Headlines

TYPES OF HEADLINES

Each story on Call It Crime should come with 3 headlines:

2 for Youtube

1 for Facebook

The length of each headline should be 60 symbols maximum.

The headlines should be emotional but also include keywords.

WHAT ARE THE KEYWORDS?

Keywords are the most obvious associations with the case you cover. They include:

name of the victim, name of the killer, name of other person connected with the case, location or other specifics connected to the case, generic terms like true crime, caught on CCTV, missing persons etc.

For more information on choosing keywords, check our SEO basics guide.

HOW TO LOAD YOUR HEADLINES WITH EMOTIONS

1. Appeal to basic feelings and emotions:

• curiosity: Who is the murderer? What happened there? Who was the victim? Why did he kill her? Why the police didn’t stop them? How did they escape?

• enjoyment: This brave policeman makes me proud, This story is so inspiring, I’m happy that she escaped, I’m happy they arrested that criminal

• worry: I'm worrying if something terrible will happen, This sounds disturbing, This is touching my heart, I'm sorry for this, I care.

• anger: Why this happened?! Why did they let it happen?! How long will this take? This makes me mad! This is insulting!

Example:

Bed instead of altar - horrible findings in Warren Jeff’s cult - we worry because of horrible findings in the cult

it is good if you appeal to different emotions at the same time.

Example:

Girl Escaped Warren Jeff’s cult to Reveal Scary Truth - we’re happy as she escaped, but we still worry because of scary things happening in the cult

2. Turn on your creativity:

• use vibrant phrases, wordplay and idioms, metaphors, and create contrast by mentioning the opposites.

• use interesting quotes picked from the script

• mention impressive number

Examples of creative headlines:

Trucker Killed 50 People In His Torture Chamber on Wheels

50 People - an impressive number

Torture Chamber on Wheels - a metaphor

Evil Teenager Sentenced as Adult: Alyssa Bustamante Case

Teenager Sentenced as Adult - contrast

3. Use adjectives, adverbs, powerful verbs

• Put the headline in the present tense if the events are happening now.

  The headline should have a time element so it is clear when the event is taking place to the reader. If the event occurred in the recent past and is considered breaking news, for example, Austria Finds Up to 50 Bodies Thought to be Migrants in Truck, you can use the present tense.[14]

  You likely will not create a headline for an event that happened in the distant past, unless there are new developments in relation to the event. You can use the past tense or the present tense for the headline.

Example:

Robert Durst Murder Case Reopened in Light of New Evidence

or

Robert Durst Murder Case Reopens in Light of New Evidence.

• Whenever possible, remove articles like “an”, “a”, “the” and connecting terms like “because” or “due to” in the headline. These are considered padding in a headline and are not necessary to get the article's key points across.

Example:

The Robert Durst Murder case will be reopened because of new evidence

can be shortened to

Robert Durst Murder Case Reopens in Light of New Evidence.

• Action is a must. A good headline is driven by good action verbs, which are verbs that describe something a person does in a clear and convincing way. 

  Often, simple action verbs are more effective than complex action verbs.

Example:

Use - instead of utilize

Show - onstead of demonstrate or model 

• Prevent confusing your reader by sticking to action verbs that will appeal to the average reader and will not muddle the overall meaning of the headline. As well, you should never start a headline with a verb. The headline should begin with the subject of the article whenever possible.

  Avoid verbs like “think”, “believe” or “feel”, as these are not verbs based on fact or statements. The headline should use only factual evidence from the article and should not be based on emotion or uncertainty.

  An effective headline should also be written with logical sentence structure and a strong present tense verb. Using the active voice will make the headline feel immediate and draw your reader in. 

• Although for decades the golden standard of journalism has been the neutral and restrained language of the likes of NYT and BBC, the media landscape is evolving towards publishers with their own, distinct voices. Another important factor is our desire to drive traffic from Facebook, where restrained headlines don’t tend to perform too well.

  Key features:

  adverb+adjectives

  Adverb+powerful verb

  emotional addition – last phrase

  Here’s a list of adverb+adjective you can use with your headlines to make them colourful and more appealing to your audience: