While reading through the top 5 press releases from October on PR Newswire, one thing stood out for all 5 – effective headlines that deliver key information to attract readers.
A headline gives a first impression of your press release for journalists and audiences. Within a few seconds of processing time, they decide whether to continue reading the copy or not. Therefore, a captivating headline can act as a hook to lure potential readers in. What can PR professionals do to convey the gist of the press release in a sentence that is usually between 80 to 150 characters?
Taking some lessons from the 2022 Global State of the Media Report, we can consider the following:
- 8 out of 10 recipients will only read your press release headline
- The best performing press release headlines hover around 88 characters
- Include the most important keywords (like the company name) within the first 70 characters, where most search engines and email subject lines get cut of
Use action words in the headline to increase engagement
1. PUBG MOBILE WELCOMES NEW NUSA MAP WITH REGION WIDE CAMPUS CHALLENGE
The 70-character headline gets right into the update of this mobile game and the campaign that follows
- Adding new map is an important feature of the game because new content keeps gaming experience fresh
- The campus challenge is a campaign that promotes the introduction of a new map
2. Toppan Merrill and Wizpresso Enter An Exclusive Partnership to Augment Capital Market Workflow in the APAC Region with AI Solution
This 133-character headline addresses the capital market workflow these two companies plan to improve.
- ‘Exclusive partnership’ illustrates the commitment from source company and partner company
- Second half of the headline provides the scope of the cooperation, including industry, location, and solution involved
3. Li Jun, VP of China Telecom: Build Cloud Broadband Ecosystem, Empower Digital Transformation
This headline of 95 characters presents the key takeaways for the news release right away.
- Quoting a Vice President of the source company in headline brings authority to the content
- His words lay out the plan and vision of this company with simple yet effective action words
4. GWM ORA Taps Europe as Latest Market Amid Global Push
This relatively condensed headline comes with 56 characters but tells the reader key information.
- Using unique action word “Taps” shows that Europe is the first market this company enters into
- Headline will display fully on Google and other search engines without getting cut off
5. Asia's education leaders to gather at EDUtech Asia in Singapore to discuss the digital future of education
The 109-character headline emphasizes the key topics of the news release – education and technology.
- It informs readers about the purpose of the exhibition and the topic educators are going to discuss
- The word ‘education’ in headline is a recurring theme of the press release and the trade show
With the right mix of action words, headline length, and information, a good press release headline can sum up the entire content of a press release. In addition, it captures the curiosity of journalists and readers to learn more about the news. There are more tips about writing a captivating press release headline. Watch this short video How To Craft An Engaging Headline to learn more now!