Use action words to craft a newsworthy headline. Seek words that communicate the news value of the story. The following is a list of 25 action words and 25 sample headlines from the pressrooms of Apple Computers, Yahoo!, Google, IBM and T-Mobile:

1. Announces - Apple Announces iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition
2. Launches - Google Inc. to Launch Transferable Stock Option Program for its Employees*
3. Acquires - Google To Acquire YouTube for $1.65 Billion in Stock*
4. Introduces - Apple Introduces MacBook Pro
5. Releases - Google Releases 2006 Google Earth Election Guide*
6. Unveils - Apple Unveils Mac mini with Intel Core Duo
7. Appoints - Yahoo! Appoints Jill Nash Chief Communications Officer
8. Celebrates - Google Celebrates Geography Awareness Week with New Innovations for Google Earth*
9. Enters (enters into agreement) - Fox Interactive Media Enters Into Landmark Agreement with Google Inc.*
10. Opens - Yahoo! Search Marketing Platform Opens Online Sign-up for New Customers
11. Ships - Apple Ships Final Cut Studio 5.1
12. Signs - IBM Signs IT Services Agreement With Scotiabank Mexico
13. Makes - Yahoo! Makes Strategic Investment in Right Media
14. Participates - Google Code Jam 2006 Programmers Worldwide Invited to Participate in Google’s Fourth Annual Global Coding Competition*
15. Showcases - Yahoo! Showcases Internet Time Capsule at the Site of One of the World’s Oldest Communities
16. Joins - The University of Virginia Library Joins the Google Books Library Project
17. Expands - Yahoo! Go for Mobile Now Available for Windows Mobile Devices; Expands Reach of Service to Millions of Windows Mobile Devices Globally
18. Adds - Google Adds New Features to the Google Toolbar for Firefox
19. Now - CBS’s “CSI” & “Survivor” Now Available on the iTunes Music Store
20. Hosts - Seattle Hosts Top High-School Basketball Teams in First-Ever T-Mobile Invitational
21. Closes - Google Closes Acquisition of YouTube*
22. Issues - Google Inc. to Issue 5,300,000 Shares of Class A Common Stock*
23. Presents - Google to Present at the Goldman Sachs Seventh Annual Internet Conference*
24. Reports - Apple Reports First Quarter Results
25. Partner(s) - Helio and Yahoo! Partner to Offer Mobile Access to Internet Services; Relationship Includes Comprehensive Integration of Yahoo!’s Properties Throughout Helio’s 3G Service

26 is a Bonus

26. Tests - Google and Viacom’s MTV Networks to Test New Online Video Distribution Model*

Stop Words

Spam filters are automatically triggered when certain words are used in the subject line of an email. You can confirm this by observing how many emails in your Junk folder are from the bestoffering new and amazing health products!

Use alternative action words for “New” and “Offers (to offer)” whenever possible.

Punctuation marks like periods, exclamation points and question marks are typically used in advertisements and articles. News headlines almost never include punctuation marks.

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Press Release Optimization: How to write an effective headline