Hed First

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, July 1, 1999 by Lorraine Calvacca

What's in a name? Often, it can make the difference between an article that gets skipped or scoped. Here's how to give that story the grabby headline it's entitled to.

think of the headline as a door or a window to a story. Picture it as the crowning jewel in a well-packaged presentation. But think of it, say those whose job it is to tempt an audience onward, as the first chance to make the reader feel invited.

People are busier than ever, and their attention is increasingly in demand. No matter how brilliantly written a feature may be, it is unlikely to draw a reader in solely on the merits of its sterling prose. "Readers don't have to do anything unless they're enticed," says Abe Peck, associate dean and chair of the magazine program, Medill School of Journalism. "A headline is a main way to convince them. It's a vital part of the display package."

If anyone needs evidence, Peck cites the "Eyes on the News" study by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida. It showed that, contrary to popular belief, readers skipped around the page, guided by photographs and headlines, and read in detail only about half of what they scanned.

A number of editors believe headlines are becoming even more important as information overload escalates. Stephen Fried, Philadelphia editor in chief, says his sense is that magazines are becoming more deliberate and thoughtful in their titling efforts, and that those headlines are created increasingly by committee.

Craig Cox, managing editor at Utne Reader, has a similar feeling. "I'm seeing better headlines in the alternative press. My sense is that there's more brainstorming going on. You can do a decent headline sitting alone at your desk," he says. But a consistent level of quality you get only by collective effort."

Everyone's entitled

While the majority of assigning editors say they enjoy having the sole responsibility for generating display copy, others say it is a mistake not to mine the ideas of other staffers regularly.

Although some people may have more of a knack, a number of editors feel that headline writing is a craft that can be cultivated, and not a divine gift of the chosen few. "I learned a lot at Manhattan Inc.," says Bloom berg Personal Finance executive editor Christine Miles. An editor there, she says, helped sharpen her focus. "She'd say 'Where's the fun?

Where's the key word? How are you grabbing the reader?'"

Caren Weiner Campbell, a former senior associate editor at Entertainment Weekly, also recalls an editor there as "a great teacher. He could explain what he was after and he gave me the structure."

Involving more people, says consultant Ann Wylie, is certain to yield stronger display copy that might not have been otherwise available. "The best headlines are written in a group," says the Kansas City, Missouri-based president of Wylie Communications, an editorial consultancy firm. "I'm at a disadvantage because I work alone."

One client, she notes, holds headline meetings and sets up a chart so people can contribute even after it's over. "It's a really good idea to keep the invitation open," she adds.

Campbell suggests that people who tend to censor or denigrate their ability need to relax. "You may be better at it than you think," she says. Managers can get the best from their staffers by encouraging them to participate in a nonjudgmental environment.

Not everyone likes the idea of collective, formal meetings, but many are open to brainstorming informally with one or two colleagues when blocked. "Brainstorming leads to better ideas," says Campbell. "Saying it out loud may yield something that could not have been gotten to without that process."

Creative suggestions

There's no doubt that the continual demand to generate catchy and compelling headlines that help sell stories can be an energy drain. "It's difficult to come up with new ideas every month," says ABA Journal copy editor Sally Fuller. But, as Utne Reader's Cox says in his suggested deck for this story, "great headline writing doesn't have to be a pain, but it is a process." As part of that process, here's what some editors suggest:

* STEP AWAY FROM THE STORY

Ask yourself to identify the story's important points. Think about three or four different aspects of the article, suggests Mary Makarushka, managing editor, Bloomberg Personal Finance. "Then run though every image and cliche. Don't try to write what someone else would have written."

* AVOID OVERUSING LABEL HEDS

Many trade magazines, says Wylie, still use too many of these. The label hed is usually a straightforward, relatively long, full sentence. Patrick Clinton, editor of University Business and author of "Guide to Writing for the Business Press," gives this example from a trade title: "Sodium Ambient/Task Lighting System Cuts Energy Use." An examination of the story showed that key facts were left out of the hed. The story was not about sodium lighting in general, but about innovative custom fixtures. The system cut energy use by about half, a number, he says, worthy of attention. His rewrite: "Electric Lite," with the deck: "These custom sodium luminaires provide flexible task-lighting and help cut electrical use by half."