Dateline in a Press Release - What It Is, Format & Examples (2026)

A dateline press release element is the city and date line placed at the very start of your first body paragraph. It states where the news originated and when it was issued. Written in AP Style as CITY, State, Month DD, YYYY — it flows directly into your opening sentence with no line break between them.

Key Highlights:

• The dateline press release format follows AP Style: CITY, State, Month DD, YYYY —

• City names are always in capital letters; state names and proper nouns use title case

• Major cities stand alone; smaller cities require a city and state abbreviation

• An em dash separates the dateline from the first word of your lead sentence

• Eight US states are never abbreviated in AP Style datelines

What Is a Dateline in a Press Release?

A dateline is the line at the start of a press release body that states the city and date of release. It appears as the opening text of your lead paragraph, formatted in AP Style, and tells journalists immediately where the news originated and when it was issued.

The AP Style dateline convention comes from traditional news writing, where reporters filed dispatches with a city and date so editors knew the story's origin. Press releases adopted the same standardized format because AP Style is the most commonly accepted format across media outlets. Over 90% of major US newsrooms operate on AP Style guidelines (Associated Press Stylebook, 2024), which means journalists expect every professional press release to include a properly formatted dateline.

The dateline makes journalists' jobs easier by answering two questions at a glance: where did this happen, and is it recent? Press releases missing standard formatting elements including the dateline see up to 30% lower editorial pickup rates (Cision State of the Media Report, 2024).

Press Release Dateline Format - Standard Structure

The standard AP Style press release dateline follows this formula from the Associated Press Stylebook:

The first word after the em dash begins your lead sentence immediately. No line break, no extra punctuation. This proper press release format is what wire editors and news organizations process at intake.

• NEW YORK, June 8, 2026 — XYZ Corp today announced...

• AUSTIN, Texas, June 8, 2026 — XYZ Corp today announced...

• KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 8, 2026 — XYZ Corp today announced...

AP Style rules to maintain consistency:

• Months with five or fewer letters are never abbreviated: March, April, May, June, July

• Longer months use AP abbreviations: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.

• Eight states never get abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, Utah

• Never use postal service abbreviations (CA, TX, NY) — AP Style abbreviations differ

• Only the city name uses capital letters; state names and proper nouns use title case

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Dateline Examples by City and Release Type

These press release dateline examples cover the formats you will encounter most:

Major US city (no state needed):

Smaller US city (city and state required):

Kansas City (state always required — exists in two states):

International city:

Embargoed release:

The embargo instruction goes at the top of the document as a release header:

The dateline in the body uses the actual distribution date:

NEW YORK, June 15, 2026 — XYZ Corp today announced...

Product launch from a regional office:

For a complete breakdown of what goes into a well structured press release, see all essential press release elements.

Common Dateline Mistakes to Avoid

These are the most common mistakes that reduce media coverage and media pickup rates:

• Wrong date format: Never write 06/08/2026 or June 8th. AP Style rules require the month spelled out with a numeral: June 8, 2026. Numeric dates and ordinals are immediate flags for wire editors.

• