Headlines are lifelines to our readers. They grab attention, build trust and help time-pressed consumers focus on the stories they care most about. Here are nine ways to write engaging, accurate headlines for any platform.
Be specific, not vague. Draw readers in because your headline is compelling. Don’t waste readers’ time by asking them to keep reading to see what the story is really about. And if your five to 10 words give away too much of the story, it’s not much of a story anyway. On a related note: It’s great to invoke curiosity, but don’t mislead or overpromise. Accuracy and credibility count every time, with every story.
Start simple. You’ve read the story, but the blank headline field keeps staring back at you. Think: subject, verb. Who, what. Then build on it. This may sound basic, but it even helps veteran headline writers.
Explore the 5 W’s and 1 H. Ask yourself: Who, what, when, where, why, how. What are the primary questions addressed by story? Focus on those elements in your headline. Is it a profile of a person? That’s a “who” story. Breaking news? Probably a “what” story.
Go beyond puns. Write headlines for your readers, not to show you’re clever. For wordplay to work, it needs to communicate the story’s point and tone, and it should work on both the literal and figurative levels.
Take the mental picture. What picture comes to mind as you read the story? Use that in your headline.
Change your perspective. Tune in to your targeted audience. For example, instead of writing the headline from an agency’s perspective (Officials approve later high school starting times), write it from the affected person’s perspective (Students applaud later high school starting times).
Get emotional. Is there anger? Love? Frustration? Desperation? Appreciation? Respect? Elation? Shame? Embarrassment? People respond to emotion.
Use strong words. Identify words and phrases that best describe your topic. Look for single words that do the work of two, or a two- or three-word phrase that does the work of five or six words.
Value the verb. A fresh verb can really make a headline. An aside regarding search engine optimization: Nouns overshadow verbs as popular search keywords, but verbs can power a headline’s click-through rate by making the headline more interesting.
Taken from Web Headlines & SEO Essentials, an online seminar with John Schlander at Poynter NewsU.
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FAQs
What Is the Golden Rule for Writing Headlines? Consider following the ABCs of journalism: accuracy, brevity, clarity. Headlines should be accurate and honest; they should be short when possible, and they should summarize the topic clearly.
How do you write a powerful headline? ›
8 tips on writing marketing headlines that convert
- Use active voice instead of passive. Sometimes, it's not what you say but how you say it. ...
- Be concise. The best headlines are short, sweet, and to the point. ...
- Make sense. ...
- Spark curiosity. ...
- Use numbers. ...
- Include a reason to read. ...
- Write for your reader. ...
- Include power words.
What Is the Golden Rule for Writing Headlines? Consider following the ABCs of journalism: accuracy, brevity, clarity. Headlines should be accurate and honest; they should be short when possible, and they should summarize the topic clearly.
What are the elements of a good news headline? ›
The headline is the short and catchy phrase that summarizes your news story and attracts your reader's attention. The headline should be accurate, relevant, specific and informative, and use keywords, numbers and emotional triggers to appeal to your reader's curiosity and interest.
Which is a good practice for writing headlines? ›
A popular formula for writing headlines is the 4 U's: useful, urgent, unique, and ultra-specific. Developed by copywriting expert Jon Morrow, this formula helps you craft headlines that appeal to your audience's emotions and curiosity.
What is the 80 20 rule for headlines? ›
There's something called an 80/20 rule in copywriting and conversion content marketing. The 80/20 rule says that only 20% of your readers will get past the headline. The other 80% won't even bother to read the rest of your content.
What should be avoided in the headlines? ›
Avoid these common headline mistakes
- Avoid vague heads. These are actual headlines that appeared in actual publications: ...
- Tighten loose heads. ...
- Reverbify label headlines. ...
- Stop ing-ing. ...
- Skip the buzzwords. ...
- Skip 'headline words. ...
- Don't drop key elements. ...
- Don't make the reader groan.
Headline Writing Guidelines
- Eliminate unnecessary words (i.e., a, an, the)
- Omit forms of the verb 'to be' (is, are, was, were)
- Use numerals.
- Abbreviate days of the week and months.
- Use present tense verbs, aka 'historical present tense'
- Use strong verbs but avoid commanding verbs.
- Follow a subject/verb-object structure.
Writing quality headlines that are unique, specific, and action-oriented is sure to get your audience reading more. Even very good advertising or other copy will be ineffective without an attention-grabbing headline.
What determines newsworthiness? ›
Arguably the most important element of newsworthiness is whether or not the news item being communicated impacts a news outlet's audience. For example, let's imagine researchers have found a cost-effective solution to a common problem. The more people affected, the greater the news interest.
ODDITY OR. UNUSUALNESS. ▪ Greater the unusualness, the greater its. value as news. ▪ One-of-a-kind stories or rarely happening.
How do you analyze a news headline? ›
Ask “who,” “what,” “where,” and “why” when reading the headline. A good newspaper headline will answer at least 1 or 2 of the 4 W's (“who,” “what,” “where,” and “why”). Try answering each of these questions using just the headline of the article.
What is a powerful headline? ›
A good headline should make the reader interested in the story and want to know more. This can be achieved through tried-and-tested techniques. These include using provocative language, posing questions, or adding a strong hook that makes the reader curious to learn what the story is about.
How do I make my headlines more unique? ›
Here are some tips for writing headlines that will get clicks:
- Keep it short and sweet. Your headline should be short and to the point. ...
- Use strong keywords. ...
- Make it interesting. ...
- Be clear. ...
- Test, test, test. ...
- Use numbers and symbols. ...
- Be unique. ...
- Create a sense of urgency.
A catchy title is the headline of a content article that contains elements to persuade readers to read it. Writing an effective headline can be an essential element of your content. A catchy title can bring a customer to your article by explaining what's in it or what value the reader can get from clicking on it.
How do you write a clever headline to attract more attention? ›
Be crystal clear. If your headline doesn't tell recipients what your content is about, they won't take the time to decipher it and they won't read your email. It's best to keep your headline straightforward. Nobody wants to be tricked into reading an article that isn't relevant to them.
