Use strong verbs

It is essential that your headline includes at least one verb. A headline without a verb reads like a label.

Examples of headlines without verbs

• Stars at awards ceremony
• Expectations from U.S. Presidential news conference
• Row over electricity firms’ profits and prices
• Music in a modern setting

By contrast, verbs inject a sense of action into a headline.

Examples of headlines with verbs

• YouTube drops paywall as streaming war heats up
• U.S. to roll back regulations on methane
• Democratic candidates gripe as debates winnow field

Try to avoid weak verbs, which convey no sense of specific, visible action — like “do” or “get”. Instead, use strong, active verbs that make headlines sparkle — like “grab,” “grasp,” “hit,” “wreck,” etc.

Examples of headlines with weak verbs

• Government may move to stem price rises
• Candidates make final local election plans
• Plane makes forced landing at airport
• Opposition leader calls on crowds to stop violence

Examples of headlines with strong verbs

• Critics launch legal challenge of prorogation
• RBC hikes outlook as quarter tops forecasts
• Trump tightens citizenship rules for military children