If your press release subject line or headline doesn’t reach out and grab the reader, there’s a good chance it won’t get opened. So don’t send it. Do this first:
1) Write for your audience. If you’re sending a “press” release, then your audience is the editor, producer, publisher… the main decision maker for your target audience. I know you want to reach men who wear socks with sandals, women over 35 who still live at home or teens who have never tweeted. However, you have to grab the attention of the gatekeeper so that your real audience will get your message.
2) WIIFT? – It’s that simple. You have to tell the reader, in the headline, how they will benefit from the information. What’s In It For Them?
Write this: SEVEN PLACES TO HIDE YOUR MONEY SO THAT YOU WILL BECOME A MILLIONAIRE
Not this: HOW TO SAVE MONEY
Media professionals read hundreds of releases. You have to get their attention and be honest about it. Don’t use bait and switch tactics by writing a headline that you think will catch the person’s eye only to offend them after they’ve read through it. Delete!
3) List it. Make it easy on the editors and break down your content into lists…if you can. If you’re selling a product, can you list its benefits to fit a list of seven or eight? Maybe nine?
If you’re pitching a story about the latest and greatest most reverent vacuum cleaner, you may write:
SEVEN WAYS TO CLEAN YOUR HO– USE WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER or
FIVE THINGS THE NEW WACKY VAC WON’T DO
They love lists. It easily spells out the benefits of the product or service and they are easy to process.
4) What’s Trending? If your goal is to get your product or service on a major talk show, then think about how it relates to what’s trending now. Can you tie the Wacky Vac to the latest industry buzz? The economy? You might write:
UNEMPLOYED, CITY MAN TAKES WACKY VAC AND MAKES THOUSANDS IN ONE MONTH
5) Short, to the point, especially for SEO. Keep search engine optimization in mind, i.e, browser searches. Your Internet rankings determine your exposure. When you’re crafting the most awesome headline, keep in mind that Google only recognizes the first 65-70 characters in their search results, Yahoo 72 and Bing 65. These numbers are subject change, so stay on the lower side.
There you have it. A list of five ways to create a not-so-boring headline. Don’t run with the first headline, write, re-write and write it again. Test it out. Ask a few people to read it before sending it out. If your release ends up in the delete file, you’ve wasted your time.
Then you can write a release about how not to waste your time writing boring press release headlines.