When you write a professional press release, using the AP Style dateline is crucial for establishing credibility with journalists. In fact, not using an AP Style dateline (AP stands for Associated Press) is an instant indication to journalists that you are not a pro, likely causing them to immediately jump to the next press release, ignoring your release altogether.
An AP Style dateline in a press release must include a city name in all capital letters, followed by the state abbreviation (when required), and the date.
This guide covers everything you need to know about formatting press release datelines according to AP Style standards.
What is a Dateline?
In the context of a press release, a “dateline” refers to the line at the beginning of the article that indicates where and when the information was reported. It typically consists of the city, often followed by the state or country, and then the date. The dateline provides context for the reader, giving them an understanding of where the reported events took place and when the information was gathered.
For instance, if a press release is about an event that took place in New York City on September 16, 2025, the dateline might look like this:
NEW YORK, NY (September 16, 2025)
Following the dateline, the press release will delve into the main content or body of the news being conveyed. The presence of a dateline helps establish the timeliness and relevance of the information being presented.
Even though there are different types of press releases, the formatting is generally the same. So, it’s vital that you learn how to present these details clearly.
This article will give you several tips to help you understand how to write a dateline for your press releases.
Why Use AP Style for Press Release Datelines?
A press release dateline is important for validating when and where the news originated.
There are two distinct methods for writing a dateline. Both are valid, but one is more common and easier to follow.
Typically, press release tips suggest using the AP style for the dateline. We recommend using AP Style unless you have a compelling reason to do otherwise, because that is the most commonly accepted format today.
But another option has existed for many years before this format was created. The newspaper style was commonly used when the media outlets worked primarily with newspapers and radio.
A newspaper dateline style is when you write when and where the story occurred. Always put the location first, followed by the day. This style is uncommon, depending on where you’re sending the press release. And you need to double-check before using it to see if it’s suitable.
So, an easier option is to use the AP format.
AP Style Dateline Rules for Press Releases
AP stands for the Associated Press, and this formatting style is commonly used in reporting and marketing. Most public relations and publishing businesses use the AP style for their work as it’s clear and creates a uniform look to the text.
Historical Context
The Associated Press Stylebook, first published in 1953, became the gold standard for news writing. Using AP Style datelines in press releases ensures consistency with journalistic standards and increases the likelihood of media pickup.
This is one of the most popular ways to present the dateline, and it’s not too difficult to remember. For example, the AP style for writing a dateline is to put the city’s name in capital letters.
When writing a press release dateline, you must use the state abbreviation, not the postal service abbreviation.
Always use numerals for the year and abbreviate the months, such as Feb., Sept., Oct., etc…
Even if the dateline is recent, it’s important that you still follow the rules for dates and months. Don’t use “yesterday” or other words that are not clear. It needs to be factual and concise, which is why you need to use the AP style.
City Names In Datelines – AP Style
City names should always be written out in all capitals, followed by a comma.
Normally, the city name is followed by a comma, then the abbreviated state name. However, the AP Stylebook lists 30 city names which should not be followed by a state name. They are:
ATLANTA
BALTIMORE
BOSTON
CHICAGO
CINCINNATI
CLEVELAND
DALLAS
DENVER
DETROIT
HONOLULU
HOUSTON
INDIANAPOLIS
LAS VEGAS
LOS ANGELES
MIAMI
MILWAUKEE
MINNEAPOLIS
NEW ORLEANS
NEW YORK
OKLAHOMA CITY
PHILADELPHIA
PHOENIX
PITTSBURGH
ST. LOUIS
SALT LAKE CITY
SAN ANTONIO
SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO
SEATTLE
WASHINGTON
International Cities That Stand Alone
According to AP Style, these international cities never require country names in datelines:
AMSTERDAM, BAGHDAD, BANGKOK, BEIJING, BEIRUT, BERLIN, BRUSSELS, CAIRO, DJIBOUTI, DUBLIN, GENEVA, GIBRALTAR, GUATEMALA CITY, HAVANA, HELSINKI, HONG KONG, ISLAMABAD, ISTANBUL, JERUSALEM, JOHANNESBURG, KUWAIT CITY, LONDON, LUXEMBOURG, MACAU, MADRID, MEXICO CITY, MILAN, MONACO, MONTREAL, MOSCOW, MUNICH, NEW DELHI, PANAMA CITY, PARIS, PRAGUE, QUEBEC CITY, RIO DE JANEIRO, ROME, SAN MARINO, SAO PAULO, SHANGHAI, SINGAPORE, STOCKHOLM, SYDNEY, TOKYO, TORONTO, VATICAN CITY, VIENNA, ZURICH
State Names In Datelines – AP Style
State names should always be abbreviated in datelines. However, using the traditional two-letter post office abbreviations we’re all so familiar with is not appropriate according to the AP Stylebook.
