Every journalist and editor knows that headlines are critical in determining how many people will read a piece online, and how long they will continue to engage with it. In the social media era, it is vital to establish good principles and practices for headline writing – practices that recognise the importance of adaptation across platforms and devices.

The phenomenon of ‘clickbait’ has also taught us that misleading headlines, or headlines that fail to deliver on a promise risk driving away audiences and erode trust in our brands. How do we craft a headline that ensures maximum impact while respecting our audiences and avoiding the kind of sensationalism that drives our readers to ‘unlike’, ‘unfollow’, or ‘pile on’?

This two-day course led by international digital media trainer and strategist Julie Posetti will explain what makes a good headline for the various digital media platforms, how to craft it to be clickable, readable and engaging on any size screen the readers chooses. Participants will learn about the common pitfalls to avoid, along with practical tips drawing on successful case studies. 

It will also consider the different approaches required across platforms: What does a best practice ‘call to action’ look like on Facebook? How can you ‘pack a punch’ in 140 characters on Twitter? And how many hashtags should you jam into an Instagram headline? Additionally, you will learn about role of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and the differences between a social headline and an SEO headline.

You will get hands on experience in this course, crafting headlines for a range of content across platforms inspired by international best practice examples.

Download workshop brochure here