Writing Effective Headlines

1
Writing Effective Headlines

• Notes

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Headlines Gone Bad!

• Grandmother of eight makes hole in one
• Students return to ground zero high
• Deaf mute gets new hearing in killing
• Scientists spot plant outside solar system
• Iraqi head seeks arms
• Farmer bill dies in house
• House passes gas tax onto Senate
• Blind woman gets new kidney from dad she hasnt
  seen in years

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More Headlines Gone Bad!

• Animal movements banned
• 1.6 million Cherokees recalled
• Study offers another reason to get Pap tests
  researchers
• Reserves, National Guard Who can keep them
  straight?
• Death causes loneliness, feeling of isolation
• Something went wrong in jet crash, experts say
• Psychics predict world didnt end yesterday
• Never withhold Herpes infection from loved one

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Headline Dos and Donts Do
Dont

• Read the article, to understand the purpose / and
  main idea.
• Give the most general, overall focus / summary of
  the story.
• Remember that the headline may be the only reason
  the reader decides to read the story.
• Limit the number of words 6 to 10,
  generally.
• Use strong, active verbs (in the present tense).
• Express a complete thought.
• Substitute a comma for the word "and."
• Make it grammatically correct.

• Mislead the reader about the content of the
  article.
• Put a period at the end.
• Use names (unless well recognized).
• Use abbreviations or slang.
• Trivialize a serious story w/ a pun or other type
  of word play.
• Repeat words on the same page. (common on sports
  pages)
• Capitalize every word.
• Use a, an or the
• Write headlines that could have more than one
  interpretation

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Subheading

• Goes underneath the primary headline, but before
  your by-line.
• Used to convey an additional idea of a story
• Also called a subhead
• Optional (use only if needed)

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Try and fix these(hints underneath each)

• New curriculum offers opportunities and concerns
• and
• Why smart men marry smart women
• obviously!
• Kid-challenged alleged carjacker caught
• huh?
• Write three new headlines for each!