“I’m at a loss…”
Helpful Hints for
Captions and Headlines
Good journalists are never
finished writing;
they just run out of time…
Compiled by Stephanie Gillespie
Hillsboro Senior High School
Captions
• Cute captions don’t cut it.
• Always tell more than the obvious.
• Position the captions to the outside of the spread and as close
as possible to the pictures they identify.
• Two captions may be stacked…try not to do any more than that.
• Identify all people pictured if possible; identify by first and last
name.
• Organize your caption so that you don’t always begin with a
person’s name.
• Never neglect the importance of caption writing. Show your
reporting skills by seeking information for the caption that shows
you’ve done your job thoroughly.
• Supply present tense writing for the action in the photo; write the
rest of the caption in past tense.
Keep captions interesting
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WHO? Tailback Mark Law evaded Turner High
defenders to snare the game-winning touchdown
in the season opener.
WHAT? Locking the ball into his hands, Mark
Law followed Coach Penrod’s leadership and
scored the game-winner against Piper on
opening day.
WHEN? In the first game of the season, Senior
Mark Law set the pace for a league
championship with this reception against the
Pirates.
WHERE? In Tate Stadium, Tailback Mark Law
hauled in the first of fifteen touchdown passes
that would net him a school record for receptions
in a season.
WHY? Attempting to set a record for most
touchdown receptions, Senior Mark Law hauled
in his first against Piper in the home opener.
HOW? Catching a pass the hard way helped
Tailback Mark Law set a single season scoring
record. Law managed to pull down fifteen
touchdown passes, including this one against
Piper.
The ABC of captions
A for Action-Packed Information
To capture the readers’ attention and make them want to know more about the photograph as
well as to establish the relationship between the photo and caption requires an actionpacked caption lead-in.
This lead-in is one to three words and can be the actual introductory words for the first
sentence of the caption or can be set off as a mini-headline for the caption. Caption
writers should avoid stating the obvious and should carefully choose a clever approach
and words.
B for Basic Information
In the first sentence of the caption, the writer should identify the who, what, when, and where
of the photograph. This identification/description should be complete answering readers’
questions concerning the action of the photo.
Accurate identification using specific names and visual nouns as well as strong, action verbs
should reflect extensive reporting by the writer. Write the first sentence in present tense
since viewers will experience the photo action simultaneously with caption reading.
C for Complementary Information
Adding dimension to the caption takes a second (or third), follow-up sentence which supplies
readers with the answers to questions not obvious in the photo content. Written in past
tense since it presents after-the-fact facts, this part of the caption often focuses on the
why and how of the content of the photo and clues readers into the importance of the
action to overall coverage. Little-know trivia AND QUOTES, as well as a report of the
results of the action of the photograph, finds its place logically in the complementary
information.
The ABC of captions
A for Action-Packed Information
Practice with these captions:
Rachel Smith, a senior who is on
the equestrian team, gently
sculpts her ideal horse.
Jeanne Lee and Ginger Johnson,
juniors, strike their final pose
before pom practice ends.
Dreaming about Camelot after
reading The Sword and the
Stone, Sophomore Erin
Gannon falls asleep in Mrs.
Pat Dunn’s English class.
Before the baseball game, pitcher
Brian Wolfe practices his
famous curve ball which has
made him a dominant force
on the team.
While bumping the ball to
freshman Maxine Earnest,
Freshman Kerrie Rilley
pushes herself to the limit.
B for Basic Information
C for Complementary Information
Story captions or scatterstories
are extended captions that
replace regular stories.
• Apply the same ABC method, but add more
details in the complementary information.
• The most popular way to extend the story is
by adding quotes from those involved. Let the
student or teacher take a turn telling the story
in her own words.
• This “short story” becomes about the photo
rather than trying to write a complete “story of
the year” piece that becomes predictable and
boring.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
Varying your lead is the key to good caption
writing. Note the many ways to write the
same facts in the examples following.
1. An Adjective Lead begins with an adjective
word or phrase describing the subject of the
copy. Adjective leads provide color and
descriptive appeal.
EXAMPLE: Sweets, both M&Ms and
appreciative looks, leave John Marsh as he
sells another box of candy to Julie Jones, a
sophomore in his trigonometry class.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
2. An Adverb Lead begins with an adverb or
adverbial phrase or clause. Adverb leads
provide active description in the first few
words.
EXAMPLE: Rarely seen without his M&Ms,
John Marsh, a trumpet player, sells Julie
Jones candy to munch on in her fourthperiod English class. Band members raised
$3000 selling candy to finance their
February trip to New Orleans to march in
the Mardi Gras parade.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
3. A Causal Lead emphasizes the reason or
cause of the action and begins with such
words as “because” or “since.”
EXAMPLE: Because money was scarce and
buses were expensive, band members sold
4,200 boxes of M&Ms to finance their
February trip to Mardi Gras. Contributing to
the cause, Julie Jones buys her seventh
box of chocolate-covered peanuts from top
salesperson John Marsh.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
4. A Gerund Lead begins with a verb ending in
“ing” in a noun-like form. Use gerund leads
sparingly.
EXAMPLE: Raising money for the band trip to
New Orleans was a between-class activity
for the 175 band members. John Marsh, top
salesperson in the campaign and first-chair
trumpet player, sells M&Ms to Julie Jones,
who said she was a regular customer
supporting the cause with her purchases.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
5. An Infinitive Lead uses a verb form
along with “to.” Infinitive leads provide
action at the beginning of the copy.
EXAMPLE: To charter buses to New
Orleans, band members sold M&Ms.
Trumpet player John Marsh sells Julie
Jones one of the 4,200 boxes of candy
that helped send the 175-member
band to the February Mardi-Gras
parades.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
6. A Participle Lead begins with a verb
ending in “ing” or “ed” in an adjective
phrase. It can incorporate both action
and description in the first word. Use
this type sparingly.
