How to write press release headlines (examples & tips)

You could've written a magnum opus press release, including the most beautiful image gallery known to man, and Beethoven himself could've written the press release theme song. But if the headline is terrible, none of that will matter. Again, no pressure.

Before you go out and write your press release headline all willy-nilly, take a gander at this guide, where we’ll discuss why the headlines are so important, the key elements an excellent headline contains, and how to avoid some of the most egregious headline mistakes.

• Your headline is the make-or-break for your entire press release
• Most readers (especially journalists) only scan headlines – make them count
• Headlines have to be catchy, informative, and concise
• Distribution (email and newswire) limitations should be one of the most important factors to consider when writing your headlines

We at Prezly are in the PR software business. So we see a lot, and I mean a lot, of press releases and press release headlines. Thousands. Millions, maybe.

It can be tempting to think of the headline as an afterthought, just the cherry on top of the main event. But a compelling headline does a lot of the heavy lifting, sets the stage for your press release, and reels the reader into your story.

Headlines are important because…

Your news is important to you, but it’s about 95% less important to anyone else. The press release you agonized over for hours and had peer-reviewed by your whole team? Yeah, most of your viewers are going to skim it at best. Maybe look at a few pictures if you’re lucky. So, your headline has to stand out to stop them from passing your press release by. 

You have about five seconds to capture your target audience’s attention spans and get them to notice you. Your headline is doing a lot of the heavy lifting to get – and keep – your readers. Whether you’re sending out an email campaign or throwing your PR onto a wire service, you gotta make the headline count.

Most press releases are intended to charm one key demo: journalists. And journalists are busy. You’ve got almost no time to sweep them off their feet, so don’t bury the lede.

A good press release headline needs to make the subject and purpose crystal clear. Consider the 5 Ws:

Who is the press release about?

Include the key info without your target audience having to guess. If you can throw a recognizable name or company in the mix to get their attention, definitely do that.

What is being discussed?

Use action verbs and engaging language to showcase what’s happening and why it matters. Some of the worst press release headlines obfuscate the what and leave the reader wondering, “Who cares?”

When will the events take place?

Press releases are (or at least should be) timely based on some upcoming event, product launch, or other significant date. Let journalists and readers know when your news is taking place so they can consider important things like editorial schedules and deadlines.

Where is the action happening?

Geography is important. A journalist in Ireland, for example, likely won’t cover your news story based out of (and only relevant to) South Africa. 

Why does any of this matter?

Again, you want your readers to be invested. If the headline fails to draw them in, they likely won’t even read the intro paragraph, and you’ve lost them forever.Your audience shouldn't have to guess what is happening and why you've chosen to distribute a press release. Before they even click on it, readers should know what to expect just from the short headline.

Of the 5 Ws, we would argue that the "why?" is the most important. Before writing your press release headline, ask yourself, "Why would anyone care? How can this press release impact my audience?" If you want to gain coverage and buzz around your company, merger, acquisition, or product launch, great! What does that matter to anybody besides the people within the company?

If your intended audience has to guess what your press release is about, they won't. They'll go on to the next story or press release that won't make them parse out the meaning. Be clear, concise, actionable, and engaging. In, like, eight words. Nobody said it would be easy.

Your press release type, industry, and the people you want to reach will determine exactly how you should craft your headline. Some agencies don't have to rely on press coverage in the same way as others.

There are even some entire industries, like the fashion industry, where it's a boon for the press releases to be edger, flashier, and break some rules. Take a look at these press release examples to see what we mean.

When crafting a press release headline, decide if being clever or less-than-informative for the sake of flair is worth a journalist possibly glossing over your entire story because your title isn't clear. Sometimes, it just might be worth it.

Typically, a quality press release should be about informing and not necessarily about entertaining. You don't want to "surprise" your readers at any point. A good press release offers clear, concise, accurate information as quickly and succinctly as possible. Leave the meandering text and flowery prose for Wattpad.

We all want coverage. And sometimes, we go to drastic lengths. But as tempting as it can be, you don't want to treat your press release headline like it's written by Buzzfeed. Clickbait is abhorrent and has no place within a professional communications document.

Plus, journalists and audiences have finely tuned B.S.-o-meters. Few people (besides your great Aunt Linda, maybe) will click on a hyper-sensationalized headline, and, in fact, many people will avoid clickbait on pure principle.

Wylie Comm says that a press release headline should be 8–9 words and never more than 14. Cision's 2021 State of the Press Release also suggests 70 characters or less makes for a concise headline.

If SEO is important for your press release (and it should be), consider that Google cuts off a page title (aka your press release headline) after 70 characters. It would suck to lead with filler words only to have your power words cut off by some search engine startup.

You can use Word Counters to keep track of your actual word and character counts, but many text editors have word counters already integrated into their service. You could also count the characters manually if you pride yourself on inefficiency.

Even if you're using a newswire service or press distribution service, odds are you're still going to want to email out your press release to key players on your distribution list.How will your press release headline look when sent through email? If you send the press release headline as your email headline, it's worth noting that 1.8 billion people use Gmail and Gmail subject lines range from 38–98 characters (depending on the screen viewing size). You certainly don't need to fit the entire press release headline in that space, but it is worth considering.

Here are the steps you can take to write a fantastic press release title, considering the importance of brevity, clarity, and newsworthiness.

