Press Release Tip 35

In the headline, answer three questions

Publicity expert Marcia Yudkin says that when journalists and consumers read your press release, they are looking for answers to three questions:

1. What is this?

2. Who is this for?

3. Where is the news significance? In other words, how does this affect me or my readers?

In other words, why should I care?

If anyone has to read past the headline for the answer to one or more of those questions, you haven’t done a very good job of pulling them into the release. Studies have shown that media people spend an average of five seconds reading a release before deciding whether to continue reading it or delete it.

Here are examples of press release headlines I found online that answer all three questions:

Diet Foods Can Make Your Child Sick

Texas Reports on Terrorists Immigration Underscore Need for American Firearms Ownership, says U.S. Gun Law Expert

 Clothing Etiquette: Bad Wardrobe Decisions Are a Serious Career Mistake

How to Write Your Non-fiction book by Dan Poynter (Notice Dan put his name in the headline. Smart!) 

Opportunity #35 to write a press release: Hostile takeover

If you’re the victim of a hostile takeover, write a press release and post it on press release distribution services like PRNewswire and Business Wire. 

Next: You’ll begin Module 6 and learn how to keep information in the body of the release organized.