Last October, the World Gay Rodeo Finals happened in Mesquite, Texas.
This is the culmination of a season of rodeo events, specifically welcoming gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender participants.
I gotta say, I didn’t even know gay rodeo was a thing.
But I found out about it this morning, thanks to an article with the headline,
“The Unique World of Gay Rodeo”
I had to click on this thing and read more. The question is why.
After all, if the headline had read “The Unique World of Gay Gardening,” I doubt I would have clicked on it.
And if instead it had read, “The Unique World of Texas Rodeo,” I would have found something better to do with my time.
So what’s going on? Perhaps it’s best expressed by Wade Earp, a gay rodeo contestant with possibly the most cowboy name ever. Says Wade:
“It’s kind of like an oxymoron. Gay and ‘rough, tough cowboy’ doesn’t go together.”
The fact is, “gay rodeo” is a great illustration of the power of contrast, paradox, or oxymoron in headlines. But smart marketers have been on this for a while. Here are a few classic headlines using the same principle:
“How a Bald-Headed Barber Saved My Hair”
“The Amazing Secret of a One-Legged Golfer”
“Marketing Heresy from the World’s Greatest Copywriter”
All right, the last one isn’t a classic, it’s just something from my blog.
But you get the idea: Using a paradox is like sticking a branch between the spokes of a fast-moving bike. Except, instead of a bike, it’s your customer’s brain that’s racing across dozens or hundreds of different headlines and bits of information. The paradox jams their brain up, and it forces them to resolve the mystery before they can move on with their life.
Of course, as with all good headline templates, paradox is not something you want to do every day. But it’s surprisingly useful and versatile, and now that you’re aware of it, you’ll probably start seeing it all over the place.
Anyways, back to business. If you want some help getting started as a copywriter on Upwork, then pardner, you’re in luck. I’m wrapping up my guide on just that topic, and I’ll publish it soon.
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