Your landmark exposé on an important issue goes long and appears as a huge block of text, both on the front page and on the jump. You can make the layout more appealing to readers by breaking up the text with catchy and well-placed subtitles.
These appear every 7 to 12 paragraphs in a long story. They are just a few words typed in bold and describe what’s going to happen in the next section.
Lots of newspapers use subtitles effectively. One of my favorites is the Arizona Republic. I always make sure to buy a copy when flying through Phoenix. Their front-page Sunday editions usually carry a great front-page package on, say, an immigrant’s story or water rights in the surrounding desert region.
One technique is to write the subtitle about something that appears in the following graf. What I like about the AZ Republic is that they write the subtitle about something that appears in the second graf after the subtitle. I’ve even experienced myself reading farther into a story when this method is employed because the subtitle grabs me, but when I don’t see it in the next graf I keep reading and discover it in the following graf. So already I’ve read one graf father into the story than I would have otherwise. Then a few grafs later, when I’m thinking of giving up, whadaya know, there is another subtitle teasing the next bit of text.
One thing: I like a good formula (this blog wouldn’t exist without them), but make sure your subtitles don’t become too clichéd. Usually when I see a feature about an individual I end up seeing a version of about the same four or five subtitles that appear something like the following:
Humble beginnings
Overcoming obstacles
A star is born
New horizons
Then again, if this formula works, why not use it. Your readers likely won’t notice the formula … only that the story flows well.
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