Headlines are the most important three to 12 words in any story. Here's where they come from, in case anybody's interested, and some observations about recent trends and misunderstandings (thread)
The writer or videographer or graphic artist (the person whose name, or byline, is at the top of the piece) usually doesn't write the headline. The editor (whose name is probably not on the piece) usually writes the headline.
The same story can have different headlines depending on where you're seeing it. Print headlines have to fit a physical layout with images and other display copy (words that aren't part of the story, like subheadlines or captions)
Online headlines have two audiences: people and search bots. A joke headline might attract people and encourage them to share it. But a search bot might not register what the story is really about. Ideally online headline will be clear enough for a bot and fun enough for people
The headline on a publication's homepage might be different again, and the URL might not match any of them. If they differ? It's not a conspiracy (as conspiracy theorists sometimes accuse me of). It's just audience or search or display optimization.
Sometimes we "A/B Test" which of two or three headlines is most effective. For instance, we can randomly show a person who goes to a website one headline or another, and see which headline gets the most people to click.
Important clarification: It's not just the click that matters. It's "quality clicks," or whether someone opens a piece and then sticks around, an indication that the headline promised what they were looking for. If someone clicks away immediately, that's a sign of "clickbait"
Clickbait doesn't mean a headline is something you want to click on. That's just a good headline on a good story! Clickbait means the story doesn't fulfill the promise of the headline, which irritates everybody and is something (good) headline writers don't want
One of the trends I've noticed (and used) a lot in headline writing, especially during the pandemic, is the construction: "Here's What We Know So Far." It's such a genuine and honest promise of a headline ...
From early in the pandemic, we had headlines like "Is the Coronavirus Airborne? Here's What We Know so Far." "What Kind of Mask Should I Wear? Here's What We Know so Far" etc. It indicates 3 things: here's the latest info; not everything is known yet; we'll update you again later
Number headlines have been popular for about as long as there have been magazines. If a headline promises "17 Tips for Writing Great Headlines" and you can think of only 6, of course you want to read about the others. And a number implies the story will be easy & fun to read
Superlatives (biggest, farthest, fastest, oldest) tend to attract people.
You don't have to tell the whole story in the headline, and when in doubt, highlight the most interesting part.
Writing headlines is a lot of fun. If you're writing something, please feel free to suggest headlines when you pitch or file a story. Editors, start a brainstorming group for headlines if you don't have one. Or test them out here on Twitter so we can all help! /end
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