Act like an editor

The headline and the beginning of any press release is your best chance to get an editor interested in your announcement, so make it count. The headline and the first sentence should summarize not only what you're announcing, but why it's newsworthy. Consider these two headlines:

APEX ADVERTISING WINS COMPCO ACCOUNT

APEX ADVERTISING LANDS COMPCO ACCOUNT, BEATING BIG NAME FIRMS

Both headlines summarize the announcement, but the second one offers a reason why it's newsworthy. When writing a press release, put yourself in the position of the editor who will eventually be reading it, and make sure the headline and the beginning of the release are designed to get that editor excited.