How to write a press release headline
A good press release headline states who did what, and why it matters, in under about 100 characters: "[Company] [action verb] [what], [benefit or number]". It includes your company name, uses a concrete verb (launches, raises, partners, acquires), and avoids hype words. It is the most-read line of the release and the one search engines and AI assistants index first.
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Headline formulas
| News | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | [Company] launches [product], [what it does] for [who] | Acme launches Ledger, AI bookkeeping for freelance designers |
| Funding | [Company] raises $[X] [round] to [goal] | Acme raises $3M seed to bring Ledger to Europe |
| Partnership | [Company] partners with [Partner] to [outcome] | Acme partners with Beta to bring invoicing to 40,000 workspaces |
| Milestone | [Company] passes [number] [unit] [context] | Acme passes 100,000 freelancers eight months after launch |
| Hire | [Company] appoints [Name] as [Title] | Acme appoints Jane Doe, ex-Stripe, as CTO |
| Research | [Company] study finds [finding] | Acme survey finds designers spend 9 hours a quarter on receipts |
Rules of thumb
- Under about 100 characters; search results cut titles at around 60, so front-load the key words.
- Present tense, active voice.
- Specific nouns: the product name and category, not "solution" or "platform".
- One idea. Put the second idea in the subheadline.
- No claims you cannot support; wires remove unsupported superlatives.
Headlines for search and AI answers
Search engines show the headline as the result title, and AI assistants use it to decide whether a page answers a question. A headline with your brand name, your category and the news ("Acme launches Ledger, AI bookkeeping for freelance designers") matches both brand searches and category questions. A clever headline without the category matches neither.
Questions people ask
Should a press release headline be in title case?
Either works. Many wires use title case; sentence case is easier to read. Be consistent.
Do I need a subheadline?
It is optional, but useful for a key number or the second most important fact.