A Little Pizzazz

The art of capturing the audience with the title and subtitle

I've never heard formal teaching on this topic, but I've noticed how newspapers and magazines often make use of both a title and a subtitle. As a result, I've developed an intuitive sense of how most writers use these features. It seems that a title is used to catch the eye. (In the case of this entry: "A Little Pizzazz.") Anything to spark the reader's interest. Commonly, the subtitle goes on to clarify, especially when the title scintillates to the degree of obscuring what the article is really about. An example of title/subtitle from a recent issue of The Economist:

Taming Leviathan: These are both the best of times and the worst of times for the American-Jewish lobby.

The article is accompanied by a dapper illustration of a sea monster tossing about rowboats filled with men in dark suits. This fits the paradigm nicely: the subtitle should not bore the reader, but rather encourage her* to read on.

Perhaps better to have no subtitle, however, when the subtitle in mind is about as sexy as oatmeal. Case in point, from the same issue of The Economist:

What price carbon?: Britain and the EU have learnt from some green-policy mistakes, but not from others.

Tantalize, this subtitle does not. It reeks of balance and fairness. It bores in its stated attempt to see both sides of the issue. And whereas the title should at least provide a little spice for the eyes, the question form serves only to confuse the reader. Thumbs down.

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* Usually I'd revert to classic English rules and use "him" when referring to a person whose gender is unknown. "The doctor said to his patient..."; "The pilot made his announcement..."; "The principal asked the student to step into his office." However, I thought I'd mix it up sometimes and try "her" on for size. "The nurse picked up her uniform from the cleaners."; "The flight attendant enjoys her job." Feedback in this area would be appreciated.