When writing a press release today you must follow the same basic guide, whether you are writing it for the online publication or traditional publication avenues. The guidelines allow a uniform location of information for easy access to media professionals.<\/p>\n
Most markets require that press releases be submitted in the traditional format. Some media professionals throw away anything that does not conform to the standards. You may be able to add some creative measures within the content of the press release, but make sure your format stands up to the guidelines first.<\/p>\n
AP Guidelines for Writing Your Press Release<\/strong><\/p>\n Release Date<\/strong><\/p>\n Start by letting the media outlet know when the content should be released. The release date could be some time in the future if the print story needs to coordinate with a future event. Most of the time, however, it will be FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. It does need to be written in all capital letters.<\/p>\n Headline<\/strong><\/p>\n The headline should be attention grabbing. Sometimes the best way to create a strong headline is to write the content first. Then use some of the strongest elements within the content to create the headline. The headline should be in bold print.<\/p>\n Sub headline<\/strong><\/p>\n The sub headline is a secondary headline that will be a little longer and provide a little more information about the content within the press release.<\/p>\n Location and date<\/strong><\/p>\n The location where the story occurs (and sometimes the date of the writing) is placed at the beginning of the first paragraph. It is written in italics or sometimes in bold to set it off from the content in the paragraph.<\/p>\n Body <\/strong><\/p>\n The content of your press release should be written in third person. Paragraphs and sentences should be short. Break up the content with quotes or bullet points.<\/p>\n