Editorial Guidelines

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Multichannel Amplification^TM – To emphasize PR Newswire’s trademark of the term, capitalize the name and add “TM” in superscript at the end.

PR Newswire Amplify™ - Use the TM in superscript after “PR Newswire” to indicate our trademark. Please note that the trademark does not apply to the word “Amplify” on its own.

Here are other acceptable names: 

• The PR Newswire Amplify™ platform  
• Our platform  
• The Amplify platform  
• Amplify  

Remember to capitalize the “A” in Amplify when referencing the platform. 

Don’t use “PRN” externally. Only use “PR Newswire.” “PRN” may only be used colloquially in internal communications. 

Don’t use “Cision Distribution.” 

Capitalize the names of all PR Newswire products and applications. 

Writing Style Guidelines  

We use the Associated Press Stylebook as a basis for style guidelines. Unless otherwise noted here, look to the AP for general style guidance.  

We do not use the serial comma, also called the Oxford Comma, to separate items in a list, no matter how long or short. Example: The flag was red, white, and blue. Instead, simplify the sentence structure by eliminating the last comma: The flag was red, white and blue.   

Voice and Tone 

Our voice and tone are the written expression of our brand. Together with our visual style, they create our brand personality. When we talk about voice, we mean how we express our brand’s unique personality in words.  

Our tone can change depending on the purpose of our communication and the emotional state of our audience. For example, it can be serious or lighthearted, but our tone is always authoritative and professional.   

Keep It Simple 

Strive to speak simply, using everyday words and shorter sentences wherever possible. Limit reliance on acronyms.  

Use simple terms to replace wordy phrases: 

Instead of:	Use:
At the present time; at this point in time	Now
In this day and age; in today’s society	Now; today
Because of the fact that; due to the fact that	Because
Best of breed	Best
Are of the opinion that	Believe
Are able to; have the ability to	Can
In spite of the fact that	Although; despite
Prior to	Before
Concerning the matter of	About
With the following	With
The fact that	That
I want to thank you	Thank you
Safe and secure	Safe; secure
A large number of	Many
We’re in need of	Need
Proof positive that	Proving; proof that
That puts you on a path toward	That is
Leverage; utilize	Use
Deep dive	In-depth view

 

Use an Authoritative, Active Voice 

In “active voice,” the subject of the sentence owns the action. Active voice confers more authority. While in the passive voice, the action—rather than the subject—has the power. Passive voice is acceptable when the subject performing the action is obvious, unimportant, or unknown or when you want to avoid mentioning the subject at all. 

Examples: 
Active voice: The application connects people.
Passive voice: People are connected with the application.  

Focus on Key Customer Benefits 

When describing a product or feature, it’s easy to get lost in the details. Focus on key customer benefits and why a customer should care. While product features are important, how they impact the customer experience is paramount.    

Avoid Clichés and Jargon 

Avoid clichés and limit your reliance on industry jargon and acronyms. Instead, speak with simple, familiar and authoritative language.     

Writing about Companies 

When writing about companies, always honor their branding. For example, many companies use a single, intercapped word (i.e., iPhone, eBay) for their name or products.  

When referring to a company, remember it’s an ‘it,’ not a ‘they.’ The same is true of a team.  

Examples:
The company changed its name. 
The team finished first in its division. 

24/7 

Use a forward slash rather than an x or hyphen. 

abbreviations/acronyms 

When introducing an abbreviation/acronym, put it in parentheses immediately following the entire term, and don’t put quotation marks around it.  

Example:  
ABC Company is committed to improving diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across the organization. 

Don’t introduce an abbreviation/acronym that doesn’t appear again. Don’t capitalize the term you’re abbreviating unless it’s a proper noun.   

ampersands (&) 

Don’t use these in body copy, but it’s acceptable to use them when space is limited, such as in social media posts, graphs, navigation tabs, or event signage. 

colons 

Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. Colons go outside quotation marks unless they are part of the quoted material. 

Examples: 
She has two favorite teams: the Tigers and the Pistons. 
Here’s how I knew she grew up in Detroit: Her favorite teams are the Tigers and Pistons. 

commas 

When writing a list of three or more items, do not include a comma before the conjunction (and, or, but, etc.).  

Example:  
I’d like to thank my parents, Dan Smith and Catherine Smith. 

dashes 

• em dash (—) This is used to show an abrupt change in thought, indicate a lengthy pause, or introduce a definition. It’s also used after a quote to assign attribution. It should have no spaces before or after it. 
  
  Example: Customers understand how a multichannel, integrated comms strategy—powered by the market-leading provider of PR solutions—transforms their campaigns. 
   
• en dash (–) This is used to show a range of numbers or dates and should have no space on either side of it. 
  
