The importance of headlines in press releases is not unknown to anyone however, not everyone is aware of the art of crafting it. With modern tools and software, generating PR headlines has only gotten easier with each passing day. However, you do not always require a sophisticated AI tool or software to get the job done as the old-school methods of researching through a browser still work at their finest.
If you have just started learning how to write press release headlines, it's a long way to go. First, you have to understand its purpose and importance in the content.
Why Press Release Headlines are So Important?
Headlines are the first thing a reader checks before reading any content. A headline is what helps to understand what the story is all about and allows having a better idea and judgment towards the authenticity of the content. Online readers are fairly impatient and to retain them on your content, you need to create an attractive headline that makes them stay and make read the whole content.
When it comes to readers and target audiences, it is not just the customers but you need the attention of journalists, marketers, and investors as well. As they go through a lot of PR content every day; they must skim-read and get an overall idea of the story. Therefore, you need to create a headline that instantly grabs their attention. Only when the title is capable of appealing the readers from niche and various other industries; does the press release become a successful tool for distribution. If you are not sure how a PR headline becomes attractive, here are some tips.
- Keep it short and easy to read (not more than 70-80 characters with spaces)
- Keep it relevant, attractive, and engaging
- The title must share a solution to a problem or fulfill a need for customers
- The title must include a high-search volume keyword for SEO
Why Do You Need to Incorporate SEO-friendly Keywords in the Title?
SEO stands for search engine optimization, the practices that help your PR content or the brand appear at the top of the SERP or search engine result pages. An SEO-focused title allows the content to appear with the relevant search results and improve its online visibility in the market. It also offers a better idea to journalists to under what the PR campaign is all about.
An SEO-friendly title helps your content become more discoverable and increases the chances of gaining maximum media attention from the market. It enhances brand awareness and makes your brand gain more organic exposure from niche industries as well as potential customers.
How to Use Google to Craft Press Release Headlines?
Google is the biggest and most used browser or search engine worldwide. Utilizing it to craft press release headlines is a wise choice to perform well in search results that are biased to Google Search Engine guidelines and algorithms. Go through the following steps to craft your PR title with the help of Google.
1. Keyword Research
It starts with keyword research on the browser that allows finding the words which most used by online users when looking for things to buy to learn about. It is the initial step of SEO as well as writing a title as the keyword will be incorporated in the title later. Google is a choice in this case as comes with a handful of built-in features that offer more ease and convenience in the process.
2. Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a tool that helps to find proper keywords for Google ad campaigns. However, just because it is built for the purpose of ad campaigns, does not mean you can use it for writing the press release title. It is an all-in-one powerful for keyword generation and identification which are performing exponentially well in the respective market. Once you have identified the right keywords for your brand, it is time to utilize them in your content marketing approaches including press release distribution services.
3. Google Trends
It is a highly advanced tool that offers real-time data in order to analyze Google search terms based on their popularity. Trending topics are excellent for immediate PR distributions which can garner more attention from online users. Such content prompts make your PR relevant, powerful, and highly time-sensitive. The PR might not offer long-lasting results and market trends are constantly evolving. However, it can quickly generate buzz and offer instant exposure in the market as well as in niche industries.
In order to get started, discover trending news stories and click on the tab called "Trending Now". Look for a news story that is relevant to your brand and industry. Can the topic pique interest among potential customers? If yes, then make sure to use that in your campaign which makes your content more trendy.
4. Explore the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs)
The SERPs that appear after submitting a search query can help you gain more inspiration for writing the PR title. The SERPs are ranked from page to page and the content that appears on the first page is the most read one. You need to do research on the search engine and check the first page to understand what kind of titles are performing well. In case you have a particular topic or keyword in mind, simply search it on Google and take a better look at the content that appears on the first page. Study their headlines and question yourself,
- What kind of words they are using on the headline?
- How the headlines are that appear on the top?
- How many keywords are being used in a single PR?
- Does the title express some solution to a problem?
Finding the answers to these questions can help you understand where your PR title is lacking. PR is newsworthy content and its title must be accurate and attractive enough to gain maximum media coverage from the market. Use the information to create a press release headline of your own.
5. ‘Searches related to’ Section
Wen, you are utilizing search engines, you will find a “Searches related to” section at the bottom of the page. Scroll down and simply click on it. The section will offer you a handful of keyword variations that you can utilize to craft the perfect headline for your press release content. This section helps to find what is most relevant without making it repetitive.
6. Autocomplete
Google’s search engine also provides a feature for ‘autocomplete’ to provide relevant suggestions. If you look closely, when you start typing in the search bar; Google starts providing relevant suggestions in the drop-down menu. Those suggestions are mainly provided based on the popular search results regarding your topic. Keep an eye on these suggestive phrases and keywords as an inspiration for writing the PR headlines.
After following the aforementioned steps, you will have ample elements to craft your PR title to garner maximum media attention.
Things to Be Careful About When Writing a PR Title
If you want to write a press release with an optimal title that generates maximum response, you need to be careful about a few minute details. The data given below is sampled from 2 million PRs, of length 50-250 lines.
- Make sure to keep the title short (under 40 characters, ideally) - 18% faster than 100 char titles.
- Include Exclamation Mark and exclude Question mark – it is 30% faster with an exclamation point while 3% slower with a question mark.
- Keep it all lowercase – It makes it 47% faster to read than titles that consist of any capitalization.
- Keep it PG (no cursing) - 10% faster without any curse words.
- Exclude the terms ‘Quick’ and ‘fast’ - 3% faster reading.
- Use the word “fix” instead of “feat” - “fix” is 73% faster than “feat”.
What Happens When You Do Not Write PR Titles Properly?
Even if you have written remarkable PR content, it is not going to perform well unless it has an attractive title. The title works like the cherry on top that users notice the first and then decide to go through the whole content. If you do not write it properly, online users are more likely to skip the content as the title is not appealing. One bad title can ruin your whole PR campaign and make the distribution unsuccessful. Evidently, the title plays a vital role here and you need to be extra careful when writing it.
Final Thoughts
Now, that you are aware of all the aspects of a PR title; you can craft it better by making it more unique and relevant. However, you can always get help from professionals who are more experienced and well-versed in the field of press release writing and distribution.
