Writing Effective News Release Headlines

As someone who has been on both the public relations side of preparing news releases and the journalism end of receiving and using them, I worry there might be a disconnect on what journalists need. I’m not talking about the content of release. My main concern is the headline.

An idea that has been pushed by some public relations consultants is that news release headlines need to be written in a fashion that makes the reporter want to read more as opposed to just making the announcement in a straightforward manner. For instance, if the news is that Mountain Dew and Welch’s are collaborating on a grape-flavored soda, the headline would be something like “Leading Soft Drink and Juice Brands to Release New Fruit-Flavored Soda”.

While that may seem creative to a public relations person in taking that approach, all it is going to do is force the reporter to have to read more of the release to understand what the announcement is and if they want to cover it. My recommendation would be something along the lines of “Mountain Dew and Welch’s Announce Collaboration on Grape-flavored Soda”. It’s boring, but it makes the reporter’s job easier.

Journalists can receive anywhere from 10 to over 200 pitches a day. If you want yours to break through that cacophony, you need to be as professionally blunt as possible, starting with the news release headline.

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