The proper abbreviations for state name in an AP style datelines are:
| State | AP Style Dateline Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Ala. |
| Alaska | Alaska (Never Abbreviated) |
| Arizona | Ariz. |
| Arkansas | Ark. |
| California | Calif. |
| Colorado | Colo. |
| Connecticut | Conn. |
| Delaware | Del. |
| Florida | Fla. |
| Georgia | Ga. |
| Hawaii | Hawaii (Never Abbreviated) |
| Idaho | Idaho (Never Abbreviated) |
| Illinois | Ill. |
| Indiana | Ind. |
| Iowa | Iowa (Never Abbreviated) |
| Kansas | Kan. |
| Kentucky | Ky. |
| Louisiana | La. |
| Maine | Maine (Never Abbreviated) |
| Maryland | Md. |
| Massachusetts | Mass. |
| Michigan | Mich. |
| Minnesota | Minn. |
| Mississippi | Miss. |
| Missouri | Mo. |
| Montana | Mont. |
| Nebraska | Neb. |
| Nevada | Nev. |
| New Hampshire | N.H. |
| New Jersey | N.J. |
| New Mexico | N.M. |
| New York | N.Y. |
| North Carolina | N.C. |
| North Dakota | N.D. |
| Ohio | Ohio (Never Abbreviated) |
| Oklahoma | Okla. |
| Oregon | Ore. |
| Pennsylvania | Pa. |
| Rhode Island | R.I. |
| South Carolina | S.C. |
| South Dakota | S.D. |
| Tennessee | Tenn. |
| Texas | Texas (Never Abbreviated) |
| Utah | Utah (Never Abbreviated) |
| Vermont | Vt. |
| Virginia | Va. |
| Washington | Wash. |
| West Virginia | W.Va. |
| Wisconsin | Wis. |
| Wyoming | Wyo. |
Eight States Never Abbreviated
Eight states are never abbreviated in AP Style datelines: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. These states must always be spelled out in full, regardless of the city they accompany.
Also, the District of Columbia has no abbreviation listed, not because it’s not a state, but because the city of Washington does not require a state name.
AP Style City and State Examples
✅ ARLINGTON, Va.
✅ SALT LAKE CITY
✅ WASHINGTON
✅ KANSAS CITY, Kan.
✅ KANSAS CITY, Mo.
✅ ANCHORAGE, Alaska
✅ COLUMBUS, Ohio
✅ AUSTIN, Texas
Dates in AP Style Datelines
In a properly formatted AP style dateline, the name of the city and state is followed by the date the news was announced, enclosed in parentheses.
Dates are formatted as month, day, year.
Longer month names use the three- or four-letter abbreviations, shorter month names are fully spelled out.
| Month | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| January | Jan. |
| February | Feb. |
| March | March |
| April | April |
| May | May |
| June | June |
| July | July |
| August | Aug. |
| September | Sept. |
| October | Oct. |
| November | Nov. |
| December | Dec. |
The day contains just the number, (no nd, rd, st, or th) and is followed by a comma and a space.
All four numbers of the year are used.
AP Style Date Examples
✅ (March 3, 2025)
✅ (Sept. 20, 2025)
✅ (Jan. 15, 2025)
✅ (Dec. 31, 2024)
Times in AP Style Datelines
Times are increasingly being included in datelines due to electronic distribution.
If times are included in the dateline, the date is followed by a comma, then a space, then the time, including a.m. or p.m., and the time zone.
Only hours are listed, followed by a space, then a.m. or p.m. (noon and midnight are written out,) followed by another space, then the time zone abbreviation.
Standard two- or three-letter time zone abbreviations are used: ET for Eastern Time, PT for Pacific time, CET for Central European Time, GMT for Greenwich Mean Time, etc.
AP Style Date Examples with Times Included
✅ (May 14, 2025, 3 p.m. ET)
✅ (Dec. 31, 2024, midnight PT)
✅ (June 1, 2025, 4 p.m. CET)
Note that times do not include standard or daylight savings time indicators (like EST, or EDT.)
Putting it all together, here are examples of datelines in AP style:
AP Style Dateline Examples
✅ NEW YORK, N.Y. (Oct. 15, 2025, 10 a.m. ET)
✅ LOS ANGELES (Mar. 1, 2025, 6 a.m. PT)
✅ MINNEAPOLIS (Dec. 31, 2025)
✅ KANSAS CITY, Kan. (June 18, 2025)
✅ DENVER (Sept. 12, 2025, 2 p.m. MT)
✅ MIAMI (Aug. 24, 2025, 9 a.m. ET)
Common Dateline Formatting Mistakes to Avoid
When formatting AP Style datelines for press releases, avoid these common errors:
1. Incorrect State Abbreviations
❌ BOSTON, MA
✅ BOSTON, Mass.
