How to write press release headlines for the web

Your headline takes about ten seconds to read. That’s how long it takes a person to decide whether or not they want to read more than you have to say, making your headline the most important words in your press release.

Did you know that an article can be placed under a different title and get a different response from the same reader?

In his article, “Headlines That Attract, Persuade, and Boost,” says Michel Fortin, “A headline is intended to do two vital things. First, it must grab the reader’s attention. That is the main and most important job of the headline. It is not intended to summarize an offer or to be a paragraph in itself. Nor is it intended to make a sale. Second, it must attract readers to the copy and compel them to read more. It must generate curiosity and be interesting enough to attract the reader. To hold the reader’s attention, you need to be concise enough (not necessarily short, but straightforward) to do your job with the fewest words, “says Fortin.

Headlines, which cannot be taken for granted, determine the likelihood that an article, story, letter, advertisement or newspaper will be read. Time and thought should be given to this important section of your press release to ensure the desired results of your efforts. Two reasons I write press releases are 1) to market my books and 2) to secure commitments to talk about my book and the services I could offer for a fee.

Whether you’re writing a press release or other type of message, a good place to start is with some accepted industry headline writing rules. Make the headline sound personal by connecting emotionally on some level with the reader. I don’t mean a tear gas. I mean, appeal to most people’s interest in their personal needs. A headline that appeals to this condition on readers will attract or target readers of a particular group. When addressing an audience, assess the problem that the audience may be facing and offer a solution, which your headline could reflect.

“Remove unwanted facial hair” comes to mind from a commercial I saw on television. Of course, this ad didn’t appeal to me because I don’t have unwanted facial hair (correct …), but I could see how it would target an audience that may be plagued with problems. Your message ad, title, or headline can deliver the same result if you ask a question: “Do you have unwanted facial hair?” In both cases, the reader is likely to read beyond your title.

Another approach is to make the headline of a press release sound like news without exaggerating the strength of the message. That would be considered misleading or even inaccurate. Readers don’t like to be fooled or lied to. This could affect how readers accept what you have to report from now on, costing your credibility with them. People remember when they have been deceived or think they have been deceived. In response, they will discard your messages in the future.

Try to make your headline as clear as possible. A self-imposed problem some writers face is trying to be too smart, which seems like an inside joke that no one understands. Use plain, unadorned language to ensure that as many readers as possible can understand what your message is about at a glance. Take precautions not to confuse readers if you want them to read beyond the headline.

There are several types of headlines that an author can use to target readers. Some offer readers a gift or a benefit. That is the reason why many messages include the word “free” in the title. Others may mention a complimentary offer to participate in an activity. Don’t underestimate the value of words like “sale” or “discount.” People are drawn to items that offer them time and money savings.

Many articles advertise a self-improvement feature that can be obtained by reading the press release. ‘Learn to do whatever.’ Successful self-improvement headlines can also display a guarantee or testimonial, such as “Thousands of people swear by whatever.” Guarantees are more than just money back, but they can work too. ‘How to’ articles should include ‘how’ in the title because people need to be told that they will learn a new skill, especially if you emphasize that learning the task is easy, as in ‘How to learn anything in five simple steps’.

Without being too wordy, twelve words or less, the headlines should briefly state what your press release is about. Most professionals agree that a headline should be short, precise, and descriptive. This has been a time-honored rule dating back to the first newspapers in the New England states of America in the 1700’s. Since then, newspapers have evolved with the needs of the reading public and are currently undergoing a digital transformation as more publications become available. they get online. Please note that some online press release distribution services use character count instead of word count.

One thing has not changed in the writing of newspapers, magazines and other publications. The headline still plays an integral role in enticing readers to read more. What has changed in the industry is the need to pay attention to the new technological guidelines that are being advanced in response to the writing requirements on the Internet, which have increased significantly in number. When I type a title, I test it by typing it in the browser to see if other items with the same title appear. Then I write a few variations to see what comes up in the search. Then I can modify my title.

Writing a good headline is a bit like selecting a title for your book. When I was my editor, I wasn’t excited at first because I didn’t understand how far the title would target the publisher’s audience and how much the title would improve book sales. Unlike writing headlines for my articles, I was too close to my book manuscript to maintain my objectivity. The publisher of my book explained that the title was intended for an audience with some interest.

To achieve maximum exposure in search engines, which are a response to browsers on the web, headlines should contain keywords that illustrate the topic of your article and tell the browser what your article content or what your article is about. Article. The topic and content may seem the same, but they are not. The topic is a large, general category of topics and the content is a specific summary description of your article. Building the topic and content requires the process of simply and accurately listing your ad for search engines like Google to find your article. Using keywords in the headline and throughout the press release is critical to search engine optimization (SEO). SEO drives traffic to your press releases, articles, blogs, and websites.

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