The document discusses rules and guidelines for writing effective headlines. Headlines should get readers' attention by creating curiosity or promising answers. They should use active verbs and present tense, leave out unnecessary words like articles, and avoid passive voice. Examples are provided of both good and misleading headlines. The key steps for writing headlines are to identify the underlying theme, express it concisely in active voice using few words, and provide enough information to give readers an impression of the full story. Headlines must accurately represent the content without being misleading or cute.

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COMA 360 - DMH
HEADLINES
The billboards of print media

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COMA 360 - DMH
HEADLINES HAVE TO GET ATTENTION
 Make the reader want to find out more by reading the
article
 Create curiosity
 Promise answers to a questions or solutions to a
problem
 Include a key benefit

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COMA 360 - DMH
RULES FOR HEADLINES
 Use present tense
• Wildcats defeat Tigers
 Use active verbs
• Survey reveals students fed up
 Don’t use “be” verbs
 Leave out articles (a, an, the)
• Student Council plans riot
 Use comma in place of and
• Journalism, English teachers quit
 Keep all parts of a verb on one line
• Winning students travel to moon

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A FEW MORE RULES
 Don’t repeat words
• BAD: Students vote for Student Council
 Use plain, simple words
• BAD: Netters take top trophy
• GOOD! Tennis team wins state
 Avoid names
• Smith asks for recount
 Be active, not passive
• Principal wins bull riding contest
• NOT Bull riding contest won by principal

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COMA 360 - DMH
ACTUAL HEADLINES:
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
 Iraqi head seeks arms
 Police begin campaign to run down jaywalkers
 Teacher strikes idle kids
 Shot off woman’s leg helps Nicklaus to 66
 Juvenile court to try shooting defendant
 Miners refuse to work after death

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ACTUAL HEADLINES:
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
 War dims hope for peace
 Cold wave linked to temperatures
 Diaper market bottoms out
 Sex education delayed; teachers request training
 Queen Mary having bottom scraped
 Antique stripper to display wares at store

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COMA 360 - DMH
STEPS FOR WRITING HEADLINES
1. Reread your article; identify the underlying theme.
2. Express the theme in an active voice using as few
words as possible.
3. Keep your headline in present tense.
4. Keep it simple. A headline is a short, direct
sentence without extra adjectives or adverbs.
5. Provide enough information in the headline to give
the casual reader an impression of the entire story.
6. Check for accuracy.

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WARNINGS
 Don’t try to be cute
 Make sure you don’t misrepresent the story
 Make sure the headline can stand on its own
 Always lead with the latest information