How to Write Press Release Headlines That Speak to Your Audience
1. Know Your Audience
Who is the audience for your press release? Your audience relates to your goal. For example, if your goal for your press release is to grab the media’s attention, then (in part at least) your audience is the media. If your goal is to sell a specific product, then your audience is the buyers of that product.
To speak to your audience, you first have to know who they are. You can then dig deeper into that audience to learn more about them. When do they buy? Where do they hang out online? What keywords do they use to find your products or services? What do they want or need from you?
Once you have done your research, you can then use that information to not only craft a compelling press release, but to also write a press release headline that grabs their attention.
2. Know What They’re Feeling
People buy and take action based on their emotions. They justify those decisions based on facts. Your press release is primarily facts. It’s full of quotes, data, and support for your news. Your headline, and a bit of your first paragraph, needs to leverage those emotions.
It needs to pull your potential reader into your release so they read the information. When writing headlines that speak to your audience, understand what they’re feeling and use those words in your headline. Are they angry, frustrated, hopeful? Emotions speak.
3. Make Sure It’s Newsworthy
People have expectations from press releases. They expect, in short, for them to be newsworthy. That means they’re providing relevant, timely, and important information. Your headline needs to convey this information.
4. Use Keywords
Integrate keywords into your headline. Not necessarily to improve SEO, but rather to help your prospect connect with your information and know that it’s relevant to them. Keep in mind that media representatives search online, including social media, for story ideas and guess what…? They use keywords.
5. Leverage Proven Headline Formats
Use proven headline tactics. These include things like using numbers or data in a headline. For example, “ABC Company Reports 34% Revenue Growth Year Over Year for Fiscal Year End 2016” or “New Report Identifies Top 10 Ways to Gain Coveted Scholarships”
Finally, track your results. What do they respond to? Staying on top of your most popular and effective press releases can give you powerful information on what is, and is not, speaking to your audience.
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