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Writing Briefly

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Headlines

Andrew Huff

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Writing Briefs

Two types of briefs:

summarizing a longer story

Sharing a tidbit

Mostly just the facts

Most details left out

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Writing Briefs

Two types of briefs:

summarizing a longer story

Sharing a tidbit

Mostly just the facts

Most details left out

Briefs are reliant on links

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Good Brief Writing

Include the basics (or link to them)

Whet the readers appetite for more

Be succinct; no words wasted

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Lets look at some examples

WSJ

Gapers Block

Daily Beast Cheat Sheet Coudal Partners

TPUTH

http://online.wsj.com/home-pagehttp://gapersblock.com/http://gapersblock.com/http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheets/2011/09/28/cheat-sheet.htmlhttp://coudal.com/http://www.tputh.com/http://www.tputh.com/http://coudal.com/http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheets/2011/09/28/cheat-sheet.htmlhttp://gapersblock.com/http://gapersblock.com/http://online.wsj.com/home-page

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HEADLINES

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What is a Headline?

Just kidding.

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But wait, what is a Headline?

Readers first introduction to the story

Search engines first intro to the story (SEO)

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Headlines are challenging

Similar to briefs but even shorter

Must be informative yet meet spaceconstraints

Must draw readers in so they click

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What is a goodheadline?

If a reader only reads the headline & nothing else,would he/she know what the story was about?

Coherent

Concise

Unambiguous

Interesting

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What is a goodheadline?

Man bites dog

Headless body found in topless bar

Sticks Nix Hick Pix

Super Cally go ballistic, Celtic are

atrocious

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What is a badheadline?

Uninformative

Ambiguous

Misleading

Too clever

Opinionatedunless thats the point.

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What is a badheadline?

Uninformative

Asheville Art Museum group plans event

Chet Coppock is Right

What is going on?

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What is a badheadline?

Ambiguous or Misleading

Dont be deliberately opaque in headlines for the sake of clicks.

Suburb voted best place to live

As the word count drops, the likelihood of ambiguity increases.

John Russial, Strategic Copy Editing

Chicken heads an All American Meal

Chicken heads an

All American Meal

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What is a badheadline?

Crash blossoms William Safire

Violinist Linked to JAL Crash Blossoms

MacArthur Flies Back to Front

Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim

Gator Attacks Puzzle Experts

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridge

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What is a badheadline?

Too Clever

NY Post:

Close but no cigar

WSJ:

Apple Facing Jobslessness?

Press release:

Carlo Rossi is 4 LitersNot Followers

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What is a badheadline?

Opinionated unless thats the point.

New York Times:

Obama Closes In on Big Wins in Lame-Duck

Congress

Politico:

Democrats concede budget fight to Republicans.

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Differences between Print & Web

Print:

Photos lend context

Type size gives impact

Subheads provide further detail

Headlines appear in only one place

Web

Headlines appear all over, out of context, divorced from story

No/minimal control over headline size

Rarely subheads

Headlines can change online

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What is a goodheadline?

Headlines should be based on the main idea of the story

Avoid repetition

Dont repeat keywords in the headline

Dont use exact phrasing from the story itself Conventional headlines should include a noun and a verb

Use active voice, present tense verbs

For future, use infinitive form: to go, to be

Avoid articlesa, the and and as much as possible

Avoid questions?

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What is a goodheadline?

Betteridge's Law of Headlines

Any headline which ends in a question markcan be answered by the word, No.

On the other hand

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What is a goodheadline?

A solution to too clever

[Play on words]: [Substantive info]

Innovation Incubation: A Look Inside the ChicagoSustainable Manufacturing Center

A Rising Trend: Green Elevator Initiatives Cooking With Gas: Loyola University Brews Up

Biodiesel

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What is a goodheadline?

SEO friendly: Key words

Matt Damon Speaks Out About Global Water Crisis

Vampire Face-Lifts Sound So Crazy They Might Actually Work

This May Be The Beginning Of A Mass Extinction

7 Ways Print Magazines Are Using Social Media to Engage

Readers

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#SEO fail

Great Cat Names for naming your cat or kitten

How to Determine the Weight of an OscarStatuette