HEADLINE AND ITS FUNCTIONS

Headline is the title of a news story. It is placed on the top of every news story to serve
as the heading for the content written below. Apart from providing the crux of the news
content, it helps the reader decide whether the news story is of interest to him or not. It
is written in bold and bigger type face than the body of news story.

What is a Headline?
A headline is defined as the heading of a news story or article. It is generally placed on
the top of the story, printed in large type and gives the news succinctly in an attention-
grabbing manner. The high-visibility characteristic of headlines lets them influence the
look and appeal of the newspaper as well as its identification from a distance. The
presentation of a news story is dependent not only on writing its headline but also on its
font, font size and the position on the page.

Functions of a Headline

1. To attract the audience attention: Generating reader’s interest is one of the most
important functions of a good headline. A headline on a topic of interest to the reader
should be able to lead him to read the news story or the article. This is possible when
the reader finds something new or something that he has been looking for. However, a
headline should not be misleading the reader. It happens when the reader does not get
what he was expecting from the story in the later paragraphs.

2. To figure out your readers: A headline must able to persuade the potential readers
who are attracted to it if the story is in public interest and the headline is presented in an
interesting manner.

3. To convey a message which is complete: A headline must not be ambiguous and

incomplete. It has to be informative and complete. However, an ambiguous headline
may work if a graphic or a picture supports it. Most people read headlines rather than
the entire news story or article. Hence a headline must ensure that a fine balance
between the crispiness and information is maintained.

4. To facilitate the reader in reading the whole story: Humour and surprise are used
to generate curiosity in the headline. This is generally achieved through a question or a
colourful quote being used as the headline in itself.

Examples:
Top 5 tips of the magazine publishing trade.
Who stole his heart?
Bye-bye Advani Ji.

HEADLINE WRITING PROCESS

Writing a headline involves both the literary and technical aspects. Font size, positioning
of text, font style, width of the text and presentation are some of the technical
considerations. Selection of words, sentence structure and the headline type are some
of the literary aspects.

Display and Point Size

Headlines have to be designed to fit into the allotted space. Thus in a three column (3-
col) story, the headline must occupy three columns of type. In larger publications,
generally one of the editors is assigned the job of determining the headline size, while
others decide the headline content. A shorthand communication as 2-36-2 (two- thirty
six-two) means that the story has two columns requiring a 36 point (pt) head arranged in
two lines. Such a headline is also known as a double-decker head in the newsroom or
the production department.

Shorthand for headlines is written in the following sequence: number of columns, the
type size and the number of lines. The height of type size is measured in points while its
width is measured in picas. The type sizes are standard. A type size, which is equal to
or smaller than about 12 pt., is best used for body text and is rarely used for headlines.
Larger than this point is used for headlines that follow a font size in the range of 14-84.
Such headlines are also known as display type.

Width, Weight, and Style

Width of a headline is decided based on the newspaper columns allotted to the news
story. When a headline is bigger than the column space provided, double decker
headline is used i.e., it is split in two lines instead of one. Setting the distance between
letters, known as kerning the text, also helps reduce space between the words, allowing
the headline to fit into the given width. The bolder the font the greater is the weight of
the headline. Weight of a headline suggests the priority given to the news story by the
editor. Weight is also related to the font style chosen for writing the headline, e.g., a
story written in Light /Semi Light style has lesser weight than that written in Condensed
or Bold.

Similarly, the font style also helps to decide the weight of a news story. The headlines in
sans serif font styles are soft news or feature news stories. The headlines in serif fonts
have more weight. Newspapers using sans serif fonts only, opt for a font family
providing them a variety of font styles and weights.

Deciding News Angle

Generally, News Angle means perspective based on some element or point of the story.
For example, a story can be written from the perspective of the people or the
government or some institution or a group of people. Essentially it is the spin you impart
to the story. You can give it a new angle by changing the context. Say you saw two
people kissing under a lamppost in your campus. They could be unmarried lovers or
husband-wife in a married hostel. Your angle could be love and-studies go hand-in-
hand or just love in the name of studies.
Writing the Headline
The best way to write an attention grabbing headline is to understand the story fully.
Thus, having got a good idea of the story, the sub-editor is able to reflect it correctly in
the headline. Under headline pressures, most sub-editors/copy editors only read the
opening lines of the story to come up with a headline. At times, a fact or a figure buried
in the body text can also be used as a selling point in the headline. After writing the
headline, one should always get a third-person to check it for its language and impact.
Headlines using redundant words are best-dropped. Similarly, ambiguity has no place in
headlines. Moreover, headlines contradicting the story are not to be used at all.

KINDS OF HEADLINES
Headlines can be classified into various categories based on their structure, context,
presentation and positioning.

Label Headline
This type of headline does not have a verb. It is a label and is similar to a book
title. In short, a headline without a verb is called a label headline.

Examples:
This year’s Padma awards.
A season of Holi festivities.

A label headline is a rarity and is used in newspapers to show neutrality in its approach
to the story. A label is neutral in its approach and is easily searchable in a database.

Example:
PM’s stand shows vengeance can be label-headed as The PM’s stand.

