Most readers decide whether to continue within a second or two. A headline is the short title that sits above a news story, summarizing its main point and attracting attention.

Effective headlines are accurate, specific, and concise. They use strong verbs and avoid ambiguity that could mislead. In print, length is constrained by column width; online, headlines also serve search and social distribution, which has encouraged more conversational and keyword-aware wording.

Headline writing is a specialized skill. A misleading headline can undermine an otherwise careful story and draw corrections or reader anger. Newsrooms therefore treat headline accuracy as part of the same quality standard applied to the body text.

• Short title summarizing a news story
• Must be accurate as well as attention-getting
• Shaped by space and distribution platform
• Influences whether the audience reads further