EXAMPLE: Selling another box of M&Ms,
John Marsh, first-chair trumpet player,
reaches his goal of top salesperson in
the band’s candy campaign as he sells
another box to Julie Jones.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
7. A Prepositional Lead begins with a
prepositional phrase and provides
description.
EXAMPLE: With M&Ms in hand and New
Orleans in mind, trumpet player John
Marsh sells a sweet treat to Julie
Jones, a sophomore in his Trig class.
Candy sales financed the band’s
February trip to Mardi Gras.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
8. A Proper Noun Lead begins with a proper
noun or name when that person or thing is
the most important part of the story.
Because proper noun leads don’t imply
action, use them sparingly.
EXAMPLE: John Marsh, who has been in band
for three years, sells the seventh box of
M&Ms to Julie Jones, a sophomore in his
Trig class. The class sale of candy was one
of the most popular ways of raising money;
32 different groups sold 11 types of candy
during the year.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
9. A Temporal Lead features a time
element and often begins with “while,”
“where,” “as,” or “since.”
EXAMPLE: While some band members
work hard to sell their M&Ms, top
saleperson John Marsh makes it look
easy with over 300 sales. Julie Jones
buys her seventh box, one of the
4,200 sold to finance the band’s trip to
march in the Mardi Gras parade.
10 Ways
to Write Caption Leads
10. A Quotation Lead begins with a quote
from the subject of the picture. It is good
only if WHAT was said is more important
than anything else.
EXAMPLE: “My skin may break out, and I may
get a stomachache before I go, but the trip
to New Orleans will be worth it,” said John
Marsh, first-chair trumpet player. The band’s
trip to Mardi Gras was funded by the sale of
4,200 boxes of M&Ms. A frequent customer,
Julie Jones, buys another box from Marsh.
The interview leads to good
caption writing.
Without a solid interview, you
have NOTHING to write about.
• Before writing anything, it all starts with a
detailed interview that has been prepared in
advance.
• During the interview, ask follow-up questions
and write down information accurately.
• After the interview, ask the person to reread
the statements to verify accuracy, and then
have the person sign the interview.
The photo log leads to a
good interview.
• Before taking a picture, note the who, what,
where, when of the event.
• During the event, write down information
accurately about the details of the event
including the action before and after the
photo was taken.
• After the event, follow up by deleting blurry or
unusable photos and crossing them off on the
log.
Let’s talk headlines
• Leave space for headline design when
templates are made.
• Publicly display some fonts to be used
in headlines to maintain section
consistency.
• Allow variations in design and font in
order to have the best headline
possible.
• Wait until the page is nearly finished to
write and design the headline.
Let’s talk headlines
A top 10 guide to writing good headlines
• Write in the present tense. Use active verbs.
• Put the key words of the story in the main head.
• Get the most important story element in the headline. Headlines should
tell readers what happened and why the news is important to readers.
• Avoid puns, but be clever.
• Be accurate.
• Be interesting and inviting. Headlines should be an advertisement for
the story, but they should never be so cute that they fail to instantly tell
the news.
• Be creative. Headlines can and should creatively convey a mood or
emotion when appropriate, but they must always tell the news in clear
and direct fashion.
• Don't pirate the lead of the story or give away the ending. Stealing the
lead means repeating it almost verbatim. You do want to make sure the
headline matches the tone of the story.
• Rarely (almost never) use short, verb-less labels as main heads for
news stories. They fail to tell the news.
• Avoid headlinese. Make headlines conversational.
By Sue Burzynski of The Detroit News for “No Train, No Gain” on the web.
Headlines: Words have power
• Headlines are like poetry. Every word
must be more powerful since there are
so few words.
• Headlines must be researched in two
ways:
1. old yearbooks to avoid duplicating
headlines from previous years and
2. the internet or other resources to
come up with a word bank of powerful,
visual words that pertain to the subject.
Headlines: Words have power
• Try www.merriamwebster.com/thesaurus to find
synonyms, antonyms, and related
words. The simple format is direct and
easy-to-follow.
• The related words are probably going to
be the most useful for writing headlines.
• Another great resource is
www.thesaurus.com.
Headlines: Words have power
• Now is the time to use all of those poetic
devices you learned in English class through
the years.
• Techniques like alliteration, assonance,
onomatopoeia, rhyme, simile, metaphor,
imagery, and personification should be used.
• Consider “verbing” words to come up with
fresh phrasing.
• Be aware of potential double-meanings in
headlines.
• Make accuracy your number one priority,
followed by creativity.
Headlines: Words have power
Use the TACT Test:
Taste-Attractiveness-Clarity-Truth
(Ask these questions of each headline):
1. Is it in good taste? Anything offensive in any
way? Can anything be taken a wrong way?
2. Does it attract the reader's attention? How can it
be improved without sacrificing accuracy?
3. Does it communicate clearly, quickly? Any
confusion? Any odd words, double meanings?
4. Is it accurate, true? Proper words used? Is the
thrust of subject-verb true?
5. A single "NO" above is a veto. One "No" vote
represents thousands of readers. Start over: rethink
the headline from the beginning.
From “No Train, No Gain: Training for Newspaper Journalists” at http://www.notrainnogain.org/train/res/copyd/man.asp
Headlines: Design gives
powerful words the spotlight
• Make important words stand out in size, font,
and/or color.
• Most designs should have no more than two
or three fonts.
• Keep unimportant words like “an, an, the, of,”
etc. in the background.
• DO NOT capitalize every word in the
headline. For the most part, headlines should
read like sentences and include a verb. If the
main part of the headline doesn’t have a verb,
add a sub-headline that does have a verb.
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight
Headlines:
Design shines a spotlight