Your headlines are your first chance to grab a viewer’s attention and draw them into your article. They’re also visible on search engine results pages and in social feeds, so it’s important to keep them sharp, compelling and informative. But crafting the perfect headline can be tricky – particularly for newer journalists who may not have honed their craft with years of experience behind them.
When writing a headline, start with the basics: the who, what, when, where and why of your story. This will help readers understand the main points even if they’re not familiar with the subject matter. You can then add details, quotes and other context to round out your lead. Remember to follow the inverted pyramid structure for your lead paragraphs, so that the most important information is at the top of the paragraph and gets read first.
Try using a question in your headlines to engage and intrigue readers. It’s a classic formula that’s proven effective for more than a century. Just make sure you answer the question in the body of your article, and avoid the temptation to use it solely for clicks.
Aim for a headline length of 50 to 60 characters. This is a good rule of thumb for Google, and it helps ensure that your stories appear in full on SERPs without getting cut off. Finally, avoid using jargon or abbreviations in your headlines. These are a relic of print, where character count limits forced writers to resort to shortcuts.