LibGuides: How to Write a News Article: Headlines (2024)

Headlines are becoming increasingly important in the internet age. Not only do they capture the reader's attention, they serve as source material for search engines. Today a reader is just as likely to come across an article by reading a list of search engine results as by scanning a newspaper page.

Headlines should be clear and specific, telling the reader what the story is about, and be interesting enough to draw them into reading the article.

  • 5-10 words at the most
  • should be accurate and specific
    • City Council to Cut Taxes doesn't mean the same thing as City Council to Cut Budget
  • Use present tense and active verbs, but don't start with a verb
    • Man Skateboards for Homeless
  • Use infinitive form of verb for future actions
    • Convention to Create Jobs
  • Do not use articles - a, an, the
  • Do not use conjunctions like and - you can substitute a comma
    • President Declares Peace, Holiday
  • Should be complete sentences or imply complete sentence
    • Crackdown on Trafficking doesn't tell you who's doing the trafficking and what kind of trafficking
  • Avoid repetition - Headlines summarize; they don't repeat the lede.
    • Rays Win - not Rays Win Final Game of Playoffs
  • Don't use unidentified pronouns
    • They Win Pennant!
  • Avoid clever for clever's sake
    • Rays Flip-Flop On St. Petersburg
LibGuides: How to Write a News Article: Headlines (2024)

FAQs

LibGuides: How to Write a News Article: Headlines? ›

The headline generally should tell "who" and "what," and perhaps others of the 5 W's. If more than one deck is used, succeed- ing decks give additional facts. (An exception is the headline for a suspended interest feature story. It should suggest what the story is about, but should not reveal the surprise ending.)

How do you structure a newspaper headline? ›

The headline generally should tell "who" and "what," and perhaps others of the 5 W's. If more than one deck is used, succeed- ing decks give additional facts. (An exception is the headline for a suspended interest feature story. It should suggest what the story is about, but should not reveal the surprise ending.)

How should a newspaper article title be written? ›

The title of the article should be in quotation marks - Example: "Tiger Woman on Wall Street" Capitalize all of the major words.

How to make a good news article? ›

Newswriting Guidelines
  1. Organization (the Inverted Pyramid) People have a tendency to tell stories chronologically. ...
  2. Lead. The start of a news story should present the most compelling information. ...
  3. Fact (Not Opinion) and Attribution. ...
  4. Identification. ...
  5. Short Paragraphs. ...
  6. Person. ...
  7. Headlines.

How to write a headline for a news article? ›

Headlines should be clear and specific, telling the reader what the story is about, and be interesting enough to draw them into reading the article.
  1. 5-10 words at the most.
  2. should be accurate and specific. ...
  3. Use present tense and active verbs, but don't start with a verb. ...
  4. Use infinitive form of verb for future actions.

What are the rules for headline writing? ›

Headlines
  • When writing headlines, less is more.
  • Headlines should be no longer than 8 words, 6 words or fewer is ideal.
  • Do not include punctuation in headlines (No exclamation points!)
  • Try cutting out unnecessary words such as “a” and “the,” as complete sentences aren't always necessary.

Should newspaper headlines be italicized? ›

Titles of books, journals, magazines, plays, newspapers, and freestanding publications are italicized when quoted in text or bibliography. Always preserve original spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, and punctuation.

What is the correct formatting for a newspaper article? ›

The format of a newspaper article should follow this structure: headline and byline followed by a lead/lede paragraph, explanation, and any other additional information. This is the typical format of all newspaper articles.

What makes a good headline? ›

Follow these tips to write better headlines that lead to more customer conversions:
  • Use active voice instead of passive. Sometimes, it's not what you say but how you say it. ...
  • Be concise. ...
  • Make sense. ...
  • Spark curiosity. ...
  • Use numbers. ...
  • Include a reason to read. ...
  • Write for your reader. ...
  • Include power words.
Aug 24, 2023

What is the format for headlines? ›

A standard headline: uses subject-verb-direct object format, or occasionally passive voice. Think action verb. eliminates articles (a, an, the).

What makes a bad headline? ›

Avoid vague heads.

If your headline could apply to any story, you shouldn't use it for any story. The best headlines are ultra-specific.

What is a catchy headline for newspaper? ›

A good headline is clear, concise, and informative, and it summarizes the main idea of the article. It goes without saying that you should also make it interesting and engaging, and encourage the reader to want to learn more. Remember: You don't have to get it right the first time.

How do you write a news article for dummies? ›

Guidelines for Newswriting
  1. Inverted Pyramid. This is how you should organize your story. ...
  2. Lead (Also Spelled Lede) This is the inviting entry point to your story. ...
  3. Nut Graf (or Graph) This is a critical paragraph that supports the lead with facts. ...
  4. Attribution. ...
  5. Keep it Simple. ...
  6. Use Short Paragraphs. ...
  7. Headlines. ...
  8. Use AP Style.

What makes a strong news article? ›

The secret to getting those news placements is in understanding this news values list: impact, timeliness, prominence, proximity, the bizarre, conflict, currency and human interest. The newsworthiness of a story is determined by these eight guiding principles.

How do you structure a headline? ›

Headline Writing Guidelines
  1. Eliminate unnecessary words (i.e., a, an, the)
  2. Omit forms of the verb 'to be' (is, are, was, were)
  3. Use numerals.
  4. Abbreviate days of the week and months.
  5. Use present tense verbs, aka 'historical present tense'
  6. Use strong verbs but avoid commanding verbs.
  7. Follow a subject/verb-object structure.
Nov 4, 2022

What is the structure of a good headline? ›

A good headline should be clear, concise, catchy, and relevant to your audience and your goal. It should also include keywords that match your target audience's search intent and help your copy rank higher on search engines. Mark contributions as unhelpful if you find them irrelevant or not valuable to the article.

What does a headline on a newspaper look like? ›

The headline will be in large letters on the page and will likely be the first thing a reader will see when they open up the newspaper. You want to draw your reader in by using the headline to pique their interest or curiosity.

References

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