On the average, long headlines sell more merchandise than short ones. This one-word headline is the exception that proves the rule. Click here for hi-res image and text. Starch reports that headlines with more than ten words get less readership than short headlines. On the other hand, a study of retail advertisements found that headlines of ten words sell more merchandise than short headlines. Conclusion: if you need a long headline, go ahead and write one, and if you want a short headline, that’s all right too. The famous headline Lemon contributed a lot to the success of Volkswagen in the United States. Specifics work better than generalities. When research reported that the average shopper thought Sears Roebuck made a profit of 37 per cent