The headline should, ideally, be the last thing you write before sending out your PR. Since it needs to have all the key details, it's crucial that you have all the facts before drafting your clever headline. If any essential details are still up in the air, wait to write your headline until you have all the relevant dates, names, locations, etc. 

Do a brain dump of 5–10 headline options. Pick the one that makes the most sense, communicates the facts plainly, and captures the readers’ attention.

Once you settle on a headline, start whittling down the wording as much as possible. Play with active verbs and sentence structures to get your character count down as low as possible, while making at least some sense. Remember, you can always give additional info in your introductory paragraph and body paragraphs – you don't need to stick it all in a catchy headline.

There are helpful tools you can use, such as ChatGPT, that can attempt to re-write your headline for you using fewer words. Sometimes it produces garbage, and sometimes it works. Just watch that it doesn’t turn your masterpiece into something super generic and boring.

Don't send out your press release before running it by another person. After editing and whittling it down to as few characters as possible, you should have another set of eyes on your headline to ensure that it doesn’t sound like a jumbled mess.

It's a tragedy to witness a beautifully crafted press release with gorgeous visuals, dynamic multimedia, and fantastic press release quotes hidden beneath a busted headline.

How can you bungle the press release headline? By making these common mistakes:

Nobody wants boring! The point is to get people to read the thing and (best case scenario) share the thing. Help them out by making it sound as attractive as possible (without sensationalizing). The people reading your press release are looking for opportunities to distribute it to their readers. If they're bored out of their minds, they're not going to want to bore their own audiences. Evocative, compelling language can breathe life into what may otherwise be a drab press release.

There are press release headlines out there where you recognize all of the individual words, but you can't make sense of the order they decided to put them in. Avoid this by running your headline past a couple of people so they can confirm that it is clear and not an unintentional word salad.

Don't yell at your poor audience. Nobody wants to be yelled at on this sacred day. Trying to differentiate yourself from the other press releases by using all caps is unprofessional, if not outright annoying. You can absolutely communicate your message without using all caps. Some press distribution services won't even accept all-caps submissions.

Sometimes, people get a little too press release gung-ho and start drafting press announcements for every little thing. Putting out too many irrelevant press releases can harm your credibility. People will stop taking your press releases seriously. If a journalist is scrolling through your newsroom and sees that half of your press releases are completely irrelevant, they're less likely to use you as a subject in the future. Journalists don't want to wade through irrelevant content to find something newsworthy.

Avoid alienating people outside of your industry by keeping the language neutral. Most people reading your press release will likely not be as entrenched in your industry niche as you are. Particularly busy journalists, who might see a bunch of industry buzzwords and peace out. If you're struggling to make it sound interesting to the average person, so will they.

Try these tips and tricks to maximize your press release headline efforts.

Run your headline by a colleague or two before publishing it for a broader audience to make sure that the intent is clear and concise. If they have questions about the 5 Ws of your story, consider editing or re-writing for clarity.

Check out a headline analyzer like this one. It's not a press release headline analyzer (we looked and couldn't find one), but it will give you some insights into the kinds of language you're using and if it can be optimized or improved.

Consider how your press release headline will look on the various Business Wire and email distribution services you plan to use, and write to their specifications. Send a practice press release to your email to see if anything gets cut off.

Numbers are an excellent opportunity to communicate your news qualitatively. Did your business grow by X%? Did you open up X number of new branches, or hire X amount of employees? Journalists love concrete numbers because it's a fantastic way to show, not tell. When you can, include numbers in your headline.

Clever punctuation is a great way to cut down on actual word count and can help you tell your story in a dynamic and interesting way. Dashes, colons, and well-placed short quotes can pack a punch. If you find you're short on space, try switching up the punctuation.

We've compiled examples of fantastic headlines that tell a story quickly, succinctly, and effectively. We're going to break down why these are the best headline press release examples, and how you can learn from their craftsmanship.

Why it works:

• Cute, clever, but clear
• Tells a full story
• Uses punctuation to cut down on filler words

Why it works:

• It has the "wait, whaaa?" factor by including a high-profile celebrity
• Has a clear message but leaves the reader wanting more

Why it works:

• The press release headline is short
• Incorporates a cute pun without muddying the meaning
• The message is clear and the reader knows what to expect

Why it works:

• Uses numbers effectively
• Leaves the reader wanting to know more
• Short (less than 70 characters)

Why it works:

• Short, to the point
• Clearly outlines what the press release is about
• Engaging and relevant

Why it works:

• Fashion lookbook headlines don't necessarily need to tell a full story like traditional headlines
• It's clever, cute, cultural, and still tells the reader what to expect

Why it works:

• Press releases are a great way to showcase your CSR
• Clear message
• Makes the company look great

Why it works:

• Engaging language ("recover", "looted")
• Newsworthy and interesting topic

Why it works:

• Vivid imagery
• Informative arts announcement
• Short but packs a punch

Your trusty CRM should work with you to engage and captivate your audience. Prezly is an all-in-one PR tool that helps you create and distribute beautiful press releases and clean, user-friendly newsrooms. You can draft your press releases (and their fabulous headlines, of course) and send your pitches to all your contacts – right from one collaborative tool. We even have an article on bad press release examples, so check this out too!

We won’t leave you guessing how your headlines will look. Preview your creations before sending them to your contact lists for maximum control over how your PR looks. We can also help you gain insights into how your press release headlines are performing, thanks to Prezly’s helpful analytics.Try Prezly out for free for 14 days (no credit card required)!