In a world with so many stories, and so many places to consume them, headlines are first impressions. They can lead to deeper reading, watching or engagement — or turn someone off completely. No matter how good the reporting is, headlines can make or break a story. They may be the only chance you have to connect with an audience. There’s plenty of guidance on how to make a headline compelling (we recommend exploring these tips and these too), but when it comes to headlines with numbers, the challenge is also to create something that is concise, clear and with context. A missing attribution, unclear phrasing or one number too many can dissuade someone from clicking or watching your piece, or worse, leave them confused or misinformed.

In each section of this guide, we detail some headline do’s and don’ts specific to different reporting areas. But these are some best practices that apply no matter what your beat.

1) Ask yourself whether you need a number in the headline

DO THIS

“Inflation moderated in July but prices are still rising in America.”

DON’T DO THIS

“Israel posts 5.3% inflation rate in 2022.”

DO THIS

“America capped off an extraordinary year for job growth, adding 223,000 positions in December.”

DON’T DO THIS

“November Employment Report Shows U.S. Economy Added 263,000 Jobs.”

DISCUSSION

Headlines that simply report data aren’t usually helpful — as in the first example, which provides none of the information audiences would need to understand what an inflation rate of 5.3 percent means. As this example indicates, sometimes the numbers aren’t the story and the best way to convey why the numbers matter is not to use them at all.

In the second example, the numbers are the story. But focusing only on the numbers in the headline raises more questions than answers. For instance: Is the addition of 263,000 jobs to the U.S. economy a good thing, or a bad thing? Does this constitute “normal” or “abnormal” growth? When using numbers to illustrate a story, explain why, or be clear about what it shows. In this case, the numbers reflect an “extraordinary year for job growth.”

2) Be clear about the source

DO THIS

“Sleeping 5 Hours or Fewer Every Night Could Put You at Risk of Multiple Chronic Diseases: Study”

DON’T DO THIS

“Sleeping 5 Hours or Less Raises Risk of Multiple Chronic Diseases”

DISCUSSION

To help audiences think critically about health data, it’s important to let them know where this comes from. Even including a simple word like “study” (or a phrase like “study finds”) helps here, as it points toward the source of the information and provides insights into how it was produced.

3) Try to avoid using more than one number in a headline

DO THIS

“Argentina’s inflation rate at 95%, highest since 1991”

DON’T DO THIS

“Wholesale inflation was down 0.5% in December to 6.22% for 2022”

DISCUSSION

Be clear about which numbers are essential, and which aren’t. It may be tempting to include lots of numbers in news headlines, but this is a fast and easy way to confuse your audience. The headline in the second example provides an accurate figure, but gives readers no sense of what an inflation rate of 6.22% actually means (or whether a 0.5% decrease is good news or bad news). It is also jammed full of numbers. By contrast, the first example includes only one number, and while some may not understand what an inflation rate of 95% means, the inclusion of the phrase “highest since 1991” helps clarify it is significant in Argentina’s history.

4) Be clear about how the number was reached

DO THIS

“96% of Workers Will Be Job Hunting in 2023, New Monster Poll Shows.”

DON’T DO THIS

“96% of Workers Are Looking for a New Job in 2023.”

DO THIS

“Survey: 43% of Economists Say Inflation Hasn’t Yet Peaked.”

DON'T DO THIS

“Economists say there is a 61% likelihood for a Recession in 2023.”

DISCUSSION

When dealing with government data, specifying sources may not be essential. But when dealing with polls, economic research, and other sources, it is important to note where data comes from. Instead of “the data,” specify where this comes from (for example, “World Bank data”). Even something as simple as “poll shows” can make a world of difference, as this gives audiences a critical lens for interpreting data. For example, though readers in the second headline might find the 96% statistic alarming, knowing that the data comes from Monster.com (a site people visit specifically to find jobs) would alleviate this sense of surprise.

It’s worth noting here that a response from some does not mean a response from all.

The second example deals with an official survey of economists. Economists almost never speak with one voice, and frequently, they disagree about things – particularly when it comes to the likelihood of future economic scenarios. Recognizing this means refraining from headlines with phrases like “Economists say” or “Economists predict.” The first headline (“43% of Economists Say”) goes a long way toward helping audiences understand the source of the data — an official survey of economists.It also reinforces that experts can and do disagree about the meaning of past or present economic trends.

5) "Data" isn’t a person -- be explicit about who is interpreting it

DO THIS

“Biden Said the COVID-19 Pandemic is Over, Here’s What Experts Think”

DON’T DO THIS

“Joe Biden says the COVID-19 pandemic is over. This is what the data tells us”

DISCUSSION

It is fairly common in everyday conversation to hear things like “the medical research says [x]” or “the data tells us that [y].” But running articles with headlines like these is unhelpful, because they treat data as an unquestionable truth. Moreover, in saying “this is what the data tells us,” we’re assuming that “the data” can mean one and only one thing. Such headlines encourage passive acceptance of authority, instead of helping audiences think critically about data and the people who produce it and analyze it. That is why it’s important to be specific about who is making a claim, or where this comes from

Even a simple phrase like “Here’s What Experts Think” achieves this goal. Other options here include:

• Instead of “the data,” specify where this comes from (for example, “CDC data”)
• Instead of “the data,” try headlines with words like “analysis reveals”
• Instead of “the data,” use phrases like “researchers say”

6) Use numbers to tell a story – not as a substitute for a story.

DO THIS

“Clean Energy Investment Sets $1.1 Trillion Record, Matching Fossil Fuels For the First Time”

DON’T DO THIS

“Total Investment in Renewable Energy 2022 is $1380 Billion”

DISCUSSION

It’s worth remembering that the story often lies within the change or new discovery that a number represents, or how it changes our understanding of an issue — not the number itself. The first example places the $1.1 trillion figure in historical context, noting that this is a “record” that equals the amount invested in fossil fuels. Audiences then may sense that clean energy investments are increasing and may soon outpace investments in fossil fuels. By contrast, the second example contains no contextual cues that would help audiences determine the significance of a “$1380 billion” investment. Readers seeing this headline may wonder if this amount is large or small, and whether it has changed much compared to previous years.

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