Getting better at writing article headlines

[larryMoney]

A friend of mine is studying journalism, creative writing (something along those lines) and mentioned something to me in passing I thought was interesting. (Foreword, I am neither a writer nor a journalist)

Much of reporting these days happens on Twitter, where you have a limited amount of space to gain interest, sharing articles on social media, you really need that catchy headline that balances between captivating, and click-bait.

I found an article you can read here about a teacher who uses caption contests I though was extremely interesting.https://hbr.org/2015/07/how-a-cartoon-caption-contest-can-make-you-a-better-writer

Caption contests have been around forever, but personally I always enjoyed them and the spark of creativity they create when you're trying to be witty. Further more, I found a mobile app (I think it's new) called TinnBin which I have been using for a couple weeks now.

I sent both the article and the TinnBin app to my friend, and she thought this was a fantastic way to help train her write short, engaging sentences, as well as practice taking context from something such as a photograph, and putting a twist on it. She has also been taking a crack at the popular New Yorker caption contest they run weekly.

I'd like to know what others think of caption contests. Does submitting to the New Yorker and using an app like TinnBin provide not only fun entertainment, but also valuable experience in honing your writing skills?

[Ethan M]

Using numbers in your headlines ( like in listicles) and using interrogatory words like Why, What, Who etc are a few tricks that I know about coming up with great headlines. But Picture caption contest is actually a cool and unique way to develop headline writing skills.  

[larryMoney]

Thanks Ethan, I thought I was on to something. 

Edited March 23, 2016 by larryMoney