|
This is a free chapter from my new eBook Dangerous Headlines That Get You Into Good Trouble. This isn’t another boring copywriting book. This is a playbook for writing headlines humans remember. Anti-boring. Playful. Visceral. The kind AI can’t write .
Normally $59.99, but for Creative Samba readers it’s just $14.99 (or more if you’re feeling generous) for the next 24h.
Tony Brignull is the proof that great copy can win gold, repeatedly.
After all Tony has won more awards than any other British copywriter.
Tony once shared a very important copywriting lesson, “My own copy improved when it occurred to me that we can relate to a company as we do to a person.”
Which is why telling the truth is probably the most impactful technique you can use when writing copy.
And a good way to tell the truth is to simply use real product facts.
Facts inform, but facts alone don’t persuade.
Drama persuades. So the magic’s in the delivery, not the data.
For example, why say “Take two tablets, not one” when it’s much more memorable to say “Plop plop, fizz fizz”?
In the 1960s Alka-Selzer was in deep trouble. Because sales were stale.
So Alka-Selzer started asking people to take two tablets instead of one.
The problem was Alka-Selzer didn’t have any logical reason they could use to persuade consumers to change their habits.
So they came up with an iconic ad campaign that used onomatopoeia (a word to mimic sound) to dramatize the fact they wanted to communicate: Two tablets being dropped into a glass of water.
Then sales doubled.
Anyone can state facts about a product. But only a skilled copywriter can make them sing.
Dangerous Example:
Before the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Ukrainian hot favourite pole-vaulter Sergei Bubka (A Nike sponsored athlete) was a serious gold medal prospect.
So Nike comes up with this ad:
⇝“Spanish Air Traffic Control Has Been Notified”.
The #1 reason this ad works is because the headline dramatizes (in a memorable way) Bubka’s prospects of winning a gold medal.
Bubka ended not winning a medal, but Nike was brave enough to use hyperbole (obvious outrageous exaggeration) brilliantly to make a very believable point.
 |
Dangerous Headline Formula: Solarsquare
{What you’re selling} so {compound adjective} it even {dramatize your brand’s #1 edge}
Before
 |
After
 |
1. What they’re buying⇝“Rooftop solar”
2. Compound adjective umbrella claim that sets up dramatic proof ⇝ “so well built”
3. Emotional feeling of using your product ⇝ “it even handles a monsoon with 170 mph winds.”
Why it works: “it even handles a monsoon with 170 mph winds”
Most solar copy focuses on efficiency, savings, or green credentials.
Framing durability through extreme weather imagery is unexpected, vivid and memorable.
This is a Pattern Break via exaggeration and specificity.
You see, in 2026, good copy isn’t about what you say — it’s about what happens (a reaction) in the reader’s head.
In short, a reaction implies: emotion, friction, memory, consequence. Paradoxically that’s precisely where AI is weakest.
That’s because AI by design writes headlines that aim for approval.
But good human copywriters (*I can’t believe I’m writing this) know that a copywriter’s job is to “cross the line” and get your brand into good trouble.
Because good trouble means your brand stands out. And standing out creates impact.
And impact triggers a reaction. Which means your message is so memorable people notice, talk and do something about it.
The #1 problem with using AI tools for writing copy (in particular headlines), is that AI tools aim for clarity and approval.
AI is great for writing clearly about product facts.
The truth is, facts are facts, but facts alone aren’t enough to persuade people.
Good copywriters know that anyone (even AI) can state facts about a product. But making those facts come alive in an interesting and dramatic way is harder.
That’s why good copywriters are obsessed with details. Like all the silly little facts and information behind a product.
For example: how it’s made, how it works, what motivates people to buy it, what makes people notice and what reaction do we want to cause.
Because facts don’t persuade, but storytelling based on facts can be veeeeeeeeeery persuasive.
Which is why Dangerous Headlines That Get You Into Good Trouble isn’t another boring list of headline formulas. This is your playbook for writing headlines that:
Stick in the consumer’s mind like a cheesy song you didn’t expect to love, but now can’t stop humming.
Make your readers pause, think, smile, cringe, or gasp (sometimes all at once).
Give you permission to flirt with friction, defiance, or delight.
Inside, you’ll get:
41 headline formulas ripped from my copywriting experiments with Fallen Grape, Visit Reykjavik, Funky Monkey Wines, and more.
A reaction selector that lets you choose the emotional risk you’re willing to take. Want bold defiance? Subtle discomfort? Pattern break? Pick what reaction you want your headline to cause.