How to Write a Newspaper Headline

The one thing that can make or break a newspaper article is the headline. A good newspaper headline is concise, informative and, at times, entertaining. When you write a newspaper headline, your goal is to hook the reader into reading the article. Writing a headline for your article is easy, if you follow these steps.

Instructions

1

Reread your article; identify the underlying theme.

2

Express the theme in an active voice using as few words as possible. Active verbs lend immediacy to a story. If a reader sees a headline written in a passive voice, he or she might glance right over it.

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.