Press Release Builder (AP Style)

A press release is a news story written for journalists to reuse. Editors receive hundreds a day and decide in seconds, so the format matters: they expect the news in the headline, the facts in the first sentence and a contact at the end. This builder lays the parts out in that order and writes the dateline and date the way the Associated Press Stylebook does.

The parts, in order

The release opens with its timing: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, or EMBARGOED UNTIL a date and time with a time zone. Then come the headline and an optional subheadline, the dateline and lead paragraph, the body, a quote from a named person, a short “About” paragraph (the boilerplate), the media contact, and ### to mark the end.

Datelines the AP way

The dateline tells editors where the news happened. AP writes the city in capital letters and adds the state in its own abbreviations: PORTLAND, Ore.; AUSTIN, Texas; ALBANY, N.Y. Eight states are never abbreviated — Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah — and 30 large US cities stand alone, such as CHICAGO, SEATTLE and WASHINGTON. Outside the US, well-known cities like LONDON or TOKYO stand alone and others take the country: NAIROBI, Kenya. Choose the state from the list and the tool applies these rules.

AP dates

AP abbreviates months only when a specific date follows, and then only the longer ones: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. March, April, May, June and July are always spelled out. The release date is formatted accordingly, so 29 October 2026 becomes Oct. 29, 2026.

Writing the lead and the quote

The lead is one sentence of about 25 to 35 words that says who did what, when and where, and why it matters. Put the most newsworthy fact first; a reporter who reads only that sentence should still have the story. The quote should add opinion or feeling that the facts cannot — why the organisation did it, what it means for people — rather than restating the lead. Give the speaker’s full name and title.

Boilerplate and contact

The “About” paragraph is the same in every release: what the organisation does, its size or reach, and its website. Keep it to three or four sentences. The media contact needs a named person, an email address and a phone number that someone will answer on the day.

Embargoes

An embargo asks journalists not to publish before a set time, so they can prepare a story about research, results or an announcement in advance. State the exact time and time zone, send it only to reporters who honour embargoes, and remember that it is a request, not a legal restraint.

Checks before sending

The panel under the form flags a missing headline or city, a headline over 100 characters, a lead over 40 words, a release without a quote or contact, and anything over 600 words. The example — a library opening a 24-hour study space — comes to 182 words, with the dateline “PORTLAND, Ore.” and today’s date in AP form.

Related tools

Write the spokesperson’s bio with the Bio Template Builder, tell a customer story in the Case Study Builder, fix headline capitalisation with the Case Converter, or check the final length in the Word Counter.