Descriptive Headline
A descriptive headline is the one which describes the gist of a news story. It majorly
focuses on 4Ws and 1H (who, what, when, where, how) while the why part of the story
is often not part of the headline. Descriptive headlines are also called as How to
headline when they are used for explaining the step-wise process of doing something.

Examples:
How to form an Investing habit!
Chennai team develops device to test anti-biotic resistance in just 6 hours.

Comment Headline
A comment headline is the one that interprets the news partly. It adds extra meaning to
the headline by looking for something that is going on behind the scenes or by
analyzing the implications of the news immediately or in the long run. Comment does
add colour to the headline and thus enhances its impact. The trend of using comment in
headline is growing these days.
Example:
Desperate Pakistan wants to sabotage the Indian bid in the FATF.

Quotation Headline
A quotation headline is the one that uses quotes in order that its impact is not reduced
or lost after it is paraphrased. A quote is not a story in itself and hence is used to
emphasize a news angle or news point. That is why quotes are used sparsely in
headlines.

Examples:
I did not kill her and I do not want to be hanged.
I am in full command and will get a second term: PM

Question Headline
A question headline is the one that evokes curiosity and highlights speculative points or
provokes the reader. It is also good for pro-and-con stories. Many professionals do not
favour it because it leaves the reader guessing whereas the job of a headline is to make
sure that its meaning is grasped clearly.

Examples:
Is Shatrughan Sinha on his way out?
Who is number 2 in Rahul’s kitchen cabinet?

HEADLINE PROPS
Headline props are referred to as supporting headlines that provide the much needed
extra words and space to make the headline more meaningful. These headline props
come in different formats serving different purposes. It is well known that a news report
structured in an inverted pyramid style lifts the most important news point to the top of
the story known as lead or intro. That is why most headlines are built on the news point
contained in the lead. However several news reports-especially developing and
analytical stories- are built on more than one news point. In such cases, headline writers
take the most important point in the main headline and use a headline prop to draw
attention to the remaining important points. In this sense, headline props are supporting
headlines. Headline props can be categorized as follows.

Shoulder or Kicker
A shoulder or kicker is a supporting headline placed on top of the main headline and is
smaller in size by definition. Earlier, it was used to highlight the subject of the story but
these days it is also used to highlight the news points not contained in the main
headline.

Examples:
Shoulder: India makes contact to meet negotiator today;
Main headline: Iraq captors give 24 more hours.

In a newspaper, it is printed as follows:

India makes contact to meet negotiator today
Iraq captors give 24 more hours

Strapline
In terms of its positioning, a strapline may be defined as the reverse of kicker or
shoulder as it is placed beneath the main headline. Other attributes of strapline are
almost the same as that of a kicker or a shoulder. A strapline works as an extra hook to
draw the reader into a story. This is done by providing additional information that makes
it easy for the readers who are in a hurry to scan the day’s headlines. Usually, a
strapline is used in a single column format just below the main headline and its point
size is kept less than that of the main headline. This difference in point size helps the
reader to tell the main points of the news story from its subsidiary points. Like shoulders
of the page, straplines are set in reverse and against colour backgrounds to add to the
appeal of the page.

Examples:
Main headline: Sensex gains 40 points;
Strapline: Revival of monsoons has done the magic.

Straplines may also be used to link the related news reports, published the same day or
on subsequent days. This is done through the use of a keyword to indicate that the
reports are related. Thus when a former Miss India, Nafisa Joseph, committed suicide,
her first name ‘Nafisa’ was used to link all the reports on the subject. To separate the
link word from the rest of the strapline, the former (link word) is capitalized.

Example:
Main headline: She packed her bags, was ready to leave;
Strapline: NAFISA: Was to marry next week, Mom blames fiancé for her suicide.

In a newspaper, it may appear as follows:

She packed her bags, was ready to leave
NAFISA: Was to marry next week, Mom blames fiancé for her suicide
Main headline: ‘She touched us with her elegance’;
Strapline: NAFISA: An MTV colleague recounts...

Crosshead
A crosshead’s role is to help sustain the reader’s interest in a long story by breaking its
monotony. A crosshead is written in a point size generally two points more than the
body type. Positioned in between the running text and done so after three to five
paragraphs, its objective is to capture the most important news point contained in the
paragraphs over which it is placed. A crosshead, though it cannot be called a headline
prop in the strict sense of the term, breaks the visual monotony of the text when the
story is quite long. It does so by giving the readers an idea of what is to be expected in
the paragraphs following it (crosshead). Notably, few newspapers are found using
crossheads in news reports these days.
Sidehead
Positioned at the start of a paragraph, a sidehead is set in bold though its point size
generally matches with that of the body text. It introduces a new point in the running
story and can also be used as a headline for a news item in segments such as city
briefs or crime briefs. Like crosshead, a sidehead is not a headline prop in the strict
sense of the term. It functions as a headline prop nonetheless.

Navigation
Limited to one or two words, a navigation head guides readers to the stories of their
interest. It is placed in the middle of a running story to highlight its subject by breaking
the greyness of body text. It releases space for the main and can be visual too.

