Learn How to Write an Effective Headline

What's the first thing that a reader sees when looking at a newspaper article or even a website? If you said the headline you would be correct. The headline is what can either make or break a story, depending on whether it catches the interest of the reader. Here are 7 tips on how to write an effective headline and not to have your headline end up on a list of worst headlines ever.

1.First off you need to understand the purpose of having a headline. It is to interest the reader enough to keep them reading further. The point is not to entertain them or to crack a funny pun. In certain occasions that is acceptable, but that should not be your goal.

2. Know your audience and target your headline specifically to them. Ex: "Conquer Your Smoking Habit Using this Simple Step" instead of "Stop Smoking Using this Simple Step"

3. Use active voice. By using active voice you will tap into the readers emotions making them want to read further. Ex: "Hitter Blasts Record Distance Homerun" instead of "Hitter Blasted Record Distance Homerun"

4. Summarize it all in one sentence. Ex: "Scientists grow human ear on back of mouse" instead of "Scientists conduct cell transplant experiments"

5. Possibly propose a question as a headline, but make sure the question is something your reader wants to know the answer to. Ex: "Is the Zune anybetter than the iPod?" instead of "Zune not much better than the iPod"

6. Use a list or bullent points to stress your main points. It will catch your readers attention more than just a paragraph. Ex: "Top 10 films of 2010" instead of "Great films released last year"

7. Lastly, do not capitalize the letter of every word in your headline. You should only capitalize the important words.

Hope these tips help you create headlines that will draw readers into your story.

Photo Credit: Via Creative Commons

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Why Journalism is Shaped by Search Engines

Being in the age of the internet, when we look for news, where is the first place we go?

Online.

But what about from there? Usually to Google, or some other type of resource commonly known as a search engine.

Search engines anymore are the channels that take us directly to an online news source. Whether it be a news website, a blog, forums, or any number of online-based periodicals, search engines direct our flow of gathering news. By typing in key words or phrases, the 'web master' knows to collect all relevant materials that could supplement your search...in mere seconds. -Talk about efficiency.

But often times the channels search engines use gets cluttered with a lot of the 'junk' that's out there. So while you may search for a specific topic or item, the likelihood of getting results that seem unrelated increases.

For journalists, this is incredibly problematic if you want your work to get read by the most readers possible; you want to be the first search result that comes up on any designated search or browser.

As more and more news gets shifted to online sites and in digital form, news writers must be aware of the many changes that are occurring in the methods which people gather their news.

Ross Dawson is a globally recognized entrepreneur and speaker, specializing in business strategies and consultant work for various firms. Dawson recognized seven key issues to consider as news continues to make its way on to the world wide web.

1. Traffic online provides substantial media income.

The more hits an article or a site has in a given time frame, the more money that source receives from advertisers also wanting to get views for potential sales.

2. Headline writing is becoming its own art form...and possibly even a science.

You won't just bring in the traffic by having a play-on-words field-day in a headline. While it may seem witty, you can't deceive the readers. If they expect one thing, but find another when they actually get the article, they'll leave immediately. Headlines need to be sharp and to the point, but compelling enough to draw in an audience.

3. Feedback has become faster and more accurate.

Instead of mailing in to the editor of a paper, readers can post replies, critiques, and reactions in a comment box below an article in seconds. Editors can easily read up on responses to news, see what's the most popular, and organize the top viewed news quickly. It makes balancing advertising and editorial interests much easier.

4. There must be a balance between commercial interests and media integrity.

No one wants to be overwhelmed by advertisements...and especially if they influence readers' opinions of the news. Ads need to be positioned in objective areas so they don't distract from the news itself. -Otherwise the audience won't want to read the story.

5. Recognizing that content influences search visibility.

Writing search engine-friendly text helps information get searched more easily. By using keywords, links, and trending topics, journalists can assess their audience to know what they're looking for. By doing this, the rate at which their news will be viewed increases dramatically.

6. Performance-based pay for journalists will increase.

A lot of writers only get paid for what they write, and some get paid on how much their work gets viewed. This is known as pay-per-view journalism. If journalists know their livelihood depends on writing, they'll be more intentional on making it search-friendly to get more views...because everyone wants to get paid.

7. Using advertising to gain online traffic.

As much as ads can be a pain, they're the sustaining factor of a search engine. Without them, companies like Google, Bing, and Ask.com wouldn't be able to sustain themselves for very long. Some ad companies have even begun 'bidding' on frequently searched terms as a way to gain traffic and support their own agenda.

In short, the online mode of news gathering, specifically through search engines, can change the way we view and interpret the news. By recognizing these changes and their impact on journalistic writing and reporters, it can help shape our attitudes toward this 'new' medium.

(so when newspapers eventually die out, we have a suitable 'back up plan')

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Make Tweets More Like Headlines

Being a new tweeter myself I am still getting used to the in's and out's of what and how to say what you want in 140 characters.

One Twitter user offers some pretty good advice.

While you have 140 characters it doesn't necessarily mean you need to use each and every one of those to say as much as possible.

Instead of having diarrhea of the fingers you should try and make you tweets more like a headline.

You all remember back in the good old days when newspapers were still around when the headline was what captured a reader's attention.

Well, while we still have newspapers and more than enough online it seems people are forgetting that less is more. So get to the point people and save space for other things, such as hashtags or a link.

Here I will offer a few pointers from not only the article I read but also my Beginning Newswriting and Reporting Professor.

First off, always aim for the "active voice". Make your subject do something rather than have something happen to them. It's catchier but passive is sometimes acceptable as well.

Next, ditch the conjunctions and articles. You can simply replace conjunctions such as "&" with a comma. No one cares about, and really need the "the" to get the point across.

Abbreviate when possible, it save's time and space. The final piece of advice offered in the article is to not capitalize every single word in your headline.

So, take this advice everyone and make your tweets shorter, snappier and more like a headline.

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