Headline news is a newspaper headline that serves to summarize the main topic or essence of an article. Generally short and attention-grabbing, effective headlines convey the story’s main point while enticing readers to continue reading. The style of a headline is typically influenced by the tone and focus of the article, as well as journalistic ethics.
In the digital age, news headlines are often viewed as source material by search engines, making them an important part of any article. Whether a reader encounters an article by searching online, scanning a newspaper, or clicking on a link from social media, the headline is the first impression and the key to whether it will grab attention.
For this reason, headlines are highly scrutinized, and writers who can craft a compelling, attention-grabbing, and informative headline are often sought after by many different media outlets. While the work can be challenging, there is a certain satisfaction in crafting a good headline that will capture attention and encourage readers to read more.
Writers who specialize in headlines have something in common with advertising copy writers: they must be accurate, entertaining and, if possible, pithy. Additionally, they must do so in a limited amount of space. On larger publications, it is common for the writer of a story to suggest a headline and then be paired with an editor who crafts the headline into its final form. Often, editors use a shorthand to communicate the size of a headline, using a three number code (e.g. 2-36-3) to reference the type size and column width of a head, a two or three-column headline.