AP Style Press Releases

An AP Style Press Release is a press release that follows the guidelines of the Associated Press (AP) 

Stylebook, widely recognized as the standard for journalistic writing. This style of press release is designed to deliver clear, concise, and accurate information about an org… Read more

Last month, both Burger King and Jeep had their Twitter accounts hacked. In both cases, the hackers posted that the companies had been sold to their competitors (Burger King to McDonald’s and Jeep to Cadillac) and posted a series of damaging and obscene messages. While the story might appear funny to the a… Read more

Recently, Sony held a much hyped press conference to reveal the company’s new PS4 gaming console. People were looking forward to this event for days, expecting to get a first glimpse at the console Sony has been working on for years. And for the most part, everyone was disappointed.

What took place was a two… Read more

You probably already know that one great way to get press is to tie your company to current events. Piggybacking on other news stories can make it easier for you to get quoted, get your name out there, create some buzz around your company, and establish yourself and your brand as an expert in the industry.

Why

I’ve always thought the op-ed was one of the most underrated PR tools. A well-written op-ed piece can be useful for newsjacking, getting your name out there, stirring up controversy, and establishing yourself as an expert in your field. Unfortunately, many people either don’t know how to write an op-ed, … Read more

Speaking succinctly is important for a number of reasons. When you speak concisely, people are more likely to pay attention to what you’re saying and also to remember your message. Furthermore, if you’re being interviewed for a story on a news broadcast, editors will need to find short clips (sound bites… Read more

Every business owner wants to take advantage of the major holidays like Christmas or Fourth of July. These cultural common denominators are fairly easy ways to rally public opinion, plus there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Everyone knows to expect deals on Black Friday, after all. However, if you’re j… Read more

David Ogilvy was one of the original mad men. He was one of the most famous copywriters ever, and he built a huge, successful ad agency that’s still around to this day. Needless to say, there’s a lot we can learn all these years later from Ogilvy …even about press release writing.

In 1982, Ogilvy sent out a memo … Read more

Being a good writer doesn’t automatically mean that you can be a good press release writer. Press release writing is its own beast, and while there are certainly some skills from other types of writing that will help you write great press releases, there are also some traits unique to press release writing … Read more

Let me get one thing straight from the beginning—in no way am I writing this post to encourage you to stop writing press releases. I’ve seen some people say that it’s okay to give up press release distribution in favor of using your blog as a news distribution channel. I highly disagree with this approach. I t… Read more