An Associated Press-Style press release (AP style press release) refers to a statement that is appropriately styled as per the AP guidelines for the press. The major purpose of an AP style press release is to announce important events, release information about a new product or service, an important hire or partnership, live events, etc. to the media by business firms and organizations. This helps the business have maximum media coverage and increase its exposure in the market, elevate business recognition, and increase consumer awareness of the business.
How to write an AP Style Press Release?
A press release must be succinct and effective to grab the attention of the readers. This demands a specific format that adheres to the AP style press release format so that important information is captured easily and quickly by search engines, media outlets, and journalists. Before proceeding with the writing guidelines, it is important to understand the important elements of a press release. The headline is an important part in a press release as it communicates or tells the readers what is the release all about, this must be concise and compelling to grab the attention of the readers. The next important component of the press release is the body, it encompasses all necessary information pertaining to the event. The last part of a press release is the closing paragraph that includes general information about the business or organization and the contact details of the representative for more information.
What are the components of an AP style press release?
There are seven key elements or components of a press release and the success relies on the effectiveness of the content to seize the reader’s attention. The key elements include headline, dateline, introduction, body, boilerplate, call to action, media contact details. The headline must be captivating and well-articulated so that the reader finds it interesting to know more about the release. The press release must have a dateline in the first line of the beginning of the first paragraph. The introduction part is an important paragraph that includes the summary of the press release, the first few lines must give a fair idea about the release. The body includes detailed information about the event that helps the readers understand better about the event, this can have quotes and statistics that would impress the readers. The boilerplate refers to a short paragraph that gives independent information of the business or company like its vision, mission, founded date, etc. The call to action gives the readers clear information to take an action to engage with the representative of the event. The media contact details provides all the details like name, email id, contact numbers, etc. of a person who is releasing the press.
How do you write an AP style press release style?
The Associated Press is one of the largest new agencies in the world that publishes a style handbook each year that helps the journalists follow a standard format for their content to ensure there is uniformity across regardless of the writer who writes the story. The AP style press release format includes everything from important components of the AP Style press release to punctuation rules. Most often we may come across with the following doubts while writing an AP style press release i.e.
- Should an AP style press release have punctuation and capitalization?
A proper AP Style press release uses only one/single space after a period and it does not encourage the use of a serial comma i.e. the AP style press release does not have a comma before the last item in the series (example: wood, bricks, and cement). It is important for the press release writers to be cautious that all the words in the headlines and sub-headlines are capitalized.
- Can you write a press release in the first person?
The AP Style press release must be written in the third person i.e. the first and second person pronouns like I, me, you and yours must be avoided as per the guidelines of AP style press release.
- How do you write numbers and dates in AP style press release?
The AP Style press release guidelines indicate that the numbers between one and nine must be spelled and after that numerical must be used in a number format/figure i.e. 20, 45, etc. The dates must use numbers and the months that have more than five letters must be abbreviated.
- What font should an AP style press release be written in?
The AP style press release must use a common font that is used by most news agencies on their websites i.e. the press release writer can use Times New Roman or Arial fonts so that it is easily readable by the readers. The headlines and sub headlines can be a little larger in font size than the body text. The suggested font size for the headline is 14 point/Times New Roman/Arial, Sub headline must have 13 point/italic/ Times New Roman/Arial, and the body text can have 12 point/ Times New Roman/Arial.
- How do you list things in AP style?
According to the guidelines of the Associated Press Style press release, bullets must not be used, instead, dashes are used for the list that follows a colon. For example, acronyms should not be used in AP Style press release and they should not be put in parentheses. For example “The pollution control board (PCB)…”
- What tense should a press release be written in?
The AP style press release must use present tense for a powerful headline.
What are the important steps to write an AP Style Press Release?
The following are the important steps that must be followed to make the press release the most effective
- Identify the interested participants for the press release: It is important to determine the audience first. The press release must capture the attention of the readers and interest the media to provide good coverage of what the organization is intended to say to its customer base. The psychographics i.e. values, interests, trust, habits, etc., and the demographics i.e. age, gender, income, etc. of potential customers must be identified to draft the press release effectively.
- Include release instructions: The release instructions are given in the top right-hand corner of the press release and all the words are written in capital.
- Add contact information: This includes the name, contact number, and email id of a representative who can be contacted for any queries related to the press release. According to the AP style press release format, the contact information is positioned at the top left-hand of the press release.
- Headline: As per the AP style press release instructions, the headline is positioned at the top center of the press release. To make it eye-catching, the headline must be appropriately styled using a 14-point font size and having 65 to 80 characters. The headline must be powerful and captivating, so it must be written in bold and capital to grab the reader’s attention and interest. The headline must contain the keywords so that when people search for events that interest them, the press release will have high chances of greater visibility. So, proper keywords must be determined based on the type of audience the business has as its customer base.
- Descriptive Sub-heading: The sub-headings help the readers understand more about the press release. It must be around 120 characters and positioned below the headline. The format must be Time New Roman/italic.
- A lead paragraph: The first paragraph is known as the lead paragraph in AP style press release that summarizes the important information provided in the press release. The first paragraph must be around 55 words because the chances of it getting picked up by the media is high when it is short. The date and location must be positioned at the beginning of the first sentence of the first paragraph i.e. the lead paragraph, and they must be in bold. The first paragraph must include 5Ws i.e. who, what, when, where, and why.
- Body of the press release: This is the second paragraph of the press release that includes more information and details about the press release. A featured quote can be added to the press release increase credibility of the press release
- Boilerplate: This is the section that covers the “about” details positioned at the bottom of the press release. It basically includes the details of the organization or a company i.e. its background, industry experience, established date, awards, and other valuable information that interests the readers. This can include the tenure of business in the market, links of high-profile reviews, honors and recognitions, and a website link.
Some of the best practices of AP Style Press Release suggest not to use overly verbose language to capture the attention of the reader as too many words confuse the reader. It is important to note that a press release is to inform but not to promote, so it must focus on providing relevant information that compels the readers. There must be a call to action included for sure in the press release by suggesting a website to know more about the event or subject.
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