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A word about headlines

You may think it odd that we mention headlines at the end of this section. The reason for this is that it is easier to write your headline after you’ve written the main article.

For a staff newsletter stick to a basic factual title which summaries what the article is about. (You aren’t writing for the Sun so avoid puns).

Write your headline in upper and lowercase as you would a normal sentence. (Don’t cap-up the first letter of each word in the headline – this is extremely old-fashioned and you won’t find it in modern newspapers or magazines).

Headlines don’t have to be grammatical but they should make sense. They use a kind of short-hand which dispenses with superfluous words and phrases.

For example: Technical support network is up and running can become Tech support network up and running, or even better, Tech network raring to go, without losing any meaning and actually gaining impact.

The most common sorts of headlines are:

• the statement – for example, New pay scheme launches next year;
• the label – for example, How to use new-look intranet;
• the question (or provocative statement) – for example, Have you backed up your laptop?
• the quote (summarise it if necessary) – for example, ‘Performance reviews – we’re years ahead’.

Rules for headlines:

• make an impact;
• keep it relevant;
• keep it short (no more than five or six words for headlines);
• keep your audience in mind – are they expecting something formal, something chatty or something witty?

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© Adrian Ruck MCIPR