Dos and Don'ts of Headline Writing
The following points of good headline writing are by Geoff Stevenson, former managing editor, Hamilton Spectator. They were part of a handout at a CDNA-Ryerson National Copy Editors Seminar in the late 1980s.
DO
- Demand accuracy. There is no place in newspapers for headlines that are not absolutely accurate. Near enough is not good enough.
- Use everyday language where possible (it nearly always is). Write as you would talk to a friend--not as a lawyer would draft an insurance policy.
- Write active, rather than passive, heads. Almost every head is improved with a strong verb.
- Find ways to avoid "may" heads. They're vague--and heads ought to be precise.
- Make every word count. Avoid headlines that waste words. "Jailed" is far more direct than "Sent to jail"
- Have a dictionary at your desk. Check when you're in doubt about meaning or spelling. If your newspaper doesn't check every head before it's typed, it should.
- Have fun with your readers. Reading is work. You can make it enjoyable.
- Avoid cliches. We can do without such observations as "Security tight," "....won't rule out," "Chance seen" and "Mixed reactions."
- Try to locate stories. Use city or country names when they're needed.
- Ask yourself, "What is the point of this story? Does my head reflect that?"
- Bounce your head off someone else if there's time. Two minds really are sharper than one. Besides, building a team spirit on the desk is worth the effort.
- Attribute all heads that need attribution. Make sure the newsmaker--and not your paper--is making claims.
DON'T
- Use quotes out of context. If the partial quote you choose would be misleading or unfair, get another one.
- Use technical language. It's likely to give your readers the impression that you don't understand the story. The average reader needs all the help he/she can get to deal with complicated issues.
- Use label heads unless you're satisfied it really is the best technique for that particular story.
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Split verbs and subjects/objects or nouns/adjectives on different lines. (Obviously most one-col heads will break this rule.)
- Give away all of the story all of the time. Often, the best head is one that titillates and draws the reader into the story without giving away all of the subject matter.
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Write hard news heads on paragraphs well down in the story. Most times, the head should be on the lede. If it's not, consider rewriting the story. (On feature stories, of course, you will often write a head that has little to do with the lede.)
- Take the head even an inch beyond any conclusion the story may reach. Ask yourself, "Can I justify everything in this head?"
- Use names unless everyone will know who you're talking about.
- Slip into bureaucratese. Terms such as "annexation details" will put the reader to sleep--with a headache.
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Use "still" in headlines. It's a tipoff to your readers that nothing has changed in a continuing story. That tells them to turn the page without reading any further.
- Overdo puns. Clever puns are funny. Too many dilute the effect.
- Slip into headlinese. Verbs such as "slam", "rap" or "hit" are crummy English. Find ways to avoid them.
- Do without a style book if your paper doesn't already have one. Good papers always have style books. Really good ones update them once or twice a year, too.
- Have rules that can never be broken. Good headline writing is highly innovative and editors must have the freedom to experiment and bend rules from time to time.