The importance of headlines can t be underestimated. In just seconds, readers scan headlines and decide whether to read on. Many times, the headline is all a reader will read. It s easy to see why writing a headline is a critical part of a copy editor s job. The best headlines should make readers want to know more about the stories. That s true whether a headline is written for print or online publication. Above all else, a headline must accurately reflect the story and grab the reader s attention. In many ways, the job of the headline is to sell the story. Yet, a copy editor must not oversell the story. If the headline screams Caffeine cures cancer readers have a certain expectation for the story. They may be hooked and pulled into the story once, but if a story doesn t live up to expectations created by the headline, they ll feel cheated. And they ll be less inclined to believe that publication s headlines again. Overselling can hurt a publication s credibility. Writing good headlines is an art form. The editor has only a few words to summarize the story in a way that will make readers choose to stop and read it. It must accurately reflect the story, be enticing or clever, have a bit of a sparkle to it, said Lil Swanson, managing editor of The Forward in New York City. A good headline beckons the reader and captures the imagination. The headline on a New York Times story about a woman who died at the age of 93 with 15 children, more than 200 grandchildren and many great grandchildren and great great grandchildren beckons readers and captures imagination. God said multiply, and did she ever
That headline makes you want to read the story. It piques your interest. It plays off a well known Bible verse. Ultimately, it makes you want to know more. But readers obviously don t read every story they see in print or online. On average, readers spend only about 26 minutes a day reading a Monday Friday print newspaper, according to studies by The Readership Institute. 1 http://www.readership.org/consumers/rbs/data/rbs2006.pdf Clearly, they are being selective about which stories they actually read. Online readers tend to scan even more. Users of the top 20 news Web sites spend only 3 minutes and 4 seconds per visit, according to the Nielsen Analysis reported in the 2010 State of the News Media Report. 2 <http://www.stateofthemedia.org/2010/online_nielsen.php> So what can editors do to ensure that readers will read the text under the headline or click on the story? Aim for these four principles as you write headlines: Be clear. Be fair. Be specific. Be interesting. Clarity is essential. A copy editor must answer this question: What s this story really about? Put another way: Who did what to whom? And often a straightforward headline will answer the question just that way: subject verb object. 1 2
An editor must convey the message of the story directly and succinctly in a headline. Man guilty of missing wife s murder This headline is confusing because it can be read two different ways. Did he miss his wife s murder? Or was he convicted of murdering his missing wife? UNL s CoJMC students host ACES confab The alphabet soup nature of this headline makes it difficult to understand at a glance. Readers may understand UNL stands for the University of Nebraska Lincoln if it s published in Lincoln, Neb. But how many of them would know that CoJMC stands for College of Journalism and Mass Communications or that ACES stands for the American Copy Editors Society? And confab is an awkward word, rarely used in everyday conversation. It s best to use conversational language when writing headlines. For John Edwards, the drama builds toward a denouement That New York Times headline on a story about the scandal involving former Sen. John Edwards and his mistress was probably not clear to most readers. Many readers even of The New York Times would have to consult a dictionary to check the definition of denouement. Remember, most readers are quickly making decisions about whether to read more. A headline writer, like a reporter, must tell them very quickly what the story is about and why they should care. Most won t take the time to consult a dictionary before moving on to a different story.
Fairness is also a key to writing good headlines. Accuracy is critical in headlines, but fairness must go beyond accuracy. Does the headline match the tone of the story? Is it complete? Does it include attribution where needed? Does it put the story in context? Copy editors must consider all of these questions as they summarize the story in a few key words. GOP gloats over wins in 3 races A St. Petersburg Times reader complained that the verb gloats injected bias into that headline, assigning malicious intent to the Republicans. Victors celebrate, the reader noted. Spiteful people gloat. In this case, the reader had a valid complaint. Copy editors must avoid loaded words when writing headlines. Be wary of characterizing an action. Let the action speak for itself. A Detroit Free Press headline on a story about the University of Michigan imposing sanctions on its football program after NCAA violations said: U M AD backs Rodriguez despite major violations The Detroit News headline on the same story said: David Brandon: Two year probation appropriate for U M football Is there bias in the choice of the word despite in the Detroit Free Press headline? Some readers may conclude that the writers believe Athletic Director David Brandon should not back coach Rodriguez. Using despite implies that the athletic director should not have backed the coach.
Think about whether your headline needs attribution. There s a big difference between: Mayor lied to court or Judge: Mayor lied to court Without attributing the statement to the judge, the newspaper itself is calling the mayor a liar. That is probably not what the newspaper intended. Headlines also must put stories in context. A CNN headline during the health care reform debate said: Health care foes have 200 no votes in House The headline is meaningless without telling the reader how many votes are needed to kill the legislation. And an even bigger problem: It s doubtful that anyone opposes health care. In the House, 200 legislators may oppose health care reform, but the meaning is lost in the shorthand of the headline writer. That s why being specific is another key principle of good headline writing. A headline writer must assume the reader is looking at the headline without any knowledge of the story. Because the headline writer reads the story before writing a headline, it s easy to forget that the reader hasn t read the story. Using the keywords from the story in the headline is the easiest way to be specific in a headline. Readers need to know what s in it for them. Why should they care or take the time to read a story? City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday City Council meets Tuesday to discuss budget
City Council tackles budget cuts on Tuesday City Council may cut police, park budgets Which headline tells the reader more? Which headline may get a reader to read the actual story? Good copy editors avoid ambiguity (uncertainty or inexactness in language).they focus on key words in the story and look for ways to signal the impact of the story to the reader. Conveying a story s impact also will make it more interesting to the reader. In many cases, a good headline simply tells the story clearly and directly with subject verb object. Batman comic book sells for more than $1 million The headline tells the story accurately in a straightforward way. But a headline writer at the Lincoln Journal Star in Nebraska made it more interesting, enticing the reader to look at the story. Holy Haul, Batman! Comic sells for $1,075,500 Not every headline will be clever. But some of the best headlines fulfill all of the basic requirements clarity, accuracy and fairness, specificity and are clever too. They are selling the story to readers. The most interesting headlines typically are written in a conversational tone, avoiding jargon or headlinese (using uncommon, stilted language as shorter synonyms for better words). They capture the emotion or drama of a story. Mrs. John L. Strong, Closed Stationer, Sends Regrets
That headline appeared on a New York Times story about the closing of a luxury stationery store. Shower crasher puts Omaha hotel workers in a lather Small step for man, giant gaffe for NASA Both headlines the first in the Omaha World Herald and the second in the Corpus Christi Caller Times are interesting. They make the reader want to know more. And that s the No. 1 goal of a headline. The headlines also allude to facts outside of the story. The second one, for instance, plays off astronaut Neil Armstrong s famous words as he became the first man to set foot on the moon: That s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. The headline writer cleverly used that in his headline. The best headline writers and the best journalists are well read, bringing a wide range of knowledge with them as they tackle the job. Rollover definitions: ambiguity (uncertainty or inexactness in language)
headlinese (using uncommon, stilted language that is often shorter synonyms for a better word)