Press Release Headline Tips
Press releases can provide a website with access to previously untapped traffic but they need to be written so that they perform and formatted in a desirable manner. The headline is one of the most important considerations when writing a piece and it will be the most prominent element of your release.
As well as a headline, it's standard practice to include a sub headline directly below. Don't make the all too common mistake of using this as a run on from the main title. Obviously they will be related to a degree but the headline and the sub headline are effectively two different sections of a press release.
The headline has to be catchy to persuade potential readers to continue reading. Think of what your potential readers will want to read about and then deliver it in the headline. A press release should be about a newsworthy story and not an advertisement so the headline should also match this direction.
Try to emulate the kind of headlines used in the papers every day and keep yours as short as possible while still delivering a clear message of what the press release is about. The sub heading provides you with the opportunity to expand the headline you used so use as few words as you can for your headline.
Above all else, remember that a press release is about news and not marketing. Journalists and publishers will not use a press release that comes across as being a direct advertisement and this rings equally true for your headline as it does for the lead or any other section.
