A producer recently tweeted asking if we could put some mandates on the use of alliteration, and share how we feel about the use of alliteration at all. Simply put: Alliteration is overused in news copy. Yes, it is catchy and can re-engage the ear. But it also trivializes stories if not done just right.
So here are mandates for the use of alliteration:
- Avoid it in cold opens and headlines
- Do not use it in crawls
- Write descriptions of video first
- Use it sparingly in kickers and teases
We often hear alliteration used in teases. There are two types of “teases” where you should not use alliteration: Headlines at the top of a show and cold open type copy. (For those of you new to the biz, when I say cold open, I am talking about the fancy copy used before the anchors say hello at the top of a newscast. It often has video and/or sound or very powerful phrases to try and suck the viewer into the lead story.) The reason why is simple. These are serious stories. They define the type of news you are providing to the viewer in the newscast and you cannot afford to risk trivializing that content.
The risk of trivializing the content, is the reason you should not use alliteration in lower thirds or crawls either. Frankly, alliteration can also look a little goofy when reading it. It is not as effective as hearing the words.
When you are tempted to use alliteration in a story or tease, first look at the video and write down a few phrases that describe the pictures you will show. Often this will spark an idea for an interesting element to tease that doesn’t need alliteration. (For more on how to look at and better write to video read Can you picture it and Reel em in without exaggerating.)
If you just can’t resist, use alliteration in teases and kickers sparingly. By sparingly I mean one or two teases per newscast maximum, and two kickers per week. I am giving numbers to encourage you to really work around this crutch. That way when you do use alliteration, your viewer will love how it sounds, not loathe hearing it again, so you don’t have to lose the technique altogether.
