4 Components of a Good News Release Headline
The headline is the most important part of your press release. If the headline doesn’t do its job, then no one will read, share, or publish your release. Many people actually write the press release first and then go back and spend an equal amount of time writing the headline. So what makes a press release headline effective? There are essentially four components of a good news release. Let’s take a look at them independently.
#1 Your Headline Must Provide Information
If you write blog posts, articles, social media posts, reports and other content then you know that a headline is important. In many situations you want the headline to make a bold promise and to essentially sell the reader.
However, with a press release headline you want to avoid a headline that sounds like an advertisement or a sales headline. Your headline needs to be informative. For example, “Growing Firm Wins Best of the Web Award Two Years in a Row.”
While the above headline isn’t necessarily attention grabbing, it does demonstrate the point that a headline must be informative. It needs to tell the reader what the press release is about.
#2 Keywords Help
It’s important to put your keyword into your press release headline. In addition to helping with search engine optimization, it also helps your readers and journalists find your information. And when people recognize keywords that they connect with, they’re more likely to continue reading your release instead of clicking away.
#3 Grabs Attention
Your headline needs to grab attention and make your reader want to learn more. It needs to pull them into the press release and into your first paragraph.
Here are two examples of a headline:
“California High School Teachers Protest Violence in the Schools Following Release of Shocking Report.”
“Report Released On School Violence.”
Which headline is more compelling? Which one grabs your attention and may motivate you to read more of the press release? Chances are it’s the first headline. There are a few words that help grab attention including; protest, violence, and shocking.
#4 Appropriate Length
Your headline needs to be the right format and the right length. There are different recommendations. Generally, the rule of thumb is between 60 and 80 characters. Some distribution services have a limit.
It’s important to know that you can include a subheadline for your press release. This can expand on the headline and offer a bit more information, including keywords. The format for a headline is to use title case. Capitalize every word except for prepositions. Your subheadline is usually written in sentence case.
Spend time crafting a good headline for your press release. It can make the difference between press release success and failure, and motivate clicks, sales, and increase brand awareness.
