Question

Identify the suitable notice headline for the following:
A local hospital has put up a notice regarding the need of O-positive blood.
A. O-positive blood required
B. O-POSITIVE BLOOD REQUIRED
C. We need O-positive blood
D. Urgent!

Answer 1

Hint: The most important rule to follow while writing a headline is that it should be crisp and clear at the same time. It should convey the gist of the notice while it is short and should be able grab the attention of the reader.

Complete step by step answer:
Let’s look at each option to see which of them is fit to be a headline –
Option A – The headline may be crisp and gives an idea of what is to be said; however, there is proper use of upper-case letters and though it conveys the message, the rule is not followed. Hence this is not the right option.
Option B – This is the same as the above, but the usage of upper-case letters helps convey the immediate call to action. It has a sense of urgency to it given the topic, which will grab the attention of the reader and makes the reader go through the rest of the notice helping them with further details. This is the right option.
Option C – This headline is neither captivating nor is it giving out any sense of urgency. The ‘we need’ part gives away details that may make the headline unappealing and informal. Hence this is not the right option.
Option D – This option gives nothing to grab readers’ attention. Given the topic, the requirement of blood which always requires urgent action; this limited wordplay will not serve the purpose of the notice. The reader may not feel the urgency as the word suggests, they would rather move on than pay attention given that there is limited to no information provided in the headline. This is not the right option.

Thus, the correct option is B.

Note:
A headline should be long enough to grab the attention of the reader and short enough for them to want to read more. The ability to do this gives a headline an edge over other ones.