Headlines, Susan Eder

Image courtesy of FollowSteph

PURPOSE
Headlines are the most important words in print. The purpose of writing headlines is to catch a reader's attention. We want to be able to know if we are interested in the story enough to read it. Because we want information fast, complete descriptive headlines allow us to quickly scan information. Sometimes when information is recorded as incorrect, the reason is that the headline format does not meet the publication format. The information in the story may be correct, but the format story of the headline should also match the format of the story. The headline used in The Globe and Mail would not be the same format as a headline for a neighbourhood newsletter.

CHARACTERISTICS
The headline has many of the same characteristics. It should be short and be expressed in the present tense. When newspapers were the only medium which delivered the news headlines were not as important. However, today many sources for news makes the headline more important than ever before. Headlines should summarize the story. Other characteristics of good headlines include being accurate, clear, fair and balanced. They create a mood for the story and for the publication. Headlines add attractiveness to the overall appearance of the page in which they appear.

GUIDELINES

use the fewest amount of words possible

are written in the present tense

written after the story is edited

includes most important facts

contains a subject and a verb

doesn't contain articles (a, an, the)

make them unambiguous

make sure they aren't confusing

don't use all caps

must fill allotted space

put at top of story

SUMMARY

The art of writing captivating headlines is a skill that an employer would consider a positive asset. The importance of writing good headlines will influence people's decision to either skip over a story or read it. It's what sells the publication. The art of headline writing is an art that can be fine tuned through practise. It's a skill worth developing.

Read what Nancy Gordy has to in her blog post about the importance of writing good headlines.