Read through the article completely to gain a thorough understanding of what the article is about before composing your headline. A headline is an extremely focused clip that should accurately describe to the reader the most important aspects of the story he is about to read, so you will need to understand those aspects before you can create the perfect headline.
Use the present tense to describe actions that took place in the past, as per the style of traditional newspaper headlines. When the verbs "to be" or "is" are to be used in the headline, imply these verbs instead of actually stating them to keep your headline concise. For example, instead of saying "Man is killed at a local bank" say "Man killed at local bank."
Incorporate strong action verbs, especially near the beginning of your headline. Strong action verbs will grab your readers' attention and present a good idea of what the story is about. Remember that most headlines have a subject, verb and object, and you should try to incorporate each piece if space allows it.
Avoid puns, jokes and witty language unless the article calls for that type of tone and voice. Five to 10 words often is not appropriate to try to make a funny joke to attract readers. Instead, stick to the facts and present a focused headline, saving the jokes and wit for during the article, if appropriate.
Refrain from labeling your story, which is often called "dead heading." Instead, use the headline to summarize the information in the article and entice your reader to want to learn more.