Writing CopyHeadlines &

Captions

Writing

“There is a basic formula for writing captions: include a time element, identify the people and describe what is happening in the photograph.”

Cecelia Petschel, yearbook adviser, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., Inspire Magazine, Fall 2009

Developing the Story and Angle

• Photos make up 70 to 80 percent of the yearbook’s content but without the names and stories behind the photos, the reader is left with many questions.

• Headlines, copy and captions complete and verify the stories in the photos.

• Great copy can turn an ordinary yearbook into an extraordinary collection of memories that will keep the reader wanting more

Attributes of Good Copy

• Tells all sides of the story.

• Does not include personal opinions.

• Uses active voice.

• Written in past tense.

• Includes quotes from real people.

The Topic Begin with a topic and assignment

• Good yearbook copy tells people something they don’t already know. It uses anecdotes that show the life, humor and fun of school.

• Writing copy that is both informative and interesting is a big task. How can teachers break a topic down into bite-size pieces that will help students become successful journalists and writers?

• It starts with the assignment. The editor, writer and photographer assigned to the topic need to work together to create an angle that will determine how the topic will be covered.

Collecting Information

Guidelines to assist in gathering useful, substantive and colorful data:

• Be interested.• Don’t ask yes or no questions.• Look for good quotes.• Find out the details.• Get the stories — not just the names of the people

involved.

Finding an angle

• The angle is the overall approach to a story, as opposed to a one-sentence statement.

• It remains consistent throughout a story.

• Strong angles can only be used for one year because they are specific.

• Stories have many potential angles – the challenge is finding the most interesting one.

• All components of a spread are employed to reveal details around a common theme or angle.

Before the Interview• Determine who would be the best person or people to

interview for the topic.

• Think outside the box and interview people who would provide a new perspective on the topic.

• Get some information about the person or topic you are going to interview…who why, what, where, when, how.

• Learn information that is already known and determine what people would want to know more about.

• Research the latest information about the topic.

Before the Interview

• Conduct the interview face-to-face so you can comment on non-verbal gestures as well as follow-up questions.

• Let the interviewee know the subject of the interview so the person can come prepared with any additional relevant information.

• The first set of questions should be easy to allow you and the interviewee to become comfortable with each other. This is a good time to clarify names, dates and places.

Before the Interview

• The next set of questions should take you back to the moment. They should not be yes or no questions. They should be open-ended and may start with, “Tell me about…”

• Prepare for a conversation, not a firing squad of questions.

• Practice listening, looking, and note-taking with a friend or family member.

During the Interview

• Dress appropriately for the person you are interviewing.

• Thank the interviewee for his or her time right away.

• Gather facts, non-verbal details and quotes.

• If you are trying to quote and the response was too fast, ask for a moment to get all of the information down.

• Ask follow-up questions like, “Tell me more about…” and “Why did you say…?”

During the Interview

• Take note of non-verbal gestures throughout the conversation (shrugs, smiles, etc.).

• Mark important information as you gather it, so that it stands out when you go over your notes.

• When finished, thank him or her for the time again and leave the door open for a quick follow-up phone call.

After the Interview• Begin your writing process as soon after the interview

as you can.

• Rewrite or type up your notes so that they are organized and easily understood.

• Confirm information previously gathered.

• Eliminate any opinions and adjectives and only record the facts about the non-verbal gestures.

• Jot down any follow-up questions you may have. Save everything.

Interview QuestionsClosed-ended questionsExample: “Have you enjoyed being in band?”

• Can be used to gather basic facts.

• Can be answered with one or two words, or yes/no.

• Do not spark a conversation alone.

• Should be followed by an open-ended question.

Interview QuestionsOpen-ended questionsExample: “What have you most enjoyed about being in the band?

Why?

• Can’t be answered with a yes or no, or a single word.

• Asks the interviewee to think about the topic or event.

• May have different responses, depending on who is answering the questions.

• Invite the person you are interviewing to tell the story in their own words. Allow the respondent to tell you their story by not leading them into the answer you want to hear.

Writing Effective Copy

• Good copy begins with a powerful lead.

• If your reader is not interested in the first five words of your copy, they will turn the page. The lead should grab the readers and draw them into the story.

Writing the Lead

• It’s the “Wow, I didn’t know that” aspect of the story.

• The first paragraph – the lead – summarizes the activity or event in less than 30 words.

• It should create a unity to the story that threads throughout the body and is confirmed in the conclusion.

• Lead with a quote that exemplifies the topic, person or event.

Writing the Lead

• Support the quote with facts and additional quotes.

• Express the information in a creative, interesting way.

• Tell who, what, when, why, where and how.

• Following the lead, the writer needs a “nut graph,” a paragraph that tells the reader what the story is about and provides

Types of Leads • Descriptive lead: Begins with a very visual description

that paints a word picture. Example:

“Bursts of color – red, blue, green and orange – covered enthusiastic players in the annual paintball tournament…”

• Astonisher lead: Begins with a statement that shocks or startles the reader. Example:

"Janna Peters followed her supporters’ instructions and 'broke her leg' in this spring’s production of Music Man…"

Types of Leads • Background lead: Includes circumstances or a brief

history that helps establish the topic in a specific context.

