What Makes A Good Press Release Headline? Here Are PrWeb’s Top 25 Of 2010

January 11, 2011


Prweb.com recently released their top 25 press release headlines for 2010, some of these were pretty surprising:

  1. New Report Ranks Top U.S. Cities for Bedbug Infestations

Very, very few things sell better than fear. And very, very few things are more soul-shatteringly frightening than bed bugs. Conduct a Google Image search, if you dare.

  1. Sean Combs’ Bad Boy Records Accused Of Copyright Infringement

We all love to hear about celebrities – especially if the celebrity in question is accused of wrong doing. Now, combine ‘celebrity in trouble’ + ‘pseudo’ (as you will see several more times on this list) – and you have the makings of a very popular headline.

  1. My Data Team Releases A New Work From Home Program

Working from home is the unspoken dream of many an office worker. And while it may be an unspoken dream, it is certainly not an un-searched-upon dream, as proven by the popularity of this release.

22.Glass Negatives Found at Garage Sale Are The Lost Works Of Ansel Adams According to Leading Experts

Weave a compelling tale that your reader can easily see themselves as a part of. Very few online press release headlines can carry the lucrative ‘it could’ve been me!’ weight than the discovery of a priceless treasure at an everyday garage sale. If done well, nearly any product or service can become a key player in the life story of a reader that you may not even know you are writing for. And of course, as we’ll see below, celebrity involvement only helps.

  1. Free Stream – Watch FIFA World Cup Soccer 2010 Online Live with Satellite Direct

From the opening benefit statement (‘Free Stream’) to a clear description of a product and service (World Cup Soccer! Online Live!) this release headline leaves little out. Normally, we would lean towards a headline a bit more succinct, but we can’t argue with results.

  1. Fushigi Ball Poised to be Bigger than Snuggies, X-Box

Bigger than Snuggies and an X-Box?? If your product or service is too new to have any direct competition, why not try calling out some popular indirect competition? An excellent example of how online press release headlines that borrow to build and counter-brand demands do little more than call out someone popular. So what is the Fushigi Ball? It’s that thing that’s bigger than both Snuggies and the X-Box, of course.

  1. New Software Released To Jailbreak & Unlock Ios 4.0.2 On Iphone 3g, 3gs And Iphone 4

When in doubt, is your product compatible with the latest iPhone?

  1. Free Stream: Watch World Cup 2010 Live Streaming Online – Watch World Cup Soccer Online Live

Frequency of messaging works. See #21.

  1. Jersey Shore Star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino Signs with Serious Pimp

Can you attach a celebrity to your campaign? How about a pseudo-celebrity?

  1. Simon van Kempen Establishes New Social Media Consultancy Company

Pseudo-celebrity + social media = Interest!

  1. Steve Moak Issues Pledge: “Balance The Budget Or Come Home”

Astronomer Carl Sagan is famous for saying ‘extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.’ In much the same way, online press release headlines that make bold claims can pull interest – and maintain it – if the balance of the copy supports this opening pitch. Of course, we will have to wait until November to see if Republican congressional candidate Steve Moak can maintain the interest generated from his claim to ‘fire himself’ if the federal budget is not balanced in six years.

  1. New Evidence Links BP to the Controversial Elimination of Protected Wild Mustangs From Federally Mandated Land in Several Western US States

Again, as a rule of thumb, we are not a fan of long online press release headlines. But when you can populate a longer headline with as many traffic generating concepts as this one does (ie BP is controversial! Wild Mustangs must be protected!) – it can’t hurt to try.

  1. Christmas Gift Ideas — World’s Most Expensive Christmas Gift Idea List for 2007 from Trippon’s

Understand that seasonality isn’t just limited to one season. (Note – you’ll notice the article you are reading now is about this summer’s most popular releases. But we never said what year.) This release, detailing the most expensive Christmas gifts from three years ago, continues to pull traffic for keywords including ‘world’s most expensive gifts’ and ’10 expensive gifts.’ Evergreen concepts and keywords can generate results for far longer than the initial time period we choose to give them, much like an evergreen Christmas tree will maintain its coloring long after it’s pulled from the ground. Kudos to this release for opening with evergreen keywords rather than temporary dates.

  1. The Clutter Diet Blog is Amazon Kindle’s #1 Lifestyle Bestseller

Diet Blog + Amazon Kindle = A lot of pageviews!

  1. The Bottom Half Group Introduces New Designer Adult Baby Diaper: “The Teddy Bambino”

‘Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.’ And if you would like to see evidence of a designer adult diaper, feel free to click on the link above.

  1. Martial Arts and Self Defense Enterprise Announces Warehouse Liquidation Sale Of Vitamin Inventory

Kung fu, meets health food, meets liquidation sale? Who wouldn’t be interested?

  1. Hedge Fund Financial Model Predicts Apple Inc. (AAPL) to Fall 80% as Early as This Fall

A little fear from column A plus a little twisted enjoyment at the potential to see the toppling of a giant from column B can be a powerful combination for effective online press release headlines.

  1. Steve Moak Touts Job Creation Record

A far less boastful claim than Moak made in example #15, and a far more popular release. Sometimes, especially in the political circle, it pays to simply be straightforward with your message.

  1. Free Stream – Watch FIFA World Cup 2010 Live Streaming Online with Satellite Direct

Frequency of messaging works – see #’s 21 and 18. Even when it ends, the World Cup never ends – see #’s 21 and 18.

  1. Free Stream! Watch 2010 World Cup Germany vs Spain Live Streaming Online – Watch World Cup Soccer Online Live

World Cup Fever. Catch it.

  1. ESAB Announces Partnership with Orange County Choppers

Business partnerships make great headline fodder. Don’t feel as though you have to partner with the hosts of a wildly popular television show simply to make an announcement.

  1. Free Live – Watch FIFA World Cup 2010 Soccer Online Live Streaming in High Definition

FIFA has solidified our point on frequency. Again and again.

  1. Skyfire Launches Skyfire Browser 2.1 and Passes over 500,000 Users on Android in First Six Weeks

Android is one of the more popular products to be released this year. The power of associating your product or service with an even more popular product or service in online press release headlines cannot be overstated.

  1. TattooFinder.com Announces Tribal Tattoos as ‘Most Popular Tattoo Designs of 2006’

An evergreen concept is an evergreen concept, whether it’s Christmas gifts (see #14) or tribal tattoos. What is it your customers or prospects always, always want?

  1. LeatherUp.com 2008 Sales Explode to over $20 Million

So what is it about this headline that led to its spot at #1? It is, after all an older release (2 years) and discusses a market that could be seen as a bit niche (leather.) Here, at the end, is where we reveal one final truth to you. If you build it, they won’t always come. This release has benefited from ongoing promotion, whether through paid search campaigns or its link inclusion on sites like AllBusiness. At PRWeb, we will help you build the absolute friendliest house for your campaign to live and build it high enough for all to see. But the more friends you can invite to come over, the bigger party we will all enjoy.


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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 15 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses.
He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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