7 Headline Writing Formats That Get Journalists to Read Your Pitch

The most important part of a press release or pitch is the headline. If the headline doesn't get a journalist's attention, if it doesn't create interest or sell your story, then it’s very unlikely the rest of the release or pitch will be read. And all of that time and energy you spent writing is wasted.

Equally important is what you put in the email subject line. The email subject line, which is often the same as the pitch or press release headline, needs to give the journalist an overall picture of the story you are suggesting and spark their interest in order to get them to open your email. Headlines and subject lines that promise journalists something new or unknown or information that will benefit their audience are very likely to get journalists’ attention.

Statistics from reliable sources are a great way of backing up a point and making a story factual. For example: "25% of New Businesses Fail in the First Year — How to Avoid This" or "Shocking Statistics Show 30% of Dogs Are Abandoned — Here Are the Reasons Why." Journalists love statistics because they instantly lend credibility and explain the scope of your story.

Asking a question in a headline is a great way to engage a journalist. This could be something like "Leadership: Can You Learn to Speak in a Way That Gets People to Listen?" Using a question in your headline gets the journalist to either mentally answer the question or feel intrigued to find out what the answer is, making this a very good way to get a journalist’s attention.