News headlines serve many functions, including enticing readers to read stories, summarizing important information, and directing attention. They also influence readers’ thoughts about the news source itself. For example, when a journalist or editor creates a headline that is creative, sensationalist, or both, it can negatively impact how the reader perceives the news organization.
As such, it’s important that the content you produce as a content marketer or PR professional is not only relevant to your audience’s interests but is factual and accurate. To do this, you should be aware of what’s currently trending and use this knowledge to inform your own writing.
To make your headlines stand out, use emotive words that convey excitement, anger, or fear. In addition, it’s a good idea to keep your headlines short and concise. This is especially true when it comes to online content, where headlines are often skimmed or ignored altogether.
Another way to make your headlines more readable is to remove unnecessary words, such as articles (a, an, the) and connecting words, like because or however. A shorter headline is easier to read, and it’s more likely to elicit a response from the reader.
