Great examples of press release headlines

By Peter Ibbetson

It’s no secret that headlines are the most difficult part of a press release to get right. With very few words to capture the attention of a journalist and summarise your entire pitch, it’s no wonder many are left asking the question “What makes a good press release headline?”

So to help we’ve picked out and analysed 5 recent press release headlines to give you an insight into what’s “great” when it comes to the perfect headline.

"7 tips for tackling the COVID summer learning loss"

This has one of the components that journalists look for - good tips that are relevant to trending news at the time. This one picks up on the stresses that were being faced during lockdown as parents tried to ensure their sons and daughters received some form of education whilst at the same time working from home. Critically it offered information that a journalist could use to create an article that many would read. The headline is short, succinct and flags exactly what is coming in the body of the release.

"Young family raffles £750,000 London townhouse"

This one has the same immediate impact and tells what is in the release. Being short it appears in full for journalists on their mobile phones in the heading. More than anything it has a great edge and is almost guaranteed to attract inquisitive interest.

"Leading fraud expert warns of posting exam certificate selfies online"

With trending news around exam results, adding the fraud angle and technology gives this release a good hook that any journalists covering the exams stories would be interested in. The headline may be slightly too long for some mobile phones, but the opening words do a good job of peaking the attention of the recipient to read the rest.

"Forum of Private Business celebrates as Highwayman beats up Mr Punch"

A headline that was compelling and was bound to attract. It has a teasing angle to it, yet it was relevant, talking about an issue between a pub and the brewery company. Additionally, it started with a recognised organisation name which would have immediately added credibility to the story.

"Launch of new British luxury, sustainable nappy brand: Peachi Baby"

Some journalists will immediately pass on a release if it says ‘Launch’, as it is potentially a selling job which they dislike. However, the two angles shouting about ‘British’ and ‘sustainability’ meet well with current affairs and encourage a second look from a journalist.

In this case, reordering the headline to “British sustainable nappy brings luxury to Peachi Baby bottoms” might have pulled in a wider, none trade specific audience.

To learn more about the science behind headlines, check out our article on How to craft a great headline for my press release

Contact sales@journolink.com for more help with your PR.