Completing Your Copy With Captions & Headlines 2023

COMPLETING YOUR COPY WITH CAPTIONS & HEADLINES

Copyright 2014 by Walsworth Yearbooks Reprint 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Published in the United States of America by Walsworth Inc., Marceline, Missouri Corporate Office: 306 North Kansas Ave., Marceline, MO 64658 800-265-6795 Yearbook Sales and Marketing Office: 7300 West 110th Street, Suite 600, Overland Park, KS 66210 800-369-2965 For more information about this curriculum guide or any other Walsworth products and services, visit walsworthyearbooks.com or call 800-972-4968. Acknowledgments Renee Burke, MJE, Media Promotions Manager, former journalism adviser and unit author Kristin Mateski, CJE, Vice President of Marketing and Communications Aimee Parsons, Yearbook Marketing Manager Sara Hunt, Lead Designer Zachary Field, Graphic Design Supervisor Evan Blackwell, CJE, Marketing Automation Supervisor Jenica Hallman, CJE, Copywriter Mike Taylor, CJE, National Accounts Manager and Journalism Specialist Sabrina Schmitz, CJE, Yearbook Sales Representative and Key Accounts Specialists Alex Blackwell Elizabeth Braden, CJE T. Edward “Blaze” Hayes Consultants Cheryl Franzmann, CJE, Walsworth Yearbooks Sales Representative Mary Czech Lisa Green Cover Photo by Brendan McDonald

Photo by Lillian Bittle

By Renee Burke, MJE Media Promotions Manager and Former Journalism Adviser COMPLETING YOUR COPY Yearbook Suite | Completing Your Copy with Captions & Headlines

WITH CAPTIONS & HEADLINES

Before anyone reads your well-crafted story on a yearbook spread, their eyes will be drawn to your headline and captions. Photos will draw their attention first, so it’s automatic that people will read the accompanying captions to learn more about the subjects and what they are doing. Cleverly written and well designed headlines will attract readers to a spread almost as much as the dominant photo. You may hear that students don’t read the copy in the yearbook. They will if you begin writing enticing headlines and informative captions. Improving your copy in these two areas will lead readers to want to learn more from the story. This unit will focus on how to write better captions and headlines, including practice to improve your skills. Your journey to writing great caption and headline copy that readers will enjoy starts now. In this unit, you will learn to: WRITE GREAT CAPTIONS USING THE ABCD FORMULA 2 WRITE INTRIGUING HEADLINES THAT ARE VIVID AND DESCRIPTIVE WHILE STAYING FACTUAL 10 COMPLETING YOUR COPY WITH CAPTIONS & HEADLINES

Yearbook Suite | Completing Your Copy with Captions & Headlines 1

Objective – In this lesson, I can: • Write quality, informational captions that identify people and events. • Write informative captions creatively so people will want to read them.

Each year when schools are planning coverage and how to best write a story, there are always yearbook staffs who say, “Why do we write body copy? No one reads it.” While it may be true that not everyone reads it immediately, people will read it when they are reminiscing or before a reunion. However, you cannot use that same defense against caption writing. Photos are the largest, most-seen graphics in the yearbook. If the photo has stopped the reader, they will read the caption to know the story. Captions are small bits of information given to the reader in digestible chunks. They tell the reader all the factual information they need to know about the photo. To make it more personal, they can include a quote from someone in the photo. All of the good rules you’ve been taught still ring true for caption writing. You still need to attend events, interview those involved and stick to the facts. Once you know the 5Ws and H – Who, What, When, Where, Why and How – captions write themselves.

Lesson 1 WRITING 2

GREAT CAPTIONS

WRITING A CAPTION IS AS EASY AS ABCD! A TTENTION GETTER An attention getter is like a mini headline. It’s a direct link from the caption to the photo it is describing. B ASIC INFO Basic information is a present-tense sentence telling who is in the photo (name up to seven people) and what they are doing. C OMPLEMENTARY INFO Complementary information is a past-tense sentence telling the reader something they cannot see from the photo itself, like how much money was raised in the fundraiser or who won the game. D IRECT QUOTE A direct quote should be a unique quote from someone in the photo discussing an aspect of the event in the photo. This should not just be dry facts. Get quotable quotes. How did the person FEEL?

