Headline & Caption Writing:
When and when not to break the rules!
Elizabeth Pearson, Andrew Scott
Types of Headlines
Direct Headlines
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Pure silk blouses – 30 percent off
Indirect Headline

Fresh bait works best
News Headline

My exclusive interview with Steve Jobs
How to Headline

How to build a house of cards
Question Headline
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Do you close the bathroom door even when
you’re the only one home?
Command Headline
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Subscribe to the DM today!
Reason Why Headline
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Two hundred reasons why open source
software beats Microsoft
Testimonial Headline
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‘I read Copyblogger first thing each morning,’
admits Angelina Jolie
Rules for Headlines
Use the active voice

Effective headlines usually involve logical
sentence structure, active voice and strong
present-tense, active verbs.
A “capital” idea: Moving on

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Do not capitalize every word.
Do capitalize the first word after a colon.
Number, please
Example:
3 die in crash
To the left, to the left
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NO exceptions unless told otherwise!!
It’s XXX-rated?
Examples:
Lincoln, Douglas to debate
at new KU Dole Centerxxx
UNACCEPTABLE
Lincoln, Douglas to debate
at KU’s new Dole Centerxx
BETTER
Lincoln-Douglas
debate todayxxx
at Dole Center
RULE EXCEPTION
Punctuation normal — mostly
Examples:
Single Quotes
Lincoln: ‘The war has begun’
Paraphrase
Lincoln: War inevitable; victory essential
Lincoln says war inevitable; Davis agrees
“And” punctuation replacement
Examples:
(awkward)
Lincoln offers compromise, Davis Declines
(better)
Lincoln offers compromise; Davis declines
(best)
Lincoln offers an ‘out,’ but Davis declines
Even more on punctuation
Examples:
Clinton says there was no affair
witness should ‘to tell the truth’
UNACCEPTABLE
Clinton says no affair, that
witness should ‘tell the truth’
BETTER
Clinton: No affair; Starr: His probe
proves it happened more than once
RULE EXCEPTION
Speaking of ambiguity, double entendres
Example:
Textron Inc. makes offer
to Screw Co. stockholders
Who (and what) is whom (or what)?
Examples:
Jones to fill
vacancy on
city council
Who is Jones?
Lincoln-Douglas
debate today
on K.C. radio
Good
Other Rules
Abbreviations
Not acceptable in stories, yet great in headlines KS, MS
Polly want a cracker?
Don’t rip-off the writer’s headline!
More to avoid
editorializing, exaggeration, generalizing or long words
No ‘a’ or ‘and’ or ‘the’?
Avoid unless needed for clarity
Don’t be cute, unless called for
Example:
Skywalkers in Korea
cross Han Solo
Kwon Won-tae of South Korea
participates in the first World High Wire
Championships in Seoul, in which
participants cross the Han River on a 1
km (0.62 miles) wire, May 3, 2007. The
event is part of the annual "Hi Seoul
Festival" organised by Seoul City which
began April 27 and lasts ten days.
Finally, the ‘doo-dah’ rule
Example:
City’s singers
in good tune
“doo-dah”
“doo-dah”
Practice Time!

Take two stories given and create your own
headline!
Caption Writing
Hot tips for Caption Writing

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Check the facts. Be accurate!
Avoid stating the obvious. "Dennis Rodman smiles as he kicks
a broadcast photographer in the groin."
Always identify the main people in the photograph.
Don't let cutlines recapitulate information in the head or deck or
summary.
Avoid making judgments. "An unhappy citizen watches the
protest..." Can you be sure that he is unhappy? Or is he hurting.
Or just not photogenic. If you must be judgmental, be sure you
seek the truth.
Hot tips for Caption Writing
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A photograph captures a moment in time. Whenever possible,
use present tense. This will creates a sense of immediacy and
impact.
Don't try to be humorous when the picture is not.
Descriptions are very helpful for viewer. The person dressed "in
black," "holding the water hose," "sulky from chagrin," or
"standing to the left of the sofa, center" are helpful identifying
factors.
Be willing to allow for longer captions when more information
will help the reader/viewer understand the story and situation.
Use commas to set off directions from the captions to the
picture. "Kachira Irby, above,..."or "Kennetra Irby, upper left..."
Hot tips for Caption Writing

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Don't assume. Ask questions in your effort to inform and be
specific. Be willing to contact and include the visual reporter.
Avoid using terms like "is shown, is pictured, and looks on."
If the photograph is a historic or file photo, include the date that
it was taken. Mayor David Dinkins, 1993.
Conversational language works best. Don't use clichés. Write
the caption as if you're telling a family member a story.
Quotes can be an effective device, be willing to use them when
they work.
References:
Poynter Institute Online
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=4355
Copy Blogger
http://www.copyblogger.com/how-to-write-headlines-that-work/
Writing Effective Headlines
http://web.ku.edu/~edit/heads.html