First Quarter Modules in Radio Broadcasting

67

Directions: Read and study the following important points about headlines
and some tips to help you create better heads in news articles for your radio
broadcast.

What’s New

Headline “sells” stories to readers, viewers and listeners through

attention grabbing lines. Furthermore, it attracts the listeners’

attention and leaves them want to know more on the information. Now

read the tips in writing headline in radio broadcasting

Tips for Writing Better Headlines

A good headline can stop listeners from switching off their radios

and get them to lean closer to hear more. Headlines work hard: with

just a few words, they hook listeners, hint at what’s coming up later on

the show, and provide just enough information to understand the

story.

Headlines should be both brief and jam-packed with facts. To help

with the difficult task of writing headlines, the International

Journalists Network (IJNET) has published a short guide that includes

the following pointers:

• Know your platform. Broadcast, print, web, and social media
  headlines have different tones and constraints.


• Know your audience. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes,
  then write the headline from a perspective they can relate to.


• Be straightforward. Headlines should tell the story and include
  the main ideas, not withhold them.


• Word choice matters. You can interest more people by using
  verbs in your writing headlines full of nouns and adjectives.


• Do not depend on context. Assume your potential readers have
  little to no knowledge about your article’s topic. Then ask yourself:
  would they be able to understand this headline?


• Grammar is important. Some special grammatical rules apply
  when writing headlines.
  Does your headline have TACT? Check for Taste, Attractiveness,
  Clarity, and Truth.
  Source: http://wire.farmradio.fm/en/resources/2017/09/tips-for-writing-better-
  headlines-16636)

What is a headline?