- How to make your press release stand out to journalists
- When using a brand or company name is a good thing
- How to help readers whilst helping yourself and/or your client
MyPR‘s view is that any release with the company name in the title is immediately seen as an advert whereas a title that solves a problem is the one to aim for to get people’s attention, time and action.
The core difference between public relations and paid advertising can be seen in the press release title.
When a journalist or editor scrolls through hundreds of press release headlines a day, a brand name in the title often acts as an immediate visual flag for “this is a corporate pitch.”
Here is a detailed breakdown of the arguments against and for including your brand name in a press release title, along with a look at when corporate crises demand it.
Why You Should NOT Use Your Brand Name in the Title
It Reads Like an Advertisement (Low Editorial Value)
Journalists exist to inform, educate, or entertain their readers—not to publish free promotions. A title that reads “Company X Launches New Cloud Platform” immediately feels like a sponsored post or advertorial.
Editors automatically filter out self-serving headlines. If the title announces a company accomplishment rather than an industry trend, problem, or news event, it is far more likely to be deleted unread.
It Misses the Hook (Problem vs. Brand)
Readers and journalists care about solutions, data, and outcomes, not who provided them (at least initially).
Weak (Brand-First): “Straton Solar Launches New Solar Inverter for Small Businesses”
Strong (Problem-First): “New High-Efficiency Inverters Cut Small Business Power Costs by 30%”
SEO and Search Intent Favour the Topic, Not Your Brand
Unless your company is a household name (e.g., Apple, Tesla, Google), non-brand keywords carry significantly higher search volume. People search Google for answers to problems (“how to cut load-shedding costs”), not for unknown company names.
Prioritizing broad industry keywords, statistics, or solutions in the headline improves discoverability for journalists searching for source material.
Wasted Headline Real Estate
Press release distribution networks, RSS feeds, and email subjects truncate titles after 50 to 70 characters. Wasting the first 15–20 characters on a brand name starves the headline of its actual news value.
Why You SHOULD Use Your Brand Name in the Title
While problem-first headlines win for standard media pitches, there are specific scenarios where including the brand name is necessary or advantageous:
High Brand Equity & Public Recognition
If the brand name is the news hook, omitting it hurts open rates. When Apple, Eskom, or Sasol makes a move, the brand name itself drives clicks and coverage.
Crises, Corporate Accountability, and “Stepping Out of Line”
When a company faces a crisis, product recall, executive departure, or major regulatory issue, attempting to hide the brand name behind a generic problem-first title looks deceptive and cowardly.
In crisis communication, directness builds trust. A headline like “Statement from [Company Name] Regarding Recent Data Outage” signals immediate ownership and official authority.
Corporate & Financial Disclosures (Investor Relations)
For publicly traded companies, regulatory bodies require clear, unambiguous announcements regarding earnings, mergers, acquisitions, and executive changes. These releases are meant for analysts, shareholders, and financial wire services where brand identification must be instant.
Major Strategic Partnerships
When two established entities collaborate, putting both names in the title creates combined authority (e.g., “[Brand A] Partners with [Brand B] to Expand Local Charging Infrastructure”).
The Golden Middle: The Subtitle Solution
If your internal stakeholders or clients demand that the brand name appear at the top of the release, the industry best practice is to split the job between the Title and the Subtitle:
Title (The Hook): Focus 100% on the problem solved, the key statistic, or the industry news value.
Subtitle (The Context): Introduce the company, product, or official attribution immediately beneath the main headline.
Example:
Title: Commercial Solar Installation Costs Drop 25% Following Import Tariff Adjustments
Subtitle: Data released by Straton Solar shows growing adoption of hybrid power systems across South African manufacturing hubs.
By keeping the title focused on value and placing the brand in the subtitle, you satisfy editorial criteria while ensuring clear attribution for syndication and archival search.
Practical Proof:
We have A/B tested headlines with and without company/brand names in the title, leaving the body exactly the same and data shows that the QUESTION answered title wins hand down on views and clicks.
Your client is more likely to thank you for more orders/clients than for an ego trip.
Did You See What We Did Here?
Along with making MyPR stronger we also used Straton Solar as an example – both are now part of and seen as; “The Good Guys giving valuable free advice”. All whilst increasing the value and perception towards both companies.
Images:
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1DARynQMarUx_zDvixfitYQuq9qjeYPK
Reasons why you Shouldn’t Use Your Company/Brand Name in a Press Release TITLE
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Alan Straton
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