  Examples:  
  April 1–Aug. 15  
  Pages 72–89 
   
• hyphen (-) This is used to join compound modifiers to avoid ambiguity and has no space on either side. (She has a full-time job. He is a small-business owner.) 

dates 

Abbreviate certain months (Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.) when they include a day (Nov. 18). For dates, use numerals without ordinals (Oct. 1, not Oct. 1st). Spell out months when they appear alone or are followed by a year only (August 2020). 

dollars 

• Use numerals and the symbol ($3, $125,000).  
• Use words for million, billion, etc. ($7 million, $84 billion).  
• If the amount is in the millions, billions, etc., and is not exact, use a decimal and carry it out up to two places ($12.35 million, $8.8 billion).  
• When space is limited or for design treatment, use a capital M or B with no space between the numeral and the letter ($8M, $17.3B). 

e-book 

Only capitalize the word when it appears at the beginning of a sentence (E-book). Otherwise, use a lowercase’ e’ and ‘b’ and always use a hyphen between the ‘e’ and ‘book.’  

email 

Capitalize the word when it appears at the beginning of a sentence (Email), and don’t use a hyphen between the ‘e’ and ‘mail’ (email).  

ESG 

Following our abbreviations/acronyms rule, spell out the full term upon first reference, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses, and referred to by the abbreviation on subsequent references.  

Example: 
ABC Company made a large investment last year in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. 

generative AI  

Use lowercase for ‘generative’ and capitalize AI. Do not shorten the term.  

homepage 

Spell out as one word, not two separate words.  

keyword 

Spell out as one word, not two separate words.  

log in (v.), login (n., adj.) 

Examples: 
Log in using your email address and password. 
Your login was sent to you via email.  

log off (v.), logoff (n., adj.) 

Examples: 
I’m going to log off for the night.
My boss gave me the logoff sign during our meeting. 

log on (v.), logon (n., adj.) 

Examples: 
I am going to log on at 6 a.m. tomorrow.
Did IT give you a logon yet? 

multichannel 

Spell out as one word, not two separate words. Do not hyphenate. 

multimedia  

Spell out as one word, not two separate words. Do not hyphenate.  

numbers 

Spell out numbers one through nine. Use numerals for numbers 10 and above. Include a comma in numerals over 1,000. Do not start a sentence with a numeral. 

percentages 

Use the ‘%’ sign with no space when pairing with a numeral. When used as an adjective, spell out the word. 

Examples: 
Average hourly pay rose 3.1% from a year ago. 
He won 56.2% of the vote. 
His approval rating rose four percentage points.
For a range, ‘12% to 15%,’ ‘12%-15%,’ and ‘between 12% and 15%’ are all acceptable. 

periods 

Use one space after a period. 

publications

Do not add quotations around the names of editorial publications, such as newspapers or magazines. Do add quotation marks around artistic works such as movie titles, book titles, play titles, etc. Do not italicize the name of editorial publications or artistic works. 

quotes 

Commas and periods should be placed inside the ending quotation mark. Put quotes around book titles, movie titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, album and song titles, radio and television program titles, and the titles of lectures, speeches and works of art. 

Example: 
“This style guide is the greatest thing ever,” Nicole Guillot said. “I can’t wait to read it.” 

time 

Use numerals with lowercase a.m. and p.m. The exception is at the hour; do not include ‘:00.’ If it is a time range, use only a.m. or p.m. once within the same time of day (e.g., 8-9 a.m.). Use both a.m. and p.m. if it is not the same time of day (e.g., 9:30 p.m. - 1 a.m.). 

titles 

Capitalize a person’s title only when it immediately precedes that person’s name. Otherwise, lowercase their title. The only exceptions are when a title is written as a caption beneath a person’s picture or if the title accompanies a quote. 

Examples: 
They introduced Chief Talent Officer Misty Schmidt. Misty Schmidt is the chief talent officer.
My direct report is the vice president of operations. 

Put quotes around book titles, movie titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, album and song titles, radio and television program titles, and the titles of lectures, speeches and works of art. 

toolkit 

Spell out as one word, not two separate words.  

up to date (adv.), up-to-date (adj.)  

Hyphenate only when it precedes a noun. 

Examples: 
Please keep me up to date on that project.
My computer has the most up-to-date software. 

URLs 

All URLs should be lowercase unless they begin a sentence. 

U.S. 

The abbreviation for the United States (U.S.) should use periods after each letter.   

username 

Spell out as one word, not two separate words.  

versus 

Spell out in long-form text. Only use the abbreviation (vs.) in headlines, subheads, and graphics. 

webcast  

Spell out as one word, not two separate words. 

webpage  

Spell out as one word, not two separate words. 

website 

Spell out as one word, not two separate words. 

white paper 

Spell out as two separate words, not one word. 

Capitalization 

• Use title case for every heading and subhead, including the publication title. This includes both digital and printed content. 
• Capitalize the first letter in all major words—typically nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. 
• Do not capitalize the first letter in all minor words—articles, short prepositions, and some conjunctions. 
• Always capitalize the first letter in the first and last words of the title. 
• Capitalize proper nouns that uniquely identify specific people, places, and things. 
• Never use all caps with one exception: Calls-to-action (CTAs) may use all caps per current branding guidelines.   

Citing references 

Link to the original source, not the article where you saw the statistic. Sometimes, the original source will be behind a paywall. In those cases, it’s acceptable to link to the article. When there’s no link to send, include a superscript numeral with a corresponding endnote at the end of the document that captures the source’s company, document title, and date of publication. 

Example: 
¹Semrush, 2024