belt login
# Research for fact-checking and context
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
"query": "SaaS funding rounds Q1 2024 average series A size"
}'
AP Style Format
Structure
HEADLINE IN TITLE CASE, PRESENT TENSE, NO PERIOD
Optional Subheadline With More Detail
CITY, STATE (Month Day, Year) — Lead paragraph with WHO, WHAT, WHEN,
WHERE, and WHY in the first 25 words.
Second paragraph expands on the lead with supporting details, context,
and significance.
"Executive quote providing perspective on the announcement," said
[Full Name], [Title] at [Company]. "Second sentence of quote adding
depth or forward-looking statement."
Body paragraphs with additional details, arranged in descending order
of importance (inverted pyramid).
"Supporting quote from partner, customer, or analyst," said
[Full Name], [Title] at [Organization].
Final paragraph with availability, pricing, or next steps.
About [Company]
[Company] is a [description]. Founded in [year], the company
[brief background]. For more information, visit [website].
Media Contact:
[Name]
[Email]
[Phone]
Section-by-Section Guide
Headline
❌ Company X Announces Revolutionary New Product That Will Change Everything!
❌ Press Release: Company X
❌ Company X's Amazing Product Launch
✅ Company X Launches AI-Powered Analytics Platform for Enterprise Teams
✅ Company X Raises $25 Million Series B to Expand Global Operations
✅ Company X Partners With Acme Corp to Accelerate Cloud Migration
Rules:
Present tense, active voice
No period at end
No superlatives ("revolutionary", "groundbreaking", "best-in-class")
No exclamation points
Include the key news element
Title case
Dateline
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 15, 2026 —
NEW YORK, March 3, 2026 —
LONDON, Dec. 10, 2026 —
AP month abbreviations: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. (March, April, May, June, July spelled out)
Lead Paragraph
Answer WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY in 25-35 words:
❌ "We are thrilled to announce that after months of hard work, our talented
team has created something truly special that we think you'll love."
✅ "Company X, a developer tools startup, today launched DataFlow, an
AI-powered analytics platform that automates reporting for enterprise
engineering teams."
Quotes
Rules:
1-2 quotes maximum (CEO/founder + partner/customer)
Never start a quote with "I"
Attribution format: "Quote," said Full Name, Title at Company.
Quotes should add perspective, not repeat facts from the body
Forward-looking quotes work well: "We believe this will..."
❌ "I am so excited about this launch," said John Smith.
❌ "We launched a new product today," said the CEO.
✅ "Enterprise teams spend an average of 15 hours per week on manual
reporting," said Sarah Chen, CEO of Company X. "DataFlow eliminates
that burden entirely, letting engineers focus on building."
✅ "Since adopting DataFlow, our reporting cycle dropped from three days
to three minutes," said Marcus Lee, VP of Engineering at Acme Corp.
Boilerplate (About Section)
About Company X
Company X is a [category] company that [what it does] for [who].
Founded in [year] and headquartered in [city], the company serves
[number] customers across [industries/geographies]. For more
information, visit www.companyx.com.
Keep to 3-4 sentences. Consistent across all press releases.
Media Contact
Media Contact:
Jane Doe
PR Manager, Company X
jane@companyx.com
(555) 123-4567
The Inverted Pyramid
Most important information first. Each paragraph is less critical than the one before. Editors cut from the bottom.
┌─────────────────────────┐
│ MOST IMPORTANT │ Lead: core announcement
│ (Who, What, When, │
│ Where, Why) │
├─────────────────────────┤
│ IMPORTANT DETAILS │ Supporting facts, context
│ (How, stats, quotes) │
├─────────────────────────┤
│ BACKGROUND │ Industry context, history
│ (Context, trends) │
├─────────────────────────┤
│ ADDITIONAL INFO │ Availability, pricing
│ (Nice to have) │
├─────────────────────────┤
│ BOILERPLATE │ About section, contact
└─────────────────────────┘
Research & Fact-Checking
Verify Claims
# Check market size claims
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
"query": "enterprise analytics market size 2024 2025 forecast"
}'# Verify competitor claims
belt app run exa/search --input '{
"query": "Company X competitors enterprise analytics market share"
}'# Get industry statistics
belt app run exa/answer --input '{
"question": "How much time do engineering teams spend on reporting weekly?"
}'
Add Context
# Industry trends for the "why now" angle
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
"query": "AI automation enterprise reporting trends 2024"
}'
Press Release Types
Product Launch
Focus: What it does, who it's for, why it matters, availability
Quote: CEO or product lead on the vision
Funding Announcement
Focus: Amount, round, lead investor, what funds will be used for
Quote: CEO on growth plans + lead investor on why they invested
Partnership
Focus: What the partnership enables, benefits to customers
Quote: One from each company
Milestone / Achievement
Focus: The metric, growth trajectory, what it means
Quote: CEO on the journey and what's next
Executive Hire
Focus: Who, their background, what they'll lead
Quote: CEO on why this hire + new exec on why they joined
Length Guidelines
Element
Length
Headline
10-15 words
Subheadline (optional)
15-25 words
Total body
400-600 words
Quotes
2-3 sentences each, max 2 quotes
Boilerplate
3-4 sentences
Total
500-800 words
Over 800 words and editors won't read it. Under 400 and it lacks substance.
AP Style Quick Reference
Rule
Example
Numbers 1-9 spelled out, 10+ as digits
"nine employees" / "10 employees"
Percent as one word
"15 percent" (not 15% in body text)
Titles before names capitalized
"CEO Sarah Chen"
Titles after names lowercase
"Sarah Chen, chief executive officer"
Company names: no Inc./Corp. in body
"Company X" not "Company X, Inc."
Dates: month day, year
"Jan. 15, 2026"
States abbreviated in dateline
"SAN FRANCISCO, Calif."
Serial comma: AP does NOT use it
"fast, simple and effective"
Common Mistakes
Mistake
Problem
Fix
Superlatives
"Revolutionary" = ignored by editors
State facts, let readers judge
Exclamation points
Unprofessional
Never use in press releases
Starting quotes with "I"
Informal, weak opening
Start with a fact or insight
Burying the lead
Key news in paragraph 3
Most important info first
Too long
Won't be read
500-800 words max
Jargon
Alienates non-expert readers
Write for a general audience
No fact-checking
Credibility risk
Verify all claims and statistics
Missing contact info
Journalists can't follow up
Always include media contact
Checklist
Headline: present tense, active voice, no period, no superlatives
Dateline: correct AP format (CITY, STATE, date)
Lead: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY in first 25 words
Inverted pyramid: most important first
Quotes: attributed, don't start with "I", add perspective
