If you’ve ever worked in journalism or public relations, odds are you’ve heard of AP Style. But if you haven’t, as is the case with many of our clients, it can be a foreign concept. In today’s post, we want to provide a definition of AP Style and discuss its importance in communications.
The “Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law” (AP Stylebook) is, according to its website, “a writing style guide for journalists. It is published and updated annually to reflect changes in writing style and new guidelines. … Updated regularly since its initial publication in 1953, it provides fundamental guidelines for spelling, language, punctuation, usage and journalistic style. It is the definitive resource for journalists.”
It serves as the ultimate resource when writing and formatting material, ensuring consistency across platforms and publications. There are many reasons why AP Style is useful and important to consider in PR, such as:
- Convenience. When writing any kind of material that may be useful to journalists – a pitch, news release, case study, etc. – PR pros tend to adhere to AP Style guidelines to increase the likelihood of the client’s content being used. By writing and formatting copy the way a publication would prefer, journalists and editors don’t need to worry about rewriting or reformatting the material. It saves them time when they’re busy and stretched too thin.
- Consistency. Regardless of the publication, or whether it’s print or online, having consistency with formatting and grammar is important. And with new technologies and language introduced daily, it’s useful to have an authoritative source providing guidance to everyone in the field on uppercase versus lowercase. Some examples of these new words include: Cloud Computing versus cloud computing, internet versus Internet, and tweet or Tweet.
- Grammar. Not only does the AP Style guide provide rules for formatting, but it also proves helpful when grammar isn’t one of your strengths. Included in the guide is a section on punctuation, as well as guidance on the difference between i.e. and e.g., lay versus lie, and either/or and neither/nor, plus many others.
The 2013 AP Stylebook is available now for purchase here. But tell us: Do you have additional thoughts on why AP Style might be useful?