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—Bite-sized advice for better business writing—

May 1, 2019

4 Tips for Creating Effective Headings

“A strong headline (and therefore a strong premise) is vital to getting readers to check you out in the first place. And solid subheads keep readers engaged, acting as 'mini headlines' to keep them moving through the rest of your content.”

— Pamela Wilson

Many business-writing situations call for headings—whether to announce the purpose of a memo or to identify sections in a larger document. Effective headings guide the reader through the main points. Follow these tips to maximize the impact of your headings.

1. Find a focus.

Structure subject lines, titles, and headings by naming the topic and providing a specific focus.

Topic + Focus = High-info heading

recycling policy + office wastepaper = Policy on Recycling Office Wastepaper

2. Avoid vague, general words.

Focus on precise wording, with strong verbs and specific nouns that clearly identify the topic. For example, instead of simply writing “Customers,” you might write, “Addressing Customer Complaints.”

Say-Nothing

Ideas
What Else?
The End

Clear and Precise

New Procedure
Next Steps
Retirement Options

3. Use parallel structure.

Headings should follow a consistent approach to content and design. For instance, in a memo about a software update, you might cast your headings as a series of questions: “Why Should I Upgrade Software?” “What Features Have Changed?” and “How Can I Learn More?” As another example, a more formal paper on environmental issues might contain headings such as, “Goal: Clean-Air Compliance,” “Problem: Toxic Emissions,” and “Solution: New Equipment.”

Inconsistent

A. Incident: Tangled Air Hose
B. Probable Causes
Recommendations: New Safety Measures

Consistent

A. Incident: Tangled Air Hose
B. Conclusions: Probable Causes
C. Recommendations: New Safety Measures

4. Use simple, attractive typography.

You can make your headings easy to find and understand through attractive typography and design.

Call attention to your headings by using a different typeface and a different type style, such as boldface or italics.
If the body of your text is in a serif font such as Times New Roman (like this), consider a sans serif font like Arial (like this) for headings.
Avoid ALL CAPS and exclamation points (CONCLUSION!). Both measures "scream" at readers.

Play the Editor!

Copy the following letter into a document and rewrite its vague and inconsistent headings. Read the surrounding text to help you with your revisions. (Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter to see our recommendations.)

---

Dear Anthony:

Please accept this Annual Progress Report concerning Hope Services’ Cultural Diversity Program for fiscal year 2018. The report features service statistics and outreach highlights for the year.

People

The following is client information for the households served by the Hope Services’ staff through the Cultural Diversity Program at the shelter:

178 people from underserved populations, including 102 children.
76 households served, 100 percent female-headed (36 African American, 10 Asian, 23 Hispanic, 7 Native American).
96 percent of households below the poverty level; 4 percent of households at low-income levels.

Highlights:

In addition to the previous statistics, here are two illustrations of our progress on cultural-diversity issues:

In January, Jasmine Michaels joined Hope Services to develop the Cultural Diversity Program, including (a) services for victims of sexual or domestic assault, and (b) community outreach to minority populations.
In April, representatives from the following organizations formed Project SART (Sexual Abuse Response Team): Hope Services, Reading Hospital, Berks County Attorney’s Office, Reading Police Department, and Penn State University.

3. Conclusion

As shown above, Hope Services (HS) continues to improve its services to underserved clients and communities in Watertown. Based on this information, we are confident in the following conclusions and projections.

Numbers indicate that HS is helping its target clientele (low-income households headed by women).
Hiring a cultural diversity specialist has given HS a strong presence in the community.
In the coming year, HS will focus on strengthening its outreach to minority communities and increasing its training of staff and volunteers in cultural-diversity issues.

Thank you for supporting our work with underserved populations through Hope Services. If you need additional information, please contact me at mdrummond@HopeServices.org.

Sincerely,

Melissa S. Drummond

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