TAKING AIM

All captions need to explain the who, what, when, where, why and how to put the reader in the moment the photo was taken. In this case, think about the information for a reader who does not know the game of water polo. A quote about what the player was thinking would be a nice touch as the last sentence.

Photo by Eva Zuniga

Yearbook Suite | Completing Your Copy with Captions & Headlines 3

KNOW THE DO’S DO • List three to five words that grab the reader’s attention and link the photo and caption together. • State the obvious in an unobvious way with the lead-in. • Include the five Ws and H. • Use a variety of adjectives and adverbs. • Be descriptive. • Use strong, visual specific nouns. • Consider the action before and during the photo and reaction to the event.

• Use colorful, lively, and visual action verbs. • Write in present tense, active voice (unless changing tenses to make it logical). • Be factual. • Use a variety of sentence patterns. • Identify all people in picture (up to seven).

• Use complete sentences. • Use first and last names.

FOR GROUP SHOTS

(TEAM PHOTOS OR CLUB GROUP PICTURES)

• Begin with name of group. • Identify from left to right, but don’t write that as part of the caption. • Give clear row designation in a different font than text. • (CHEERLEADING Front: Name Here, Name Here. Row 2: Name Here, Name Here. Back: Name Here, Name Here.).

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS 4

Photo by Parker Christenson

KNOW THE DON’TS DON’T

• Don’t state the obvious. • Don’t begin leads with names or overuse same lead pattern. • Don’t use label leads (example: basketball girls, swimmers, etc.). • Don’t use an excessive amount of –ing verbs. • Avoid “During” to begin your lead as it’s overused. • Don’t use “Pictured/Showed Above,” “Seems/Attempts to”. • Avoid using “to be” verbs. • Don’t use “gag” or joke captions. • Don’t insert opinions or question the action in the picture; you are telling the reader what happened, not conversing with him.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Identify both schools’ players and opponents by jersey number and name. • State position of the player(s). • Consider plays leading up to the action. • Tell the result or outcome. FOR SPORTS CAPTIONS

• Attend the event and know what you are writing about. • Write the caption as soon as possible after the picture was taken. • Identify everyone in the photo. • Describe what is happening in the exact moment of the photo. • Give your photo a time frame. • Avoid passive voice. • Don’t add unnecessary phrases such as “left to right” or “pictured above”.

• Check and recheck the spelling of the names and text. • NEVER make up information – it is journalistically wrong!

Yearbook Suite | Completing Your Copy with Captions & Headlines 5

ACTIVITY

Your Name:

WRITE THE CAPTIONS

Here are two photos with background information provided so you can write the caption. Remember your ABCDs. Write your caption on the lines provided.

CAPTION 1 – MUSICAL CHAIRS

CAPTION 2 – ACTOR

• Juniors Jessica Peterson (left) and Mary Lopez (right). • Participate in blindfolded musical chairs at the first pep rally of the year. • It was 97 degrees outside and two people suffered from heat exhaustion. • This was a competition between the classes. • Occurred on Sept. 6. • “I couldn’t see, so I sat really quickly on someone. When I looked, it was Mary [my best friend], so it was the perfect person to sit on. It just stunk I was still out,” Peterson said. • “The music ended so quickly. I just sat as quickly as I could. I thought it was so funny that Jessica ended up on my lap,” Lopez said. • The seniors won this event.

