How to write a good headline

Best press release headlines focus on readers

Put audience members first

Target the reader: Take a tip from these Silver Anvil winners — call out to the audience member in the headline.

How to write a marketing headline

9 ways to draw readers in, move them to act

Want to write engaging headlines that sell? Write about your target audience, not about “us and our stuff.”

How to write a feature headline

Try a little cleverness

Feature heads draw readers in and make your message easier to understand and remember. Plus, they’re more fun to write.

Avoid these common headline mistakes

8 approaches to avoid

Just say no: Write great headlines when you steer clear of these 8 common headline writing mistakes.

Avoid writing label headlines (Examples!)

Don’t just slap the topic on top of the story

Warning label: Label headlines communicate the topic — but nothing else — about the story.

Stop it with the ing-ing headlines (Examples!)

Present participle heads may be worse than labels

‘If I see upcoming in the paper again, I will be downcoming, and someone will be outgoing,’ counseled Wall Street Journal editor Barney Kilgore. Heed his advice.

Ann’s favorite headline quotes for writers

What writers and others say

Headline writing “combines the mastery of Scrabble with the composition of haiku.” — John Early McIntyre, ACES president and assistant managing editor for the copydesk at the Baltimore Sun