Public Relations Writing: Write Better Press Release Headlines With More Impact in Less Time

Public relations writing when writing press releases can be a real challenge.

When writing press releases the most important part is the headline or title.

This is the information the media reads first so it has to grab their attention.

How can you write better press releases that get used instead of deleted?

Well the headline is essential when writing press releases.

Take this real life example of public relations writing.

"Triple Bottom-line Community Net Benefit Decision Time for Sustainable Economic Development Decisions Needed Says Economist"

This is an actual headline on a media release from MacroPlan Australia published in The Australian newspaper's Media Section on Nov 13, 2003.

Would you want to read more if you got this on your fax machine or email inbox? How can you write better headlines and improve the likelihood of your media release making the cut?

Writing a good title for a media release is essential for effective public relations writing. Here are my Top 9 Tips for Writing Better Headlines:

1. KEEP IT TO ONE LINE.

More than one line and you are likely to lose a busy journalist who would receive hundreds of media releases a day.

2. EDIT FOR BREVITY.

You probably won't achieve point one on the first go. Rewrite and edit every time. Remember with headlines that 'less is more'; so keep it to five words or less.

3. DON'T TRY AND BE TOO SMART.

Writing headlines for the print medium is a real art form. Leave it to the professionals, namely, newspaper sub-editors. Remember that newspaper headlines have to sell papers, your headline has to engage one reader - a cynical journalist or editor with a 'so what, who cares' attitude.

4. WHAT IS THE ESSENCE OF THE STORY?

The headline should summarise the story and answer the who, what, why, when and where.

5. USE A BIGGER FONT SIZE THAN THE REST OF THE RELEASE.

Don't go smaller than size 12 for the main body of the text and use size 14 or 16 font or bigger for your headline or title.

6. USE THE SAME FONT STYLE AS YOUR TEXT.

Never change font styles in a release. Times New Roman is the most accepted and professional.

7. USE BOLD TO MAKE IT STAND OUT.

8. CENTRE IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE.

9. ALWAYS SPELL CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK FOR TYPOS.

Nothing harms your credibility more than a typo in the headline!

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries.

You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com.

---

Mind Your Own Business!

And the best way to mind your own business is... Read More

Writing a Press Release: How to Write Quotes

Ideally, you will have two types of quotes in your... Read More

PR: Am I Getting a Good Deal?

You are getting a good deal when you accept the... Read More

What You Dont Know About PR Can Hurt You

And hurt bad if you are a business, non-profit or... Read More

Time to Spruce Up Your Public Relations?

Better check out the public relations fundamental premise, then take... Read More

Public Relations: The Fundamental Premise

It seems difficult to believe at the dawn of the... Read More

Culture As A Barrier To Communication

Each of us is exposed to people from other cultures... Read More

Ignore PR at Your Peril!

If you do, it means:you don't value tracking the perceptions... Read More

Top Ten Tips For Great Sound Bites

If you're an online business using public relations (PR) to... Read More

Public Relations

The wind of changes...The digital world has changed the form... Read More

10 Ways to Get the Media to Love You

So you've put yourself "out there" with a public relations... Read More

Financial Planners Garner Free Publicity by Making it Easy for the Media

Would you advise clients to buy a stock based on... Read More

Financial Planners Publicity - Dont Wait, Media Folks Want Your Free Publicity

Looking to get your name into a magazine? You need... Read More

Crisis Management

The Internet may have opened worlds for businesses and consumers,... Read More

Advertising Is Dead. Long Live PR

Although I still believe there is a place for advertising... Read More

Public Relations Productivity

Should it be measured in "publicity by the pound," or... Read More

Radio Interviews - How To Get Them!

Getting on the radio can be a great tactical move... Read More

Media Training: How to Avoid Being Misquoted

I often begin my media training sessions by asking members... Read More

The Truth About Public Relations

The truth is, you CAN attract the support of those... Read More

How to Stay Composed During Contentious TV Interviews

NOTE: Brad Phillips was a Producer for CNN's The Capital... Read More

PR Buyers Beware!

It can bite you and waste your public relations budget... Read More

Whats Important About PR?

Quite a bit, actually. Public relations helps business, non- profit... Read More

Marketing-Minded Financial Planners, the Media Wants to Give You Free Publicity

In this great country of ours, there are basically three... Read More

Generating Publicity For Your Business: Knowing Your Media Market Is Critical

When starting a successful business venture or launching a new... Read More

The Four Seasons of Publicity - Building an All-Year Publicity

If you're like most publicity seekers, you probably think oneproject... Read More

The Key to Great PR

The Key to Great PR is PerseveranceBy Paula Gardner of... Read More

Best Approach For Free Advertisement

Product/service publicity is the superhighway to business success everyone dreams.... Read More

When Should You Outsource Your PR Efforts?

1) Do you NEED solid, consistant media exposure...week after week,... Read More

Foolproof Publicity for Marketing-Minded Financial Planners

They'd hate to admit it, but the media is pretty... Read More

Right PR Focus A Powerful Advantage

Powerful is a strong word. But it fits here. As... Read More

Turn Your Business? New Year Resolutions in PR Revolutions

As eyes look forward to a new business year, many... Read More

The Increasing Power Of Publicity - And How It Can Benefit Your Business

The call came into my office and the voice on... Read More

Marketing-Minded Financial Planners, Dont Hold Back Information From the Media

Some financial planners think that they shouldn't share their top... Read More