• Junior Clark Thornton plays a townsman who has an ailing back. • This was the drama department’s production of Anatomy of Gray. • The production ran Oct. 4, 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium (unnamed). • Debra Christopher, a former student, directed the play. • Program earned the troop four Critic’s Choice Awards and 10 Best in Show awards at the district competition. • “Being able to play a crazy man was so much fun,” Thornton said. • “Through staging, I get to see every actor almost as a unique chess piece, and it’s the director’s job to play the game with

the pieces and play it well,” Christopher said. • The setting was Gary, Indiana, in the 1800s.

CAPTION 1 - MUSICAL CHAIRS

CAPTION 2 - ACTOR

6

___ ___ Makes a creative caption/photo connection. (Attention getter) ___ ___ Present tense sentence identifies who (everyone in photo) and describes what is happening in each photo. (Basic info) ___ ___ Past tense sentence takes reader beyond moment of photos. (Complementary info) ___ ___ Quotes are interesting and not just facts. (Direct quote) ___ ___ Caption is factual. ___ ___ Avoids editorializing, school name, and terms like: this year, apparently, seemingly. ___ ___ Written in third person. (no you, us, we, our) ___ ___ In active, not passive, voice verb. ___ ___ Spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct. ___ ___ Doesn’t begin with name or -ing. ___ ___ Overall captions are positive and interesting. Now that you’ve written a few captions, swap with a peer. Evaluate and critique each other’s caption writing. See how much you remembered. 1 2 CAPTIONS CHECKLIST

CRITIQUE CAPTIONS

Take a newspaper section, magazine or go to an online news site. Find three photos with captions. Write down the captions and respond to the two items below.

CAPTION 1.

CAPTION 2.

CAPTION 3.

1. Critique the captions. How could each caption be improved? Is anything missing from the captions?

2. Rewrite the captions with the information provided in the current caption and/or the accompanying story. Remember to keep them factual.

Yearbook Suite | Completing Copy with Captions & Headlines 7

CAPTION EVALUATION

Writer’s name:

5 = Outstanding 4 = Very good 3 = Acceptable 2 = Not acceptable 1 = Not completed

Date due:

Section of yearbook:

Page number(s)

Subject of story:

Self Evaluation Date:

Section/Copy Editor Review Date:

Due date for edits:

EIC Review Date:

Due Date for Edits:

Adviser Review Date:

ABCD formula followed

Has Attention Getter

Attention Getter doesn’t repeat lead Lead has Basic Information Lead is in present tense Complementary info adds details not seen in the photo, before and after photo was taken Complementary info written in past tense

Direct quote provided

Quote adds emotion

Caption does not state the obvious 5 Ws and H are included

8

Self Evaluation Date:

Section/Copy Editor Review Date:

Due date for edits:

EIC Review Date:

Due Date for Edits:

Adviser Review Date:

Grammar, punctuation and spelling are correct All people correctly identified up to seven

Nouns are descriptive

Active verbs are used

Verbs like “tries to” that don’t tell the result of the action are avoided

No editorializing

Caption is informative and interesting

Evaluated by Writer:

Total score:

Evaluated by Section/Copy Editor:

Total score:

Evaluated by EIC:

Total score:

Evaluated by Adviser:

Total score:

SCORE Lesson 1 RATE YOUR PROGRESS

4.0 3.0

I can do all tasks in 3.0 and I can teach others! I can demonstrate an ability to write an effective caption that includes all four parts. I can… a. select and integrate relevant facts and concrete details into clear and coherent sentences that tell the story of the picture. b. use sensory language and details to create lively, colorful sentences that engage the reader and communicate the message of the picture. c. acquire a story-telling quote that enhances the message of the caption and conveys emotion. I can demonstrate a command of the conventions and mechanics of standard English and can apply this understanding to writing concise and complete story-telling captions. I don’t understand the purpose of a caption or the parts of an effective caption.

2.0 1.0

Yearbook Suite | Completing Your Copy with Captions & Headlines 9

Objective – In this lesson, I can: • Write factual headlines that do not editorialize. • Write creative headlines that will make people want to look at the spread and read the story.

