PR Associate Amy Lecza Sends All Points PR to AP Style Boot Camp
January 22, 2015
As a franchise PR firm, we stay true to AP Style in all communications possible. When we are consistently tracking news coverage, crafting new pitches or press releases, AP Style has never let us down. With this being said, we were thrilled to see that Amy decided to conduct an “AP Style Boot Camp” for her monthly seminar.
Highly regarded in our office as a clear communicator, concise writer and someone who has nearly memorized the AP Stylebook, Amy was the best person to present on the topic.
Here is a summary of her key points:
As PR professionals, we are consistently connecting with reporters and editors regarding story ideas, interview arrangements or to simply check in.
For this reason, in any and all correspondence, it is important to stay true to AP Style standards, as it is the language of the media. Out of respect for the journalist, PR professionals need to make a valiant effort to refer to the AP Stylebook as much as possible.
Commonly used and mistaken in media circles, we discussed several topics that we write about frequently, including:
- Dateline
- Avoid redundancies. Abbreviate when specific numerals are given. Avoid using the year unless necessary.
- Academic Degrees
- The preferred form for academic degrees is to avoid abbreviations of a degree. Don’t capitalize in colloquial usage.
- Commas
- In a series, omit the last comma unless specified by the company.
- Hyphens
- Do not use a hyphen with an adverb. Use as few as possible. Avoid ambiguity. The purpose of a hyphen is to avoid confusion.
From here, you have the inside scoop on how to properly write in AP Style. Whether the guidelines dictate how you capitalize a word or omit a comma, do not underestimate the smallest details when aiming for a reporter’s respect.
Amy did a fantastic job in helping us understand the most important rules of AP Style. She even quizzed our team at the end!
Stay tuned for February’s seminar, led by PR Associate Niveen Saleh.
