Writing & MediaFree
Headline and Dek Writer for News Stories
Paste your story and get five headline and dek pairs the story can back up, plus a search headline, a social line and a recommended pick.
River writes the headline package for a news story you have already written. Paste the story and you get five headline and dek pairs, each taking a different honest angle, with a character count beside every one. Then comes a search headline built on the words readers would actually type, a line for social, and a recommended pick with the reason. Every option is checked against the story, so no headline promises something the reporting does not deliver.
Most headline generators are built for blog posts and sell curiosity: numbers, questions, and promises the article may not keep. A news headline answers to a different standard. It has to be accurate, attributed when it reports an allegation, and fair to the people named in it. River flags any option with a double reading, an overstatement, or a claim the story makes only in paragraph twelve. The best headline is one an editor would sign off on without a second thought.
It is for copy editors working several stories a shift, reporters at small newsrooms who write their own headlines, student newspaper staff, and newsletter writers who need a subject line that tells the truth. Paste the final version, since headlines written on an early draft drift from the story as it changes. If you are still writing up an interview, the transcript workup gets your quotes in order before you reach this step. The fact-check comment adder checks the story's claims before you write its headline.
What makes a news headline work
A news headline makes a promise the story has to keep. Copy desks test it against the lede and nut graf: does the story say this, near the top, in these terms? If the headline states as fact something the story attributes to police or a lawsuit, the attribution belongs in the headline too, in a phrase like police say. Far more people read headlines than stories, so an overstated headline is an error most readers carry away.
News headline style differs from blog style. In AP style, only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized, numerals are used for numbers, single quotation marks replace double ones, and the present tense stands in for past events. The dek, the line under the headline, carries what the headline could not fit: the stakes, a second fact, or why it matters now. An illustrative pair: Council approves $45M housing plan for old bus depot, with a dek on the 300 units.
Web and search headlines add a constraint without removing the old ones. Google sets no fixed character limit, but it may shorten or rewrite a title, and its guidance on title links asks for titles that are descriptive and concise. In practice that means putting the place, the subject and the news in the first words. Watch for double readings as well. A headline that can be read two ways will be, usually by the person it names.
How it works
Paste the story
Paste the final version, and pick where the headline will run if you know.
River reads the top
The lede and nut graf set what any headline on this story is allowed to promise.
Get the package
Five headline and dek pairs, a search headline, a social line and a recommended pick.
Tune in chat
Ask for shorter options to fit a print column, or for a different angle entirely.
What you get
- Five headline and dek pairs, each a different honest angle the story actually supports
- AP headline style: sentence case, numerals, single quotes and present tense for past events
- A character count beside every option, so you can fit print widths and web layouts
- A search headline that puts the place, subject and news in the opening words
- Flags on double readings, overstatement, and allegations stated without attribution in the headline
- A recommended pick and a social line, with a sentence on why each one works
Common questions
What is a dek?
The dek is the line of text under a headline, sometimes called a subhead. It adds what the headline could not fit, usually the stakes, a second key fact or why the news matters now. A good dek does not repeat the headline's words. Together the two should tell a reader the news even if they read nothing else.
Should news headlines use title case?
Not in AP style. AP headlines capitalize only the first word and proper nouns, which is why most American news sites use sentence case. Some publications keep title case as house style, and that is a legitimate choice. Tell River your house style in the chat, or keep it in a house style guide, and every option will follow it consistently.
When does a headline need attribution?
Whenever it reports something the newsroom has not independently established, such as an allegation from police, a lawsuit or a political opponent. Stating the claim flatly turns the publication into the accuser. A short attribution, like police say or lawsuit claims, keeps the headline accurate. River flags any option that drops attribution the story itself includes.
How long should a web headline be?
Google has no fixed character limit, but it may shorten or rewrite a long title in results. Many newsrooms aim for a headline that still makes sense if only its first several words show. That is why River puts the place, subject and news first in the search version and gives a character count for every option.
Will it write clickbait headlines?
It will write lively headlines, but not ones that withhold the news or promise what the story does not deliver. Curiosity gaps work against trust in news, and readers who feel tricked remember the publication's name. If an option leans on surprise, River checks that the story pays it off within the first few paragraphs.
What if my story is still changing?
Write headlines on the version you plan to publish, then rerun them if the story changes significantly. A headline written on an early draft is a common source of errors, because the facts it relied on can move or disappear in editing. In the chat you can paste the new top and ask River to recheck the chosen headline.
Built by
Chandler Supple
Co-founder & CEO, River
Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.
Headline and Dek Writer for News Stories
Describe what you need, add any files you have, and your workspace opens with the work already underway.