I felt the pain instantly. Even though I’d dove into the rock pool dozens of times before, when I pushed my feet down…
I ended up with a “rock splinter” in my big toe.

It hurt. And if I had seen an ad on the way home which read:
“If you have a rock splinter, then do this to remove it instantly”
I would have paid close attention. The “if/then” headline works for two reasons.
First it flags down your prospects and second, if they’re in the target market, they’ll be very keen to know about the “then.”
Let’s say you’re a consulting firm specialising in data analytics.
Your headline could read:
If Your Marketing Data is Messy, Here’s Why You Should Fix it
Before June 31st
A vitamin company, like the one my friend and client Greg Geremesz runs could say:
If you get headaches more than once a month, here’s the type of vitamin you should consider taking immediately
A sales coach like the World’s #1 Authority on Trust Based Selling, Ari Galper could say:
If you’re closing anything less than 60% of your appointments, I guarantee to work a financial miracle in your life.
And JV expert Jason Webster could say:
If you want more leads, here’s how to do it without relying on “big tech” or spending a cent on advertising.
So what’s an “if” that would grab your prospects attention? And what can you draw their attention to, that can happen next?