CASE’s annual Editors Forum brings magazine editors together to swap best practices. At the 2024 program in April in Washington, D.C., U.S., Currents asked participants to share their top tips for writing headlines.
“I always look to—whether it’s the subject of the story or other faculty or alumni I speak to—what [did the person] say? More often than not, the final headline that we settle on is either verbatim or based on something that someone said to us. If you’re familiar with standup comedy, we very much look at it as a form of a callback.” —Andrew Husband, Senior Writer & Editor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.
“Be silly. Get some people in a room, throw some things around, try to make each other laugh. And a lot of times, really good ideas will come from the nonsense.” —Sean Ramsden, Editor, The Lawrentian, The Lawrenceville School, New Jersey, U.S.
“You’ve got to get up from your desk and walk around. And be open to changing the headline. That’s the other thing: People get locked in [on an idea].” —Theta Pavis, Associate Director of Publications and Strategic Projects, New Jersey Institute of Technology, U.S.