2% per month interest on your outstanding sum. This may seem small, but again, that's 24% interest a year. Just how much interest does this add up to? Let's do the sums...

Question: Imagine if you had an outstanding balance of $2,000 on your credit card statement, and you just pay the minimum sum of $60, how long will it take for you to pay off the while balance? (this is only assuming you do not charge a single dollar more).

The shocking answer: It will take you 4.5 years! You would have paid a total of $3,300, that's $1,300 in interest. In other words, you would pay an actual interest rate of 65% off your balance.

So when used properly credit cards can greatly assist you in creating wealth or it can destroy you if abused.

Adam Khoo is an entrepreneur, best-selling author and a self-made millionaire by the age of 26. Discover his million dollar secrets and claim your FREE bonus report 'Get Out Of The Rat Race Now' at Secrets Of Self-Made Millionaires

How Past Delinquencies Can Ruin Your Credit

It is never too late to repair your credit. The first place to start is with past delinquencies. These are one of the most common causes of bad credit and are the largest component (35%) in determining your credit score. Therefore, they are a big key in making or breaking your credit score. Delinquencies on your credit coincide with how punctual you are on making your payments. If you are over 30 days late on a payment, it will damage your credit score. It is always better to not be late on your payments, but because we are human we make mistakes. But do not despair because there are ways to revamp your credit. Here are a few factors to consider for preventing bad credit or further delinquencies:

Timing: The more recent the delinquency, the more it negatively affects your credit score. Lets say in the last four years you were 30 days delinquent on a loan payment three times in 2003, 2005 and today. The delinquency today will hurt your credit score a lot more than the one in 2005 which hurts your score more than the one in 2003.

Level: The later you are on your payments, the worse your credit score and ultimately your overall credit score and credit worthiness. The level or order of going from bad to worse is as follows: 30 days is better than 60, which is better than 90 days late. Then the progression goes from 90 days to a charge-off and collections, then repossession, foreclosure and finally bankruptcy. A charge-off is when the credit card company takes the amount that you owe them off their books typically 180 days after your last late payment, but the borrower still has a debt to pay. Going down the ladder, the lenders can repossess your car or other material possessions and even foreclose on your home. Thus, the level of the delinquency can affect both your credit score and your livelihood.

Past Due Notices: Past due notices have been known to destroy credit scores. Most people believe that they have a grace period when it comes to making payments. For example, if your mortgage is due on the 10th of every month and it says that there will be a $200 penalty after the 25th, you can still be overdue without being 30 days late. If you pay anytime after the 10th, you are past due. Some mortgage companies are starting to report past due notices to credit bureaus if the payment is received after the due date. Once the next payment is made on time or before the due date, the past due notices will come off when the mortgage company updates with the credit bureau. Its very important to make sure you pay all your bills on time so this does not happen to you.

Missed Payments (Low vs. High): The credit score penalizes people more for missing high payments than low ones. What Fair Isaac found out is that people who miss high payments are more apt to become 90 days delinquent or more compared to people who miss low payments. If someone was 30 days late on a mortgage payment, he or she would be more likely to be 60 and 90 days late due to a lack of money compared to a small payment. People miss small payments to a creditor more often because it got lost mail or they forgot to pay. These discrepancies are not as much a derogatory risk to go 90 days late as missing high payments are. Keep a close watch on not missing your payments, especially the higher ones.

Keeping on top of delinquencies is the best place to start making efforts toward a better credit score. Remember that there is always a financial solution for your credit and it is never too late.

To learn more about how you can help increase your credit score, go to Dr. Alan Rosenthal's website at http://www.financialsolutionservices.com where you can find more great information on credit improvement. And, you are cordially invited to sign up for a FREE Credit Repair and Enhancement Workshop by visiting http://www.financialsolutionservices.com/upcomingevents.html

For additional information listen to one of Dr. Alan Rosenthals credit talks at http://www.financialsolutionservices.com/credittalks.html