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Headline writing

Ian Reeves. Headline writing. Tell it and sell it. Condenses the story into just a handful of words Compels the reader to want to read more Engages their emotions by making them angry, sad, amused, incensed etc. Writing news headlines.

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Headline writing

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  1. Ian Reeves Headline writing

  2. Tell it and sell it • Condenses the story into just a handful of words • Compels the reader to want to read more • Engages their emotions by making them angry, sad, amused, incensed etc

  3. Writing news headlines • Re-read the story. Make sure you know what the underlying theme is • Make sure you know what the NEW information is – it should be in the top line • Ask yourself what are the key words that must be in your headline

  4. Writing news headlines • Use ACTIVE verbs in the present tense – these lend a sense of immediacy. Passive verbs will not engage the reader. And active verbs usually use fewer letters: New pay deal approved - passive Bosses boost pay - active

  5. Writing news headlines • Be as specific as you can: Auto crash proves fatal - general 4 die as car slams into wall – specific

  6. Writing news headlines • Write positively where possible: Nobody hurt in house fire - negative Family escapes fiery death – positive

  7. Writing news headlines: grammatical conventions • No need to use articles like ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘an’ etc • Verbs can be implied – e.g ‘are’ • Fill all decks of the headline unless house style says otherwise • Purists say if letter ‘m’ fits at end of headline, it doesn’t fit • Keep it simple: 1 noun, 1 verb will do • Don’t spell out numbers – use numerals

  8. Writing news headlines: grammatical conventions • Never hyphenate words across decks of a headline • Don’t use full stops at end of headline • Use normal rules for capitalisation (Americans capitalise all headline words – but we do not) • Beware of ‘read across’ or ‘read over’ on facing pages • Use single quote marks – never double • Quote marks can imply attribution – and have special place in court reports

  9. Writing headlines: pitfalls and things to avoid • Don’t put a question mark in a headline – unless you are asking a deliberately provocative question (‘Is this the most dangerous man in Britain?’) • Avoid cliches • Be careful with cultural references that your readers might not get

  10. Writing headlines: pitfalls and things to avoid • Use ‘tabloid’ words sparingly (e.g slam, bid, brand, snub) • Similarly with their broadsheet equivalents (e.g insist, target, signal) • Use puns sparingly • Write for the readers’ benefit - not your own amusement

  11. When headlines go bad Police: crack cocaine found in man’s buttocks Keegan fills Schmeichel's gap with Seaman Tiger Woods plays with own balls, Nike says Drunk gets 9 months in violin case

  12. When headlines go bad Include your children when baking cookies Killer sentenced to die for second time in five years  Red tape holds up new bridge Woman improving after fatal crash

  13. When headlines go bad

  14. Classic headlines

  15. Classic headlines

  16. Classic headlines

  17. Additional reading • Guardian style guide on headlines • Is this the beginning of the end of the UK headline? • The Economist style note on headlines

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