The year 2018 shook us with school shootings, political turmoil and natural disasters. It was a year when a smoldering tower block in London became the symbol of an insurrection against extremism, Donald Trump set new records for Twitter-busting and people took a knee during the national anthem while a dazzling solar eclipse unfolded across the country. It was a year that brought North and South Korea closer, British politics to the brink and criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record into sharp relief.
NPR’s international and national security correspondents stayed busy covering these and other world events throughout the year. Below, we highlight some of the top headlines from their work based on our audience’s pageviews.
Creating an engaging headline for a blog post, website or LinkedIn ad can be tricky. You’ve got to convey a lot of information in just a few words, grab your audience’s attention and push them to take action. That’s why it helps to have a clear idea of your audience or persona when drafting a headline.
The best headlines use active voice and start with a question or challenge. They also use evocative adjectives, concrete imagery and a mix of jargon and plain language. But crafting a compelling headline takes practice. Check out these headline-writing tips to help you improve your own copywriting.