Photo by Caroline Schlieker

You know that story you worked tirelessly on to make sure it was just perfect? Remember how many edits you made? Want someone to just skip right past it? Probably not. You need a headline that grabs the reader’s attention. It should be creative, catchy, visual, understandable and powerful. You want the “wow factor” on each one.

Lesson 2 WRITING INTRIGUING HEADLINES 10

TO GET STARTED, REMEMBER:

Headlines help draw the reader into your spread. They grab a reader’s attention and make them want to stop and read your story. Headlines work with the dominant photo and the story, not the entire spread’s focus. Be creative but unique to the year you are writing about. The headline shouldn’t be so general you could use it any time.

TEAM SEEKS STATE TITLE TEAM RUNS TOWARD STATE TITLE

OK

GUIDELINES TO GET YOU STARTED • Make sure the headline tells the story. • Be positive; focus on what happened, not what didn’t (but avoid opinion). • Be descriptive, but brief. • Use strong, visual- specific nouns. • Use visual action verbs. • Write in present tense, active voice. • Try to have a subject, verb and direct object, but not prepositional phrases, which often make headlines too long.

NOT OK

Spend time brainstorming, just like you do for the actual copy: Is there a clever play on words you can use? • OLE MIStake – Story about the Gators loss to Ole Miss in an error-filled game • EYE have amoeba – Story about a student who got amoeba in her eye from swimming in a lake and had to have it treated Alliteration? • Students spent Saturday saving school – Story about club members who spend a Saturday cleaning up campus after a storm Quote? • ‘Pray for rain’ – Story about players who practice in 100-degree August heat and want afternoon relief from the rain – taken from player quote Yearbook Suite | Completing Copy with Captions & Headlines 11

Photo by Calissa Bunn

TRY TO AVOID

• Articles: a, an, the • Names unless they’re really well known • Label leads (example: Girls soccer earns title – it’s the girls soccer page, obviously you aren’t writing about the football team on this spread.) • Past tense, since headlines are what the story IS about • Repetition of words, especially key words • Beginning with a verb – it usually sounds like a command • Asking questions – headlines provide information about the story’s content • Periods – they stop a

reader. A headline is meant to pull people into the story quickly.

• Omit forms of the verb be – write in active voice

12

HEADLINE TYPES: Other types of headline styles include kickers, slammers and hammers.

KICKER – A kicker headline has a word or phrase that labels the topic and leads into the main headline. The items leading the reader in are usually smaller in font size and weight. They’re back in the spotlight JELLY SHOES STEP INTO FASHION WEEK

HAMMER – A hammer headline is the opposite of a kicker. It uses a bold phrase or word to catch the reader’s attention, then adds more information below. JELLIN’ Twenty years after their debut, plastic shoes are fashionable again

SLAMMER – A slammer headline uses a boldface word or phrase that leads the reader into a contrasting main headline. There is usually a colon after the initial words. JELLY SHOES: STEP INTO FASHION WEEK

Yearbook Suite | Completing Your Copy with Captions & Headlines 13

ACTIVITY

Your Name:

FIND HEADLINE EXAMPLES Look through the daily newspaper or a magazine. Find a good example of a headline with each of the following:

HAS A SUBJECT, VERB, DIRECT OBJECT A CLEVER PLAY ON WORDS ALLITERATION QUOTE

Paste these below or on to a sheet of paper and add to an idea file to keep for future inspiration.

14

CRITIQUE HEADLINES Wait, what did that just say? Yep, these really happened. These are real headlines found in a variety of newspapers or ads. What’s wrong with them?

