The recipe for July’s most-read stories included a splash of summer fun, a dash of politics and a dab of innovation.
Readers gravitated toward bold announcements and buzzy moments that captured the season’s energy. Here’s a closer look at the five most popular stories on our site last month.
Princess Cruises includes each of the five key elements to an engaging press release here, so it’s no surprise it performed so well with readers.
The headline is informative yet concise, ensuring that keywords and phrases like the company name and “Premier” and “Plus” packages will appear in online search results.
The subheadline and first paragraph provide specific details and focus on the target audience, noting the new features are in direct response to customer requests.
The body of the release features strategically bolded information, including pricing, a bulleted list and paragraphs that are diverse in their length and structure. Combined, these make for a release that’s easy to read and skim (realizing much of the target audience is likely scrolling on a mobile device while multitasking).
The environmental photo drops readers into the cruise atmosphere, and the clear call to action – the only link in the release – drives readers to learn more.
Lastly, after creating a textbook release, Princess made sure to distribute the news in the early afternoon, in a window where there is less competition than first thing in the morning.
BuzzBallz leans into its fun-loving persona, creating content that appeals to its target demographic and makes its announcement seem like a must-have for summer fun.
The headline and subheadline are bold and cheeky, with the headline offering just enough to entice readers and the subheadline filling in the details.
The photo is certainly one-of-a-kind, visually striking and clearly made for social engagement and sharing.
The bullets are punchy and to the point, highlighting the basics while also creating a sense of urgency by emphasizing the limited availability. A call to action is strategically placed after the bulleted list, encouraging clickthroughs.
The HarrisX NYC mayoral poll release is a strong example of how to present political data in a way that’s both informative and engaging, both for New Yorkers and countless others watching this race for its long-term political implications.
The headline is direct and newsy, and the subheadlines add depth by highlighting key matchups and voter sentiment, helping readers quickly grasp the stakes and dynamics of the election.
With all the data available, HarrisX wisely pulls just four key findings into a bulleted list, saving readers from information overload. This format makes complex polling data accessible and easy to scan, which is ideal for media outlets, campaign teams and politically engaged readers.
The folks behind the longstanding “Baby of the Year” contest have launched another heartwarming campaign, and their headline is packed with appeal. The overall length stays within recommendations for engagement and discoverability. Knowing most search engines crop a headline around 60 characters, Colossal builds a full headline within that – “Toddler of the Year: Colossal Launches New National Competition.” That’s enough to generate clicks, at which point readers find the additional highlights – a popular celebrity host and a charitable cause.
Once they click into the release, readers are drawn to a strategically bolded and bulleted section bookended by call-to-action links.
Naturally, this content calls for multimedia, and Colossal obliges with both a video and an image that are warm, engaging and ideal for sharing, encouraging Colossal’s audience to help amplify the content’s reach.
The headline is keyword-rich, featuring recognizable names and active phrases like “global partnership” and “embed AI Learning” to signal the impact of the announcement. The subheadline and first sentence immediately deliver the value to the target audience: personalized, scalable and secure AI designed for educators and students worldwide.
Keyword integration remains strong throughout the release, which is broken into digestible sections with bolded section headers. While not technically in a bulleted list, the shorter bolded sections in the middle of the release serve the same purpose – breaking up dense information, making it easier for readers to scan and absorb key messages quickly.
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.