A press release headline should state the news in one line: the company, the specific thing it did or found, and the topic or market it concerns. Keep it to 18 words or fewer, which is a common newswire limit, write it in Title Case, and leave out hype. Someone who reads only the headline should know who did what.
What is the headline formula?
The formula from our press release guide is short enough to remember:
[Company or source] + [specific action or finding] + [topic or market]
Each part does a different job.
| Part | What it tells the reader | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Company or source | Who this is about | Acme Plumbing |
| Specific action or finding | What happened, in a verb and an object | Opens First Abu Dhabi Service Centre |
| Topic or market | Where it fits and who should care | Emergency Plumbing in the UAE Capital |
Put together:
Acme Plumbing Opens First Abu Dhabi Service Centre for Emergency Plumbing and Leak Detection
That is 14 words. Acme Plumbing is a fictional company, as are all the companies in this post.
Why should the headline name the company?
Because the company is the most important entity in the release, and a syndicated copy may be seen only as a headline in a list. Search engines and AI assistants also read the headline as a strong signal of what the page is about, so naming the company there ties the event to the business from the first word. The post on entities, not keywords explains why that link between names and events matters.
Weak: New Service Makes Invoicing Easier for Freelancers
Strong: Acme Invoicing Launches Same-Day Payouts for UK Freelancers
The weak version could be about anyone. The strong version names the company, the product change and the market.
What makes a headline weak?
Most weak headlines fail in one of four ways: they announce that something exists without saying what it is, they describe a feeling rather than an event, they use claims that cannot be checked, or they try to fit every keyword in.
| Weak | Why it fails | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Acme Releases Important New Industry Report | Says a report exists, not what it found | Acme Study of 4,812 Dubai Plumbing Callouts Finds Flexible Hoses Linked to 31% of Water Emergencies |
| Northwind Clinics Is Thrilled to Announce Exciting News | Emotion instead of an event | Northwind Clinics Opens Third Physiotherapy Clinic in Leeds |
| Revolutionary Platform Will Change Everything | No company, no fact, a claim nobody can verify | ExamplePay Adds Recurring Invoices for Small Businesses in the UAE and UK |
| Best Dubai Plumber Emergency Plumbing Leak Repair Cheap Fast | Keywords, not a sentence | Acme Plumbing Extends 24-Hour Emergency Service to All Dubai Postcodes |
| Northwind Robotics Announces Strategic Partnership | Partnership with whom, to do what | Northwind Robotics and Acme Logistics Pilot Warehouse Picking Robots in Rotterdam |
The fix is nearly always the same: replace the vague noun ("news", "report", "partnership") with the specific fact it stands for.
When should a headline include a number?
When the number is the news or makes the news credible. A sample size, a percentage, a count of locations or a sum of money gives the reader something concrete. A number that is only decoration does not.
Weak: Acme Invoicing Hits Huge Milestone
Strong: Acme Invoicing Processes Its One-Millionth Invoice for UK Freelancers
Weak: Survey Reveals Surprising Truth About Small Businesses
Strong: Survey of 1,200 SMEs Finds 43% Still Create Invoices Manually
Every number in a headline needs a basis later in the release: where it came from, what period it covers and how it was counted. If you cannot explain a figure in the body, do not put it in the headline. The post on turning vague claims into verifiable facts covers how to attribute figures properly.
When does geography belong in the headline?
When the place changes who the news is for. An opening, an expansion, a local survey or a service limited to one region all depend on location, and naming the city or country helps local readers and local search.
Weak: Northwind Clinics Expands Its Network
Strong: Northwind Clinics Opens First Physiotherapy Clinic Outside Yorkshire, in Manchester
If the news is the same wherever the reader is, such as a software feature available worldwide, the place can wait for the first paragraph.
Which words should a headline leave out?
Leave out any word that praises rather than describes. Common newswire rules and most editors treat these as warning signs unless the release proves them and says how:
- leading, world-leading, industry-leading, number one, best
- revolutionary, groundbreaking, game-changing
- innovative, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, world-class, best-in-class
- seamless, unparalleled
- excited, thrilled, delighted, proud
Also leave out exclamation marks, questions and trademark symbols. Newswires commonly refuse the first two, and a question makes the reader do the work of finding the answer.
How long can a press release headline be?
A common newswire limit is 18 words. Count them before you submit; hyphenated compounds such as "same-day" count as one word, and figures such as "31%" count as one.
Too long (22 words): Acme Plumbing, the Dubai-Based Plumbing Company, Today Announced the Opening of Its First Service Centre in Abu Dhabi to Serve Residential Customers
Trimmed (11 words): Acme Plumbing Opens First Abu Dhabi Service Centre for Residential Customers
The trimmed version drops "today announced the opening of", which says nothing a verb cannot, and moves "Dubai-based" to the first sentence of the release. The summary post shows where that detail goes next.
Title Case or sentence case?
Either works if you use it consistently, but Title Case is the convention most newswires expect, so it is the safer choice. Never write a headline in capital letters: it is harder to read and is commonly rejected.
A headline check before you submit
- Does it name the company or the source?
- Does it state a specific action or finding, with a verb?
- Would a stranger know what happened without opening the release?
- Is every number explained somewhere in the body?
- Is the place included if the news depends on it?
- Is it 18 words or fewer, in Title Case, with no hype, question or exclamation mark?
Frequently asked questions
Should a press release headline include keywords?
Use the words a customer or journalist would naturally use for the subject, because those are usually the clearest words anyway. Do not add terms the sentence does not need. A headline that reads as a list of search phrases loses the reader and says less about the news.
Does the release headline need to match the page title on my website?
It does not have to match word for word, but the facts should agree. If your own announcement page and the release describe the same event, use the same company name, product name, figures and date in both.
Once the headline is right, the next line a reader sees is the summary. The summary post covers how to write it in 45 words without repeating yourself.
media:on Editorial. Written and reviewed by the media:on editorial team, who edit every release before it files.