7 Common Mistakes That Will Make Press Release Headlines Go Viral

1 year ago 311

Introduction

If your press release format headline isn't getting enough attention, it's probably because you're making one of these errors. Avoiding them will help ensure that your headlines go viral!

Don't be shy.

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of information you have to share, but don't let that stop you from sharing it. If your press release format is short and sweet, anyone who reads it will likely be able to understand what happened in your company or brand's life cycle—and if they don't understand something, then they can ask questions later on down the road. The better solution is not necessarily more words but making sure that every word has meaning for readers so that they're not left hanging after reading through an article or story about how great your product is (or wasn't).

Avoid specialized or technical jargon.

Avoiding jargon is important, and it can make your news release example headlines go viral. As a general rule of thumb, you should use simple words and avoid specialized or technical language. You might want to consider using an active verb rather than a passive one in your headline as well (e.g., instead of “The New York Times published an article about X” try this: “X has been covered by The New York Times in its latest issue”).

Focus on the reader, not on your brand.

The reader is the most important person in your press release.
You need a headline that will interest them, and you need a body that will hold their interest.
Focus on what they want to know: how can I get more customers? How do I save money? What’s my next big idea?

Don't get too creative with lengthy headlines.

When you’re writing your media release template, it’s important to keep in mind that your headline is the first thing people see. If they don’t understand what you want them to read, they won't think of your article as relevant or interesting and may even dismiss it entirely. So, when creating lengthy headlines (which tend to be longer than most), try taking out some of the fluff and focusing on only one main idea. This will help readers understand what exactly you're trying to say without having any trouble reading through all those words! The best way? By looking at examples where these types of headlines have worked well for other companies:

Don't write spoilers.

Spoilers are a common problem in headlines, but they can be avoided by writing short and to the point headlines. The longer your headline, the more likely it is that people will click on it because they think it's an important story or something exciting that happened in their lives. They also tend to be less likely to share them with others because they don't want anyone else reading spoilers!

If you're going for a long-form headline (more than one word), make sure there's enough context given so that readers understand what kind of content lies within—and remember: shorter isn't always better! A great example here would be this article from Forbes Magazine which seems like nothing special at first glance...but once I read through all six paragraphs explaining why this particular business was worth watching out for, I realized how much thought went into writing such an interesting piece about how startups can succeed despite adversity (don't worry; we'll get into how this applies specifically later).

Don't make a headline too long.

Don't make a headline too long. Headlines should be short enough to fit in the space available, but not so short that they're hard to read or share.
Make sure your headlines are always relevant and timely—don't just slap something together at random! If you're writing an article about "How To" guide people on how they can do something new, then that's a good example of what people will find helpful and worth sharing with their friends. You don't want your audience laughing at how silly it sounds; instead, make sure there's some substance behind what you're saying (like this article).

Use clear, precise and active language.

In order to make your media release example headline go viral, it's important that you use clear, precise language. This means using active verbs and avoiding jargon or acronyms. You should also avoid passive voice (e.g., "The company was awarded"), vague language (e.g., "The product is unique"), filler words like "very" or "really," and clichés like "this is a major announcement."

Creating headlines is hard work but we have tips here so you can do it better!

Creating headlines is hard work, but we have some tips that you can use to make your press release headlines go viral.

Make sure your headline is SEO-friendly! You want people to search for your topic and come across your release. A keyword-focused headline will get more clicks than a less focused one and help you rank better in search results.
Add all relevant keywords into the first sentence of your text (and possibly even before). This way it's easier for readers to find what they're looking for when searching through news sites or social media channels like Twitter or Facebook groups where people share links with other members who might not be familiar with all of these terms yet but might be interested nonetheless!