FEATURE HEADLINES
Feature headlines are used for feature stories or soft news stories. They are different
from the headlines used for hard news stories. Instead of relying on facts of the news
content solely, these also add a surprise or colour factor for the reader.

Difference from News Headlines

A feature story, unlike hard news, has a more personalized and subjective approach to
the subject. Consequently, more adjectives and verbs are allowed in feature headlines
which can be witty and have in them an element of surprise. All this lends flexibility in
the use of font and colour in headlines that may not be in the same font or colour as that
of the body text. Here a more stylized approach is followed which is in sync with the
mood of the story.

Examples:
Here is a headline of a Hindustan Times story on Prakash Karat (General Secretary,
CPI-M) and his wife Brinda Karat (Member, CPI-M Politbureau).

Profile: CPI(M)’s First Couple Comrades at work and home

Another headline to a story published in the New Indian Express. It plays on words and
uses a strapline to convey the intended meaning.

MEN too must PAUSE

What happens to men between the ages of 40 and 55?

Tips to Write Feature Headlines

A feature headline is written in a style that is conversational, engaging, informative and
full of anticipation. Neither too long nor in an inappropriate font, a feature headline
should be crafted in such a way that it gives the feel of the beginning of a conversation
between two friends. While the language could be reasonably emotive, its wording
should be simple with superlatives avoided to the extent possible. Usually the brand
names are kept out of the content so that it does not look like sponsored piece.
However, it is advisable to highlight the interesting part of the story.
HEADLINE WRITING: DO’S AND DO NOTS
Writing headline is a process and writing a good headline involves both art and science.
News headline represents the face of a news story. It helps the reader filter and decide
whether the news story is worth reading. Some of the important Do’s and Dont’s that
need to be kept in mind while writing news headlines are listed here.

Headline Writing: Do’s and Do nots

1. Keep it short and simple.
2. Remember your target audience/ reader.
3. Keep the placement, positioning and currency of the news story in mind.
4. Avoid Jargons.
5. Be specific.
6. Use numerals for numbers instead of words.
7. Avoid using auxiliary verbs (is, are) and articles (a, an, the).
8. Past events are reported in the present tense.
9. Use popular acronyms, if any.
10. Write multiple headlines and choose one.

INTERNET HEADLINES
Headlines for news stories posted online differ from offline news headlines. Internet
headlines need to consider the search keywords and serve the purpose of marketing
news content. Font style variation is also limited for online news stories as the website/
online platforms use a single template. A consistent template allows users ease of
access while optimizing the search for content.

Characteristics of Internet Headlines

The dual functionality of the headline:

It should take care of not only the gratification-need of the reader but also the research-
engine requirements. For this to happen, the headline must be structured appropriately
and worded correctly. Acting as a gateway to a good online story, the headline must be
click-able and search-able. The web engine separates good headlines from the bad
ones by ranking them in terms of SERP (Search Engine Returns Pages) that are
defined as pages displayed by search engines in response to a query by a searcher.
The main component of the SERP is the listing of results that are returned by the search
engine in response to a keyword query though the pages may also contain other results
such as advertisements.

Good web headlines contain the correct keywords that are appropriately positioned.
In terms of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketing, this attribute is known as
frontloading of the headlines. Headlines should be short and crisp: A web friendly
headline should not exceed 6-10 words that do not exceed 70 characters beyond which
it (headline) is digitally cropped by Google into a truncated headline.
Limited variation in Point Size
Here only two-point sizes are employed. The headlines featuring on the landing page
are in large point size, while those on the home page and category page are in reduced
point size(s). This helps in generating more traffic through the placement of more than
one story on a single frame of computer screen. This also helps in enabling a number of
tabs and categories. Web headlines operate on newness, not news values. The web
news headlines are written in response to the demands of the online user. Hence the
editor goes by the data analytics reflecting a particular geography or demography or
both. Traditional news values and editorial judgement based on them take a backseat in
the age of personalization and hyper-interactivity facilitated by digital convergence of
communication.

Difference from Print Headlines

The objective of writing a good story is to get the right audience to read it. It is easy to
get the timely attention of the target audience if it is segmented appropriately and the
story is well understood. The print and web headlines are different from each other in
the following ways:

A web headline is placed across the web whereas a newspaper headline is placed right
above the news story. The web headline is found irrespective of where the news story
or the article is located. The surfer clicks on the headline to read the story that is
hyperlinked to the headline that may or may not be located above the story on the same
web page. But for this to happen, the web headline has to be exciting enough to the
viewer.

In a newspaper, a variety of fonts and font sizes are applied to headlines to display the
relative importance of a news story. Though the attributes of width, weight, font of the
print headline are customized for use in web headlines, their popularity is governed by
the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SMO (Social Media Optimization) ratings of
news stories. Rigorous SEO and SMO are done on the story to maximize its reach.
Usually in specific font size, the print headlines cannot be changed at will while the web
headlines can be altered as per the requirements of the landing page. The positioning of
web headlines is dynamic, unlike that in print. The most important print news story goes
on the top of the page whereas the display of the web headlines is decided as per the
time of the happening.