The headline is a journalist’s first (and sometimes only) chance to catch readers’ attention and draw them into the story. Getting this right can be one of the most important things you do as a reporter or editor.
Top headlines appear on the story pages and anywhere else your site serves up articles — homepages, social media, Apple News, etc. They’re also the key to catching readers’ attention on Google search results.
A great headline is clear and concise. It communicates a sense of what’s in the article, but doesn’t tell all. It’s not a place for esoteric allusions or journalese. It’s also not the place to hide important facts or details. The headline should be compelling — readers should feel they’ll get their money’s worth if they read the story.
Writing a good headline involves separating facts from opinions and choosing a tone that’s both accurate and engaging. It’s not hard to oversell a story in a headline, and that can turn off readers.
Keep in mind that headlines are often truncated in Google search results and in social posts, so keep them short. Try to avoid using adverbs and contractions (like “can’t” and “won’t”). Capitalize the first word, and use proper nouns for people, places and organizations. Also avoid prepositions and conjunctions, except in the case of “an” and “the.”