A great headline, like an engaging and juicy book cover, is captivating. It makes me want to find a comfy couch and read the story. It's also the equivalent of a sentence hook. Advertisers, media writers and broadcast journalists use this technique all the time because it works. Unless it doesn't.
This week I found a headline in the Standard-Examiner that startled me, then confused me. It said, 'Inmate charged in 7-year-old rape'. What worked? It got my attention. What didn't work? It wasn't clear. Did he rape a 7-year-old child or is the case 7-years old? Turns out the case is that old. The Deseret News did a better job. They wrote, 'Inmate charged in rape case from 7 years ago.'
On the other hand, I found some comical headlines that made me laugh. The one I liked the best said, 'Alabama state officials defend Moore, citing Joseph and Mary; 'They became parents of Jesus'. The seriousness of the article wasn't so funny. The article alleges "...that GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore had initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl decades ago, saying there was an age gap between the biblical Joseph and Mary”, therefore, justifying his actions. State officials dismissed the case.
This week I found a headline in the Standard-Examiner that startled me, then confused me. It said, 'Inmate charged in 7-year-old rape'. What worked? It got my attention. What didn't work? It wasn't clear. Did he rape a 7-year-old child or is the case 7-years old? Turns out the case is that old. The Deseret News did a better job. They wrote, 'Inmate charged in rape case from 7 years ago.'
On the other hand, I found some comical headlines that made me laugh. The one I liked the best said, 'Alabama state officials defend Moore, citing Joseph and Mary; 'They became parents of Jesus'. The seriousness of the article wasn't so funny. The article alleges "...that GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore had initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl decades ago, saying there was an age gap between the biblical Joseph and Mary”, therefore, justifying his actions. State officials dismissed the case.
It takes more than a catchy phrase to sell a newspaper. Accuracy, concise and clear facts are critical. But, you have to admit some headline bloopers are disastrously funny.
I agree with you on the 7-year-old rape. I would have thought the same thing about a poor 7-year-old. Wording in headlines is important. It would have had me reading the same article to see what happened.
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I like that you found two headlines about the same story. This is a good example of the difference between a good and bad headline.
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