When words become windows

In marketing, headlines designed to turn readers into buyers often miss a crucial opportunity to also convert readers into brand enthusiasts.

Headlines can be tasked with doing more than just generating a sale given the fact that not everyone receiving your marketing is in the market to buy something at the moment. If your marketing can be elevated to strike an emotional connection, it will create long-term brand interest and transform casual readers into engaged participants in your brand story.

Let’s make that happen. 

The dual nature of headlines
There are times when a headline needs to be specific and drive immediate engagement. Here are some examples from ads in my inbox: 

Ray Ban: Start the Holiday Season with the Ray-Ban Gift Guide

Jovial: Recipes of the month

Sprouts: Explore new deals, this week only

These direct ads are written to quickly convert readers into buyers. In contrast, brands also deploy curiosity-driven headlines designed to build emotional and intellectual connections. They hint at larger ideas through unique perspectives, inviting audiences to view the brand as part of a lifestyle or philosophy. Examples include: 

VW: When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Diesel: Smart may have the brains, but stupid has the balls

1000WATT: The Harpoon and the Rowboat

This strategy invites readers into shared experiences with the brand. It’s illustrated beautifully in Diesel’s “Be Stupid” campaign with its variety of alternative lines, including: Stupid is Spreading, Don’t Be Stupid, We’re with Stupid, and sold the brand’s bold and rebellious persona to an audience drawn to adventure and fearlessness. 

Let’s apply this to real estate marketing.

From listing to brand story

From headline to copy, real estate marketing leans heavily into a direct response approach. If all we’re ever communicating is transactional marketing, we’re missing the bigger opportunity to share, inspire and take readers on an intellectual and emotional journey. This is absolutely necessary in communicating a unique value proposition and building strong brand awareness. 

So where and how would a real estate brand deploy a curiosity-seeking headline? 

Consider the JUST LISTED headline — aged wallpaper that has lost all adhesion from massive overuse. The headline is not only uninteresting (which means it will struggle to convert), it focuses on something most people won’t buy.

Knowing a “JUST LISTED” is really about the agent, stare at the ad below and ask yourself, how does this headline drive curiosity about the brand behind the listing?

Let’s have some fun.

I began with a simple idea — how can I convert a “JUST LISTED” headline into a brand impression, and showcase brand persona by projecting my understanding of people’s motivations and personal choices? 

I took a high-end property at random and mined its most distinctive elements: exotic wood cabinetry, wine cellar, meandering driveway — things I sense owners self-identify through. For each, I composed micro-fictions because headlines can’t live in a vacuum. They need stories to feel alive.

Example of wine cellar story:
A rush of cool air greets Bethany as she descends the steep, glass staircase. The soft glow of LEDs illuminates rows of wine bottles stationed like frozen sentinels of time. She pauses. These are not just bottles, they are vessels of suspended memories, each one a fragment of life waiting to be reawakened. She reaches for one and knows she is about to unlock more than just wine; she’s about to step into a moment perfectly preserved, patiently waiting for this second to sprint back to life.

I drafted a slew of headlines for each story. Here’s one applied to the ad:



This statement accomplishes two things: It maintains focus on the property, and reframes the agent as someone who comprehends the emotional value of space.  

When words become windows

Where most agents focus on the mechanical act of listing or selling, this approach transforms the ordinary into portals of possibility. A meandering driveway became a cinematic experience, a library became a sanctuary of silence, and the wine cellar, a time capsule of memories.

It took work. Time. Great headlines deserve it.   

This approach to headlines applies to marketing. Conversion headlines do not have to be transactional. Transformational-based writing will capture attention as well as readers’ imaginations. They act as windows through your brand’s true nature and belief, transforming casual observers into engaging participants in your brand story.  

That’s the goal.