As the first thing readers see, your headline needs to work hard to grab attention. Make sure you get it right! Here are a few tried-and-true tips on writing better press releases headlines from the PRWeb whitepaper,  Publish…Promote…Pitch…Publicity! A Three-Step Guide to Creating Online Publicity for Your Business. Download it for free today!

 

• Get specific in your headline. A headline that accurately summarized the content of the news release does more than tell readers what to expect. Search engines will rank a piece more highly if it sees the headline matches the content. Use specific descriptors – “oak wood manufacturing” rather than just “wood manufacturing” and skip flowery adjectives or hyperbole such as “best ornate artisan manufacturer.”
• Use the active voice. Passive voice uses three or four words where only one is required, and slows down the impact of a great headline. Replace a passive voice phrase like “K-12 school Lincoln Academy has been selected for recognition of achievement by ABC” with an active voice phrase like “ABC selects leading K-12 school Lincoln Academy for recognition.”

• Chop three words. Brief is best for headlines, both for readers and search engines. So when you’re done writing your next headline, cut it by three words. It may seem hard at first, but it’s easier than you think. ‘A’ and ‘of’ can be eliminated easily (this is doubly good because search engines stumble on these words). Be ruthless without being unreadable.

The above is an excerpt from the PRWeb whitepaper,  Publish…Promote..Pitch…Publicity! A Three-Step Guide to Creating Online Publicity for Your Business. Download it for free today! 

Filed under: Content, Tips and Tricks by Stacey Acevero