❌ CHICAGO, IL
✅ CHICAGO, Ill.
2. Using Postal Abbreviations
❌ LOS ANGELES, CA
✅ LOS ANGELES, Calif.
3. Forgetting to Capitalize Cities
❌ austin, Texas
✅ AUSTIN, Texas
4. Abbreviating Non-Abbreviable States
❌ HOUSTON, Tex.
✅ HOUSTON, Texas
❌ PORTLAND, Me.
✅ PORTLAND, Maine
5. Adding Ordinal Indicators to Dates
❌ NEW YORK (Jan. 3rd, 2025)
✅ NEW YORK (Jan. 3, 2025)
6. Incorrect Time Zone Formatting
❌ CHICAGO (June 1, 2025, 2:00 p.m. CST)
✅ CHICAGO (June 1, 2025, 2 p.m. CT)
Press Release Dateline Examples: Correct vs. Incorrect
Correct Examples:
✅ Standard Format
NEW YORK, N.Y. (March 15, 2025) — XYZ Corp announces its quarterly earnings today.
✅ With Time
CHICAGO (April 22, 2025, 9 a.m. CT) — The conference begins this morning.
✅ Major City
LOS ANGELES (May 8, 2025) — Hollywood’s latest blockbuster premieres tonight.
✅ Non-Abbreviated State
AUSTIN, Texas (June 3, 2025) — The tech startup raises $50 million in Series A funding.
Incorrect Examples:
❌ Wrong Capitalization
New York (march 15, 2025) —
❌ Wrong Abbreviations
NEW YORK, NY (March 15, 2025) —
❌ Missing State for Small City
MESA (March 15, 2025) —
Correct: MESA, Ariz.
❌ Abbreviated Non-Abbreviable State
MIAMI, FL (March 15, 2025) —
Correct: MIAMI, Fla.
When to Revise a Press Release Dateline
Sometimes, the dateline must be altered if the news announcement is postponed or there’s been a mistake with previous information. To avoid the risk of being seen as fraudulent, it’s advised that you add a “revised” word to the dateline. This way, people know that the original information was not incorrect but has been edited.
Example of a revised dateline: DENVER (REVISED: March 20, 2025) — The product launch has been rescheduled.
Transparency is crucial for building a trustworthy brand and writing an inspiring press release. So, don’t be afraid to add “revised” if you have to update the dateline.
Even though you can lose money by printing incorrect press releases, printing a new batch or sending out updated datelines is better for maintaining credibility. This is where it’s helpful to have an extra pair of eyes looking over the information with you.
FAQ: AP Style Datelines for Press Releases
An AP Style dateline is a formatted line at the beginning of a press release that indicates where and when the news was reported. It follows specific formatting rules set by the Associated Press Stylebook.
Format: CITY, State (Month Day, Year) — followed by your press release content. Cities are in all caps, states use AP abbreviations, and major cities stand alone without states.
Eight states are never abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.
Time is optional but recommended for electronic distribution, especially for time-sensitive news or international audiences.
Yes, AP Style allows both brackets [ ] and parentheses ( ) for enclosing dates. Choose based on your brand preference and maintain consistency.
Using proper AP Style dateline formatting establishes credibility with journalists and media outlets who are accustomed to this standard. Press releases that follow AP Style are more likely to be taken seriously and published by news organizations, as they demonstrate professionalism and understanding of journalistic conventions.
No, AP Style datelines do not include the day of the week. Only include the month (abbreviated if necessary), day (as a numeral), and year. Adding the day of the week is considered redundant and non-standard in AP Style formatting.
For virtual events or online announcements, use the city where your company is headquartered or where the event is being hosted/produced from. Include this information in the dateline even if attendees are joining from multiple locations. For example: “SAN FRANCISCO (June 15, 2025) — XYZ Corp announced its virtual conference…”
While you can technically use different formats, it’s best practice to maintain consistency with AP Style across all your press releases. This creates brand consistency and ensures your materials are always journalist-ready. Stick to AP Style regardless of whether it’s a product launch, earnings report, or event announcement.
When your news involves multiple cities, use the dateline for the most relevant location—typically where your company is headquartered, where the main event is taking place, or where the most significant action is occurring. You can mention other locations in the body of the press release. For example, use “NEW YORK (Jan. 15, 2025)” even if the announcement affects offices in multiple cities.