How Long Should a Press Release Headline Be? Median 95 Characters

By the PR Gun Research desk. Updated November 1, 2026.

The middle half of press release headlines run 76 to 116 characters, about 11 to 17 words. In PR Gun's database, the median headline across 129,938 press releases published January 1 to October 31, 2026 was 95 characters and 14 words. Only 9.8% were 60 characters or shorter, and 20.7% ran past 120. A good target is 70 to 100 characters, with the news in the first 60, because many screens show only the start.

Part of PR Gun's press release data series. See also headline style and capitalization and how to write a press release.

How long is a typical press release headline?

We measured every headline in the 2026 window in characters, with HTML codes like & turned back into the character a reader sees. The median was 95 characters. A quarter of headlines were 76 characters or shorter and a quarter were 116 or longer. In words, the median was 14 and the middle half ran 11 to 17.

• In PR Gun's database, the median headline across 129,938 press releases published January 1 to October 31, 2026 was 95 characters.
• 9.8% of headlines were 60 characters or shorter, and 18.8% were 70 or shorter.
• 42.3% ran past 100 characters, 20.7% past 120 and 7.1% past 150.
• The longest headline in the window ran 467 characters.

The 80 to 109 character bands hold the most releases, 39.2% of the total. That's a lot of words for one line.

Does headline length depend on the wire?

Yes, and the longest headline on each wire hints at its rules. Each wire's coverage window in PR Gun's database differs, and the method box lists them.

Two wires look capped. In PR Gun's database, the longest of 6,798 EIN Presswire headlines published February 19 to October 31, 2026 was 168 characters, and only 0.2% ran past 120. PRLog's longest of 2,275 was 150 characters, and its median was the shortest of any wire at 82.

GlobeNewswire is the long end. Its median was 106 characters across 6,085 headlines, and 38.4% ran past 120. Its mix includes investor litigation notices, the type with the longest headlines (see below). PR Newswire, the largest wire, had a median of 96 and allowed headlines up to 467 characters.

So a long headline that fits on one wire may not fit on another. Check your wire's limit before you write.

Does length depend on the type of release?

It does. We sorted releases into types using headline keyword rules.

Executive appointments have the shortest headlines, with a median of 80 characters across 3,578 releases. "Company Names Jane Doe Chief Financial Officer" doesn't need more. Partnerships run longer, with a median of 104 characters across 5,085, because they name two companies.

Investor litigation notices are the longest by far. Their median was 128 characters across 5,764 notices, and 59.4% ran past 120. They pack the firm, the company, the ticker and a deadline into one line.

Subheads inside the headline add length too. 18.2% of headlines used a colon, dash or pipe, often to join a headline and a second phrase. Those had a median of 110 characters against 92 for the rest.

What does a reader actually see?

A headline rarely appears in full everywhere. Search results, news apps, email subject lines and social cards each show a limited number of characters, and the limits vary by device and platform. A 95-character headline is often seen only in part.

That's the case for front-loading. Whatever makes the news matter should come first, before the company name, the product name and the qualifiers. The most common mistake is spending the visible part on who you are and the hidden part on what happened.

A second reader now matters too. Search engines, monitoring tools and AI assistants read the whole headline and pull out whatever is stated most plainly. A headline built around one concrete claim, with a number in it, is easier to quote than one built around a brand name and an adjective. Both readers want the same thing. Say what happened, attach the number and put it first.

What changed since the earlier study?

The first version of this page used an earlier sample of 134,126 headlines studied May 7 to August 15, 2026, with services reported by letter. It found median headlines of 88 to 98 characters by service, or 13.0 to 14.8 words. One service never went past 168 characters and had only 0.2% over 120. Another allowed up to 460 characters, with 23.7% over 120.

The 2026 rerun on 129,938 releases found a wider range of medians, from 82 characters (PRLog) to 106 (GlobeNewswire), because it names eleven wires including smaller ones. The capped pattern repeats exactly. EIN Presswire tops out at 168 characters with 0.2% over 120. We can't confirm it's the same service as the earlier letter, but the match is close. The overall median of 95 characters sits inside the earlier range.

How long should your press release headline be?

• Aim for 70 to 100 characters. That's at or below the median, still long enough for a clear claim, and fits the middle of real practice.
• Put the news in the first 60 characters. Cut your draft at 60 and see if it still says something.
• Lead with what happened. "Raises $12 Million" before the company's full legal name.
• Use the subhead for detail. If your wire offers a summary or subhead line, use it instead of a colon and a second clause.
• Check the cap. In our data some wires never went past 150 or 168 characters.

By sender, a startup should name the product or the funding amount up front, since its brand isn't known yet. A small business can lead with the local angle. An agency should write each client headline to the client's news, not a house formula. A public company can rely on its ticker but should still lead with the result, not the boilerplate.

Asking how long a feature headline should be is a slightly different question. Feature headlines in magazines are often shorter and looser. This study covers press release headlines only.

Related studies cover body length, what each wire carries and press release statistics 2026. The type studies on funding, product launch, partnership, acquisition and executive appointment releases include headline patterns. For headline examples, see press release headlines.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a press release headline be?

Aim for 70 to 100 characters with the news in the first 60. In PR Gun's 2026 data, the median headline was 95 characters and 14 words across 129,938 releases.

How long should a headline be in words?

About 10 to 14 words for a press release. The median in PR Gun's 2026 data was 14 words, and the middle half ran 11 to 17.

What is the character limit for a press release headline?

It depends on the wire. In PR Gun's 2026 data the longest EIN Presswire headline was 168 characters and the longest PRLog headline 150, which suggests caps. PR Newswire allowed up to 467.

Is a 120-character headline too long?

It's longer than most. 20.7% of headlines in PR Gun's 2026 data ran past 120 characters. Readers on small screens will often see only the first part.

How long should a feature headline be?

This study measures press release headlines, not features. Whatever the format, put the main point first, since many screens show only the opening words.