How To Create Great Headlines
“On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out
of 10 will read the rest. This is the secret to the power of the
headline, and why it so highly determines the effectiveness of the
entire piece.”
Comment by A.R.Yngve March 31, 2006 @ 10:10 am
Have you noticed how tabloid journalists love to combine certain “hot” words in headlines?
The hot words are of course variations on “Sex”, “Death”, “Killed”, “Naked”, “Drugs”, and “Money”.
British tabloids have perfected the art of the headline into poetry:
“SEXY HELENA IS BRA-VELLOUS”
“25 BRITONS ON DEATH FERRY”
“KNIFE THUG STABS PET DOG 16 TIMES”
Pile on the adjectives for added headline drama! You can’t just have “Thug” or “Dog”, it’s got to read “Knife Thug” or “Pet Dog”!
The actual article is just filler. Tabloid newspapers sell headlines and ad space.
Comment by Craig Killick April 1, 2006 @ 7:12 am
And, as Ad space is becoming harder to sell - the headlines have to be louder.
Personally I love some of the most ridiculous headlines in the UK Red Top Press. I would love that job - it must be great brainstorming to come up with the next big headline!
Comment by Dan Campling April 7, 2006 @ 12:52 pm
My Fave headline was from a Scottish sports page…when Caledonian Thistle Fc (a small team) beat Celtic (the biggest team) in the cup.
The headline was this…
“Super Caly go ballistic, Celtic were atrocious!”
Genius