Longer headlines and multimedia releases are in as communicators adapt to LLMs
Headlines in press releases are getting longer because of AI, says the Global State of the Press Release report that was recently published by press release distribution network PR Newswire.
This, and other findings, make the report a fascinating read on the transformations to and revival of some PR “tools” like the humble press release. Here we try to unpack some of the data that we find more interesting.
Longer Headlines
The report, which polled 985 PR professionals worldwide between August and September, said that most press releases that received most views would have 51-75 characters because search engines cut off reading headlines at around 70 characters.
However, with GEO begining to overtake SEO in search inquiries longer headlines give more context and structure for LLMs to make sense of the press release.
So 75-100 characters is now the optimal headline length. So much for pithy and witty headlines that some of us who grew up in analog days appreciated.
The report also found that:
APAC is Rapidly Embracing the AI Era
Consistent with the One Asia Communication’s study on AI Adoption Among PR Professionals in Asia 2025 (download here), the PR Newswire report suggests that communicators in the APAC region are the fastest to adapt to technology.
While North America and EMEIA, said the report, are slower to change their deeply ingrained SEO approaches, APAC communicators are rapidly pivoting. Almost half (49%) of APAC respondents have been prompted by AI search to adopt AI tools for content creation/optimization compared to North America (9%) and EMEIA (8%).
Furthermore, APAC leads in using generative AI to write press release body copy (58%) and for language translation (33%), reflecting our regional diversity.
Focusing on Original Content and Video.
When it comes to strategy, APAC communicators prioritize original content (including thought leadership, surveys, and educational resources) over product or service news as the most newsworthy reason to send a release, a key difference from North America and EMEIA. This shows a sophisticated focus on brand authority. In amplifying news, APAC also stands out: over half of our regional peers (52%) are repurposing press release content into video, a much higher rate than North America (16%) and EMEIA (14%).
Distribution: Different Priorities
APAC communicators have the highest reported volume of press releases annually (51-99 releases) compared to the other regions. While they rely on news distribution services the least, their preferred promotion channel on their own site is not the traditional "Newsroom" (40%), but elsewhere on the website (57%).
Over the next 12 months, 40% of APAC communicators plan to send fewer releases, a significant contrast to North America (7% fewer) and EMEIA (9% fewer).
