---
title: Creating high impact headlines
description: Creating high impact headlines
---

[The Colophon - Balfour Yearbooks Blog ](https://blog.balfour.com)

# [Creating high impact headlines](https://blog.balfour.com/creating-high-impact-headlines)

 Written by [Kel Lemons](https://blog.balfour.com/author/kel-lemons) | Dec 2, 2015 9:59:00 PM

**[  
David Ogilvy](https://www.ogilvy.com/)**, an advertising executive who was widely hailed as “The Father of Advertising, said, “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”

So, what does it take to write a compelling headline? To begin, learn the four basic functions of a headline:

1. To identify content
2. To relate something specific about the season, event, etc.
3. To capture the readers’ attention
4. To create a visual/verbal connection with the dominant photo(s) or element

A two to five-word headline cannot do it all. As a result, primary and secondary headlines need to be written. When creating the primary headline, consider the following literary techniques:

**ALLITERATION  
****Primed to perform  
***From warm-ups to practices to showtime of Cirque du Soleil’s ‘La Nouba’***  
**

**ANTONYM, SYNONYM, HOMONYM  
****Four the win  
***Cross Country takes fourth state championship***  
**

**ONOMATOPOEIA  
****Quack, quack, BANG  
***Hunters flock to lake on first day of duck season***  
**

**RHYME  
****Exam Cram  
***Three-day schedule replaces exam week***  
**

**PUN  
****Blood, Sweat & Cheers  
***Competitions, practices lead to weekend at Nationals***  
**

**ALLUSION  
****Differences, opinions & issues, Oh, my**!  
*Debate Team takes sides on domestic surveillance*

*

Visit our customer site at [studio.balfour.com](https://studio.balfour.com/login/) to order classroom sets of the headline handout for great examples of design as well as writing.*

[View full post](https://blog.balfour.com/creating-high-impact-headlines)

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