1. WE GIVE OUR PATIENTS H1N1 2. POLICE BEGIN CAMPAIGN TO RUN DOWN JAYWALKERS 3. TWO SISTERS REUNITED AFTER 18 YEARS IN CHECKOUT COUNTER 4. KIDS MAKE NUTRITIOUS SNACKS 5. NEVER WITHHOLD INFECTION FROM LOVED ONE 6. RED TAPE HOLDS UP NEW BRIDGE 7. BAN ON SOLICITING DEAD IN TROTWOOD

8. LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS CUT IN HALF 9. DEAF COLLEGE OPENS DOORS TO HEARING 10. PROSECUTOR RELEASES PROBE INTO UNDERSHERIFF I CAN WRITE IT BETTER Critique each of the following. What error did the writer make that should be avoided for a better headline?

1. CALENDAR ANNOUNCED BY SGA FOR HOMECOMING ACTIVITIES 2. ENGLISH TEACHERS INCORPORATE CHANGE IN LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM 3. WIN STATE TITLE 4. BRAVES DEFEATED CONFERENCE RIVAL 5. THE SGA COLLECTED 2500 POUNDS OF CANNED GOODS

6. THOMPSON LEADS TEAM TO VICTORY 7. BOYS BASKETBALL BEATS OPPONENTS 8. GRIDMEN DEFEAT OPPONENTS EASILY 9. CO-CAPTAINS GUIDE THE TEAM TO WINS 10. CAN YOU USE ALL THE NEW TECHNOLOGY?

Yearbook Suite | Completing Copy with Captions & Headlines 15

HEADLINE EVALUATION

Writer’s name:

5 = Outstanding 4 = Very good 3 = Acceptable 2 = Not acceptable 1 = Not completed

Date due:

Section of yearbook:

Page number(s)

Subject of story:

Self Evaluation Date:

Section/Copy Editor Review Date:

Due date for edits:

EIC Review Date:

Due Date for Edits:

Adviser Review Date:

Headline attracts attention and interest through content, design and typography Headline is in present tense Headline ties spread

content together Tone or mood of spread is reflected

Editorializing is avoided

A positive approach is taken Specific information is given Headline is not a label or topic Descriptive nouns and active verbs are used Adjectives used sparingly Headline is not a restatement of the lead

16

Self Evaluation Date:

Section/Copy Editor Review Date:

Due date for edits:

EIC Review Date:

Due Date for Edits:

Adviser Review Date:

The obvious is not stated Words like “students” or “seniors” are not repeated or overused Abbreviations are known to all readers

No period at the end

Content and placement lead reader into story and dominant photo

Evaluated by Writer:

Total score:

Evaluated by Section/Copy Editor:

Total score:

Evaluated by EIC:

Total score:

Evaluated by Adviser:

Total score:

SCORE Lesson 2 RATE YOUR PROGRESS

4.0 3.0

I can do all tasks in 3.0 and I can teach others! I can demonstrate an ability to write a concise and effective headline that can be used in various styles and can convey the essence of the story. I can… a. use precise language and vocabulary to create a relatable and easily understandable headline. b. use sensory language and details to create lively, colorful phrases that engage the reader and communicate the message of the story. c. write positive headlines that are either derived from quotes or utilize alliteration or word-play. I understand the purpose of a headline to hook a reader, but I still struggle to understand the headline styles and how to communicate a complicated message in such a concise format. I don’t understand the purpose of a headline or how to write an effective headline.

2.0 1.0

Yearbook Suite | Completing Your Copy with Captions & Headlines 17

NOTES

18

Renee Burke , NBCT, MJE, is the Media Promotions Manager for Orange County Public Schools and the former award-winning yearbook and newspaper adviser at William R. Boone High School in Orlando, Florida. Renee was chosen as the 2015 Yearbook Adviser of the Year by the Journalism Education Association (JEA), as well as a 2014 Distinguished Adviser, 2012 Orange County Public Schools Teacher of the Year, 2011 Florida Scholastic Press Association Journalism Teacher of the Year and a 2011 Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) Gold Key recipient. She teaches at numerous national yearbook workshops. In her time advising, Boone publications earned numerous CSPA Crown awards and National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Pacemakers. MEET THE AUTHOR Yearbook Suite | Completing Your Copy with Captions & Headlines 19

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