February's Most Popular Press Releases: A Roundup
The most popular releases on prnewswire.com in February shared many content best practices – confirmation that straightforward, proven strategies consistently resonate with various audiences.
Let’s take a look at five releases that generated the most interest on our site last month, based on views.
1. Red Lobster® Declares This Year's Lobsterfest® the GLOAT: The Greatest Lobsterfest of All Time
After surviving the decade that was January, no one can be blamed for wanting to indulge in February, and Red Lobster was here for us with the top release last month.
What Works
Red Lobster gives the people what they want in the first 45 characters of the headline. If one Googled “Lobsterfest” while watching the sun set before 5 p.m. earlier this year – or if you Google it today – this press release is among the top results (behind Red Lobster’s own site and next to earned media coverage from USA Today). Using a strong action verb that you don’t regularly see in headlines and promising the best-ever lobster event is more than enough to entice readers into the story. Bonus points for the sports pun that fits with the NBA partnership.
Red Lobster keeps its paragraphs concise and filled with dates and details, making it easy for readers to scan. And, of course, you can’t have a food announcement without photos of butter-soaked seafood goodness to seal the deal for readers.
2. Bath & Body Works and Disney Collaborate to Launch Disney Princess Fragrance Collection
On the flip side, a floral-focused collab designed to pump us up for spring came in at No. 2 last month.
What Works
A short and sweet headline – just 90 characters – featuring both brands and the key phrase “Disney Princess” successfully drew readers in.
This headline would have been just as strong with one verb – “Collaborate” or “Launch” – which would have placed the key phrase “Disney Princess” in the first 55 or so characters, ensuring its place in Google search results.
This particular collab was guaranteed attention and earned media, but huge brand or not, being mindful of your limited, valuable headline real estate and condensing where you can is essential.
Among the other classic best practices here: multiple product photos and a standalone section with strategic bolding laying out the details of each princess collection. This release also shows that your call to action doesn’t necessarily have to be in the first or second paragraph. B&BW tactically places the lone link immediately after the product details – where readers’ eyes are already drawn, thanks to the bolding and formatting – to drive the desired clicks.
3. Blue Star Families Annual Military Families Lifestyle Survey Results: Women in Uniform Show Strength, But Military Families Face Readiness Challenges as 83% Expect Conflict
A data-rich report on an always-interesting subject was the third-most viewed release in February.
What Works
Incorporating data into a headline is proven to increase engagement – a reader’s eye is naturally drawn to numbers, and it’s an efficient and effective way to immediately communicate the impact of your news.
We always encourage PR pros to experiment when they have strong content like this. Don’t be afraid to lead with an eye-catching stat, like one of the most popular releases from 2024 did, or test an unbranded headline, like one of our clients who consistently has strong engagement.
Blue Star’s “Key Findings” section in this release is textbook ideal formatting – bullets, bolding and data points. Plus, placing the call to action in its own section again proves you have flexibility in where you put your CTA, as long as it stands out.
4. Honeywell Announces Intent to Separate Automation and Aerospace, Enabling the Creation of Three Industry-Leading Companies
Honeywell’s spinoff news was the No. 4 release last month.
What Works
If you’re a public company with major business updates to report, it’s not the time to get creative with headlines. But you should still follow general best practices, as Honeywell does here: keeping it relatively succinct, incorporating keywords early and selecting a positive action verb (“enabling”) when possible.
Focusing on a helpful key summary – whether it’s bulleted subheadlines as Honeywell does here or bullets front and center in the body of the release – is essential for journalists and analysts multitasking on tight deadlines. A dense, detail-filled release like this requires mindful formatting, as Honeywell demonstrates here with bullets and defined, bolded sections. Taking a few minutes to structure your content like this will resonate across all your other audiences – investors, stakeholders and business partners – who don’t have the time or inclination to read through blocks of wordy paragraphs.
5. Nickelodeon Announces All-New Animated Series Avatar: Seven Havens Set in the World of Avatar: The Last Airbender
A beloved entertainment franchise rounds out our Top 5 for February.
What Works
Sometimes, entertainment titles, whether by the creator’s design or by virtue of their longevity, just take up a lot of space. Think of what your target audience will be searching for and focus on placing that up front. In this release, “Nickelodeon” and “Avatar” are in the first 55 characters, boosting the chance that someone searching for either brand will organically come across this content.
Nickelodeon has a little fun by placing social sharing and multimedia calls to action after the subheads and before the body of the release. This is an example of knowing your audience and formatting your content accordingly.
Bolded section headers and bullets allow readers to scan and find the details most relevant to them. Nickelodeon wisely avoided the 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. ET distribution times, when “the wire” as a whole is the busiest it will be all day. Pro tip: Experiment with an off-minute (e.g. 11:08 a.m. or 11:17 a.m.) for consumer-focused or non-material content to help your release stand out even more.
Want to learn more about crafting a press release for optimal success? Ensure your story isn't overlooked by those who matter most with PR Newswire’s Definitive Guide to Crafting an Engaging Press Release.
About the Author
Sarah Roberts is Director of Customer Content Services. In a previous life, she was a newspaper reporter in the Midwest before permanently retiring her snow shovel and moving to the Land of Enchantment. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, exploring the craft beer scene and petting all the dogs.