Tag: AP style

Upsetting the “AP”-ple Cart: AP Changes

Cherith AndesBlog, Professional Development, Public Relations, , , , ,

In PR and journalism, we hold each other to a code. It’s not a secret handshake, invisible ink or Bat Signal. Oh no, we nerds like to think it’s far cooler.

Two words: AP Style.

The Associated Press developed the Golden Rule of writing and grammar for journalism and public relations. It governs everything from sentence structure to how many spaces surround an ellipses. (One space on either side of the ellipses, in case you’re dying to know.)

We’ve pored through that style guide, memorized it and marked up many a news release to remove the loathed Oxford comma.

But, like everything else in our industry, the AP Stylebook makes annual changes to its rules. Now don’t get us wrong. We LOVE staying on the cutting edge of trends, tools and opportunities. Something new to explore? Sign us up! But there are two AP Style rules that have been feathers in every journalist’s cap, the hill on which they’ll die.

And recently, both rules changed. Cue a writers’ riot.

  1. The Percent Sign. Historically, AP Style religiously mandated that you spell out the percent sign, as the “%” symbol did not always translate between AP and newspaper computers, according to ProofReadNow.com. (Isn’t there an app for that?) For example, “This year, 100 percent of Clairemont employees ate peanut butter pretzels.” (True statement. Small addiction here.) Now, AP accepts the symbol, as in “At Clairemont 100% of the employees think this rule is a tad bogus.”
  2. More than vs. Over. Put up your dukes, people. This is a big one with AP Style OGs. When showing an amount greater than another amount, AP Style used to dictate the use of “more than,” such as “Cherith ate more than 7,000 peanut butter pretzels this year.” The word “over” was reserved for a physical position, such as “The light bulb dangled precariously over Cherith’s head.” Makes perfect sense. Now? AP Style accepts “over” in place of “more than.” I’m so over this.

Other general and miscellaneous AP rules?

  1. The plural of “emoji” is “emoji.” Which can actually come in handy when your mother sends you texts comprised of nothing but emojis … er–emoji.
  2. There’s a rule for quoting hashtags. “#NoLikeReally”
  3. Use “canning jar” instead of “Mason jar.” Well. Thank God someone finally addressed this journalistic crisis. We could see it now: masses of Martha Stewart followers storming the streets, aprons flying, spatulas brandishing, because NOT ALL CANNING JARS ARE MASON JARS. Serious business.

All in all, we take our work very seriously when it comes to accuracy … but perhaps not-so-seriously when it comes to a sense of fun and play. The 100% perfect mix.

See some of our writing fun in action!

Cover image from APStylebook Instagram account.

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Copy Cat: Breaking the (Grammar) Rules

Dana PhelpsBlog, Copy Cat, , , ,

I’ll admit that it was the package design that caught my attention. It was the copy that moved me to purchase.

Doctor Lip Bang’s Lip Freak. Just the name raises my curiosity. Then, the front of the package breaks what I consider two copy rules. And I still love it. “The strongest buzzing lip balm in the whole world” — really? The whole world? That’s quite a claim, and one that, as a user of the product, I might be inclined to say is true. Still, in PR, we are careful with making such strong claims. For the packaging of a lip balm, it helps establish the personality of the brand.

Never end a sentence in a preposition. We all know that rule. I spend countless hours fussing over how to reword sentences to honor this one, and yet “Freak your lips out” works so much better than “Freak out your lips” on the front of the package. What other traditional grammar no-nos do you spy with your little eye on the back of the package? Warning to my fellow grammar geeks: it just might give you an eye twitch.

Lip Bangs backDespite the bending and at times total breaking of these beloved rules, I could just smooch the folks at Dr. Lip Bang’s for writing copy that puts a smile on my face in addition to the buzz on my lips! The product is just as fun as the packaging and never fails to be an entertaining conversation starter.

