Headline Writing Tips

Why This Matters

Headlines are the gateway to your story—they determine whether anyone reads your carefully reported work in the first place. In news reporting, you're being tested on your ability to communicate essential information quickly and accurately while competing for audience attention. The principles behind effective headline writing connect directly to core journalism concepts: accuracy, clarity, audience awareness, and ethical communication. A headline that misleads, confuses, or buries the lead reflects the same fundamental errors that undermine entire articles.

Think of headline writing as journalism in miniature. Every technique you'll learn here—active voice, strong verbs, present tense—demonstrates your understanding of how news language functions differently from other forms of writing. Don't just memorize these tips as a checklist; understand why each technique works and when to apply it. That's what separates competent headline writers from great ones.

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Clarity and Structure

The foundation of any headline is immediate comprehension. Readers decide in milliseconds whether to engage with your story, so structural clarity isn't optional—it's survival.

Be Concise and Clear

• Cut every unnecessary word—headlines should deliver maximum information in minimum space, typically 6-10 words for print
• Eliminate ambiguity by ensuring each word serves a specific purpose; vague headlines lose readers before they start
• Front-load the most important information so readers grasp the story's essence even if they only scan the first few words

Capture the Main Point

• Lead with the news—identify the single most significant element and build your headline around it
• Avoid secondary details that distract from the core message; save context for the subhead or lead paragraph
• Ask yourself: "What's the story about in one sentence?"—your headline should answer that question directly

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Language and Voice

How you construct sentences in headlines differs fundamentally from standard prose. News headlines use compressed grammar, present tense, and active constructions to create immediacy and impact.

Use Active Voice

• Subject-verb-object order creates direct, punchy headlines that emphasize who did what ("Mayor Vetoes Budget" not "Budget Vetoed by Mayor")
• Active voice assigns responsibility clearly, which matters for accountability journalism
• Passive constructions dilute impact and often require more words to convey the same information

Use Present Tense for Current Events

• Present tense creates immediacy—"Storm Hits Coast" feels urgent; "Storm Hit Coast" feels like old news
• Headlines exist in a perpetual now, connecting readers to events as they unfold
• Reserve past tense only for clearly historical events or when present tense would create confusion about timing

Use Strong, Impactful Verbs

• Dynamic verbs drive engagement—compare "City Council Approves Tax Increase" versus "City Council OKs Tax Hike"
• Avoid weak verbs like "is," "has," or "makes" that fail to convey action or stakes
• Build a vocabulary of headline verbs—slams, sparks, unveils, faces, seeks—that pack meaning into few characters

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Accuracy and Ethics

Credibility is journalism's currency. A misleading headline—even one that technically doesn't lie—can destroy reader trust and violate ethical standards.

Be Accurate and Factual

• Every claim in your headline must be verifiable in the story itself; never promise what the article doesn't deliver
• Avoid exaggeration that distorts the story's actual significance or scope
• Double-check names, numbers, and characterizations—headline errors are the most visible kind

Avoid Sensationalism

• Resist clickbait tactics that prioritize clicks over accurate representation of the news
• Maintain proportional language—not every disagreement is a "clash" or "war"
• Respect the subject matter by choosing tone appropriate to the story's gravity

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Audience and Accessibility

Headlines must work for your actual readers. Effective headline writers consider who they're writing for and how those readers will encounter the headline.

Avoid Jargon and Abbreviations

• Use plain language accessible to general audiences—assume readers aren't specialists in your beat
• Spell out abbreviations unless they're universally recognized (FBI, NASA); when in doubt, spell it out
• Technical terms alienate readers and signal that a story isn't for them, even when it is

Include Keywords

• Identify terms your audience searches for and incorporate them naturally into headlines
• Keywords improve discoverability in search results and social media feeds
• Balance searchability with readability—awkward keyword stuffing undermines both goals

Consider SEO for Digital Headlines

• Optimize for search engines by placing important keywords early in the headline
• Respect platform limits—Google displays roughly 60 characters; Twitter/X headlines need to work in preview cards
• Write for humans first, but understand that algorithms determine whether humans ever see your work

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. What do active voice and strong verbs have in common, and how do they differ in what they accomplish?

2. A headline reads: "Committee Discusses Possible Changes to Regulations." Identify at least three specific problems and rewrite it using techniques from this guide.

3. Compare the ethical concerns of inaccuracy versus sensationalism. How might a headline violate one standard but not the other?

4. You're writing a headline about a local zoning dispute for both your newspaper's print edition and its website. What different considerations apply to each version?

5. A colleague argues that including SEO keywords makes headlines less readable. Using concepts from this guide, explain how to balance searchability with clarity and audience accessibility.