Example:

"The new Dickinson High foot bridge is part of an historic preservation project that began in 2008…“

• Exclamatory lead: Begins with an enthusiastic statement that declares “Big News!” (But remember,

journalistic writers don’t use exclamation points.) Example:

"When the winners of the national talent search were announced last fall, senior Brian Delaney’s name was called.“

Types of Leads • Quotation lead: Begins with a direct quote from

someone involved in the story. Example:“I was impressed with how well students were prepared for the interview,” said State Senator, Robert Smith.“

• Question lead: Begins with a provocative question that will evoke a desire to know the answer. Example:"Have you ever wondered how many Richardson High juniors could fit into a 2009 Volkswagen?"

Copy Should Show not Tell• To write engaging copy you must bring the event to the

readers. This is accomplished by writing that paints a vivid word picture for the readers.

• Review the following tips:

– Lead the story with a specific, vivid moment – Make the first word a person’s name– Explain the setting of the story clearly– Be very specific with significant details, rather than

presenting general, obvious facts– Include quotes that help tell the story, versus

restating dull facts

Copywriting Best Practices• Cover all perspectives of the story.

• Expand upon the “promise of the lead” by providing the facts, quotes and details that the reader wants to know.

• Be factual as in a news story.

• Provide a personality sketch or personal experience.

• Provide information that helps the reader see, smell, hear, taste, feel what is occurring.

Copywriting Best Practices

• Be truthful, fair, honest and unbiased.

– Know the people you are interviewing by observing them throughout the day.

– Avoid subjective adjectives and adverbs.

– Use precise words that paint pictures for your reader.

Copywriting Style

• Use clear, concise sentences and short paragraphs.

• Use words that the audience will understand and that best express your ideas.

• Use precise, specific language instead of general descriptors.

• Use third-person and active voice.

Copywriting Style• Verbs must be specific, active and stand without

support of adverbs.

• Use concrete nouns and verbs.

• Use specific language (e.g., use “Doberman” versus “black dog”).

• Use active voice and strong verbs.

• Incorporate quotes to move the story forward.

Quotes and Sources

• Include multiple sources for each story.

• Triple-check quotes and names for accuracy.

• Make sure you’ve talked to all sources.

• Be aware of your sources’ biases.

Quotes and Sources

• Be aware of your own prejudices.

• Listen for quotable statements and other angles.

• Get more information than you could possibly use.

What Makes a Good Quote?

•Something that not everyone can say.

•May come from follow-up questions, as

opposed to initial questions.

•Some interview quotes may need to

be paraphrased.

Details Enhance Story

Details for Sports-Activities

• Team and individual statistics • Attendance at games and performances• Practice hours• Miles on a bus• Varieties of dance steps• Numbers and types of instruments• Expenditures on buses, equipment and programs

Details Continued

Details for Academics

• Class enrollment • Study spots • Number of words used in writing assignments• Number of pounds the average backpack weighs• Comparative statistics for student-to-teacher ratios• Numbers of math problems solved per week in

specific courses

Details Continued

Detail Examples for Student Life• iPod ownership or number of songs on it• Shoe styles or hairstyles• Food consumption• Food prices• Food items on a plate or in a bag lunch• Variety of slogans on T-shirts• Colors/models of cars in parking lots• Buttons on clothes • Who had the most bracelets, most earrings, most

nose rings and most tattoos• Bizarre or novel trends in your community

Transitions• Transitions help the reader move smoothly from one

thought to another throughout the story.

• Transitions can be created by repeating pronouns or key words, and by using linking words. Pronouns

• The repetition of the pronoun “he” pulls the reader through this passage: “He walked the walk. He talked the talk. He made everyone believe he was a cowboy.”

• Key words The repetition of the key word in a paragraph emphasizes the main idea and moves the reader forward.

Endings• Quotes – Direct quotes provide an excellent ending to

any story." I don’t care how tired I was,” Michelle Long said. “I made friends and the float I worked on took second place. No one can take that away from me.”

• Climax – The writer stops when the outcome of the story is clear." Nose-to-nose with Jerry, Max at the last second makes that final stretch across the finish line for his third straight victory.”

• Stinger – Jolts and startles the reader because the story sets the reader up for the unexpected conclusion. “Sweat, hard work and excruciating pain never ever felt so good.”

Endings

• Endings are Important. Students can write great stories but often have no idea how to end them.

• As a result they write a conclusion like “Just say no.” Conclusions are editorial. They tell the reader what to think, rather than letting the reader decide.

• The ending is more than a summary of the main points made in the body copy.

• Consider circling around to bring the reader back to the beginning.

Journalism Rules

• Journalism is a specific approach to writing. It follows the Associated Press rules of grammar and style, adhering to brevity and simplicity.