As PR pros, we love some good copy. Occasionally, we can’t stop ourselves from talking about bad copy. From pizza boxes to pet clinic signage, get in on our copy conversations here.

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Copy Cat: Can You Spot the Typo?

Sarah HattmanBlog, Copy Cat, Marketing, , , , ,

The way we consume entertainment has changed. More and more of us are using online streaming services to watch movies and television at a time and location that fits our busy schedules. Netflix is leading the charge with more than 40 million US customers using its service – clearly its doing something right. However, Netflix recently caught my eye for something it did wrong. Did you happen to catch the typo in the above picture? If you didn’t, take another look.

It’s the apostrophe in “parent’s friends.” The way it reads, it’s as though Netflix is asking that you tell only one of your parent’s friends. The possessive apostrophe is quite possibly my biggest punctuation challenge. The Associated Press Stylebook (AP Style) rules for forming possessive words are fairly straightforward.

  • The possessive of a singular noun is formed by adding an apostrophe and “s” to the word. 
  • The possessive of a plural noun is formed by adding only an apostrophe when the noun ends in “s.“

However, there are plenty of exceptions to the rules. For example, what do you do when the word is a singular noun that already ends in “s”? Well, it depends on the word following the noun. If it doesn’t start with “s,” you should add an apostrophe and “s.” However, if the word immediately following the noun does start with “s,” just add the apostrophe. E.g. hostess’s invitation versus hostess’ seat.

Whew! As you can see, it gets tricky fast once you start noting the exceptions, and that’s why my best advice is to keep the AP Stylebook close by at all times.

Perhaps the possessive apostrophe is Netflix’s Achilles’ Heel, but chances are this is just a case of a typo that was overlooked. Either way, hopefully it will help you pay closer attention to the use of apostrophes – whether writing copy of your own, or seeking entertainment outside of steaming online services in the form of a book or magazine.

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My First 30 Days at a Raleigh PR Agency: Day 12

Margot HorganBlog, Entry-Level PR Job, Professional Development, , , , , , ,

Working in public relations is a lot more than planning events or helping a celebrity or corporation recover from a public blunder. Yes, event planning and crisis communications are very important skills for public relations professionals, but the most fundamental, absolutely necessary, hire-or-fire skill is something a little less glamorous – great writing. Whether it’s a tweet, blog, press release or annual report, clear and concise writing is one of the most important weapons a PR practitioner can have in his or her arsenal.

2012 AP Stylebook — the #1 resource for all things style and grammar!

The difference between good writing and bad writing is a press release that gets primetime media coverage verses a release that gets ignored because of its weak lead; it’s the difference between an attention-grabbing tweet that is shared and retweeted, boosting a company’s ROI and SEO, compared to a tweet that is too long or boring to get noticed; it’s the difference between a strong, convincing, informative brochure or fact sheet that can inspire publics to act and change their behaviors, compared to a ready-to-use piece that inspires nothing and no one. But, most importantly, it’s the difference between the ability to generate results for the client or to not.

At Clairemont, the importance of writing is stressed on a continual basis, and nearly all of my daily tasks are centered on writing in one way or another. A number of my assignments are creative writing projects, and this past week, I’ve been working on writing copy for a furniture client’s new collections. While the style of writing is certainly different than that of a press release, it still comes down to the same concept of aiming to create results. For furniture copy, this means exuding the feeling and style of the collection or piece. It is about making a customer feel the sophistication of the product. Furniture copy is not just a description – it’s a feeling.

Writing furniture copy isn’t always the easiest, though. It takes time to perfect and to know how to write in the client’s style. For me, the biggest help is to sit down with Josie and walk through the editing process with her. Instead of just passing my copy on to her to edit, she will sit down with me and show me exactly what she is looking for and how to make those edits. This way, I can see the mistakes or style issues in my writing and address them in future assignments.

Does anyone else have any other writing or editing tips? We are always looking for ways to improve because it is such an important skill!

 

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