To encourage readers to do this, it's often a good idea to have an explanatory subhead after the headline leading into the copy. Once again, this is because the eye has to work harder. 7 Huge headings are stupid Art directors tend to do layouts and then pin them up on the wall somewhere in order to review them. But people do not read these things from the other side of the room. Nor do they have arms ten feet long.
Large headings are a waste of space and a waste of time.
Sometimes people design clever layouts where the headline is actually underneath the body copy. They turn them into baselines. You will not be surprised to hear that all this does is stop people from reading the copy at all. Wheildon found that readership was reduced substantially as a result of this practice. Also, illustrations which block off a column halfway up the page will often discourage the reader from travelling further down.