• Review the Rules in the Resources Section.

Captions

Captions: Copy Everyone Reads

• Captions are our most-read copy, but don’t get the effort they should. Think of them as an opportunity to tell the story.

• A real caption should be included on every action

photo.

Captions• Captions must be researched as carefully as the

stories.

• The student in charge of writing the caption should interview the people in the photo to learn what was going on, what happened before or after the photo was taken, and what was the result of the action.

• The writer should find factual details that help tell the story. Interesting quotes are also good to include.

Parts of a Caption•Caption headline: Usually a clever tie-in to the

photo.

•Sentence 1: Names all involved people and detailsthe action/reaction. Written in present tense.

•Sentence 2: Background information that is notgeneral. Written in past tense.

•Sentence 3: Meaningful quote.

Caption Writing Rules

• The action that is captured in the photo is present tense. Change to past tense for the rest of the caption.

• Avoid “to be” verbs. Use colorful, descriptive verbs instead.

• Use complete sentences unless the captions are strictly for identification on student portraits. Multi-sentence captions add to the information and allow for quotes from those involved.

• Identify people appropriately. If the photo depicts action at a football game, identify the player’s position.

Caption Writing Rules•Begin with interesting and engaging words.

•Write concisely. Teach students to edit captions as they would a story. They should include specific information, rather than broad general statements.

•Add to the story told in the copy rather than repeating it.

•Identify the main players in the photo. In an action shot of five or fewer people, identify everyone.

Caption Design & Consistency

• Each section should have a specific caption design for group pictures and one for candid photos. The staff should make design decisions regarding the typography of the captions as well as the content.

• Group picture identifications should be consistent.

• Identify people by rows – front to back. Put the name of each group first, followed by row designation in italics or boldface.

Caption Design & Consistency

• Each section should have a typographical lead-in to capture the reader’s attention. Consider a boldface phrase, an initial letter or drop cap. Each section can have its own style.

• Captions should be the same size and font throughout the book. Yearbook captions are generally smaller than the body copy. For example, if body copy is 10 point Times, captions might be eight point Times Bold.

Captions as Photo Stories•Since captions are

generally the first and

most-read copy, many

schools are shortening

the body copy and

lengthening the captions to

Photo Stories.

•The photo stories include

added detail of the people in

the photo and quotes

Captions Don'ts

• Don’t restate the obvious or repeat information that is already in the story.

• Never make up information.

• Don’t editorialize.

• Don’t use first- or second-person, unless it’s “I," “we” or “you” used in a quote.

• Don’t use “our” or “your.”

Captions Don'ts

• Never write gag captions. Gag captions are poor attempts at being humorous, and often can be libelous.

• Avoid beginning with “a,” “an” or “the.”

• Avoid “to be” verbs.

• Don’t show words coming from people’s heads or their mouths.

• Don’t say that someone is doing something as someone looks on.

Headlines

Main headlines and subheads•The main story on each spread should have

both a main headline and a subhead, also called a secondary headline. The main headline doesn’t have to contain a verb, especially if it features a clever twist.

•The subhead should contain a verb and should be similar to a one-sentence story summary, but should not end with a period. The secondary headline should not repeat words or ideas from the main headline, because the goal is to convey two distinctive viewpoints.

Headline Style

• Headlines are an extremely important part of writing. They help create a design for the section, tell readers what the story is about and entice readers to read the story.

• Main headlines should be three words or more, but not complete sentences.

• Use action-packed verbs.• Emphasize the positive.• Replace and with a comma unless it doesn’t make

sense or hurts the rhythm.

• Eliminate unnecessary words.

Headline Style • Use single quote marks instead of double quote marks.

• Use “a,” “an” and “the” in main headlines.• Use only well known abbreviations and acronyms.

• Keep parts of verbs together on the same line.

• Keep preposition and object on the same line.

• Subheads should include a subject and a predicate.

• Use numerals for numbers 10 and spell numbers that begin sentences.

Headline Voice

• Use present tense and active voice.

• Use future tense when referring to events that will happen in the future.

• Brainstorm eye- and ear-catching words that relate to the story.

• Intrigue the reader with a play on words.

Avoid in Headline Writing

• Repeating words or their roots from the main headline to the subhead.

• Using past tense.

• Using names of individuals, organizations, teams or the word “student.”

• Using periods.

• Hyphenating words or phrases at the end of the line.

• Crossing the page gutter with any type.

Avoid in Headline Writing

• Using abbreviated words.

• Splitting verb phrases in a headline of two or more lines.

• Splitting a preposition from its object or an adjective from the word it modifies Including the name of the school, the mascot, the team, the class or the club

• Using “a,” “an,” or “the” in subheads.

• Using hyphenated words from line to line.

• Using “label” heads of two or three words that simply label the page’s content.

• Including the writer’s opinion, unless the headlines are for opinion articles.

Review the AP Style Guidelines in the Resources section.

Associated Press Style