Press Release Headings: Make Every Word Count

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What determines if the reader will want to read your press release? The title or heading is the first thing readers will see. If it interests them or catches their interest, they will read your release, or at least part of it.

This continuing feature series will give illustrative examples from actual press releases that we’ve done for our clients. By showing examples of these headings, you will be able to see the dynamics that have shaped successful press releases. Remember, you can write the best press release in the world but if the title doesn’t titillate, no one will read it. So let’s see how every word counts.

Let’s use the example of a client who ran an Online Gaming Company. He wanted to spread the word about the Site as well as entice the reader to visit the Site and want to write about it. He had no tangible product to sell so we couldn’t hook the reader in the heading with a description of a physical object. We couldn’t extol the benefits the reader would derive because there is no guarantee in gambling. What we could do was go along with the “gamesmanship” of the experience. So we made it fun. We created a heading that was both informal and catchy, much like gaming itself.

Our heading was “All Bets are On for Aladden Casino Online Gaming with State-of-the Art Software.” We tied in the words “bets” with “Casino” and “Gaming” to create a mood. “All Bets are On” creates a positive feeling. We added the enticement of great software to lure the reader to the Site. So the heading was catchy without being ‘cutesy’ and it still told the reader exactly what he would find. Now it sounds not only like fun, but easy to use too, because the software is “state-of-the-art.”

We used the word “Gaming” rather than “Gambling” because it has a more positive connotation. ‘Gaming’ sounds like fun, a game, a pastime while ‘gambling’ denotes risk, a negative tone.

In a short heading, every word must be chosen with care. It is a very brief time and space in which to hook the reader, the flick of an eye. The reader can read it without blinking. Each word must be hand-picked, thought out and molded into the Press Release like fine sculpturing. Give great care and thought to your every word!