Samantha Riley

ALT How to write great headlines It’s specific. Pretend an elevator door is shutting, and you want to tell someone on the other side about a story. This exercise will help you think of headlines that get right to the point and aren’t vague. It’s easy to understand. People will likely see your headline while scanning social media on their phone. So keep it simple. If it’s long and confusing, they’ll likely move on. It leads to a reaction. Imagine someone seeing your headline for the first time. How will that person react? Curious? Suprised? Happy? Sad? Hopefully not disinterested or confused. It’s not overly clever. Creativity is a good thing. And you want your headline to stand out. But be careful you’re not distracting people with a pun or an outdated cultural reference. Avoid being clever for the sake of being clever. It captures the spirit of the story. Is it a happy story? A serious one? Is it an essay? An investigative piece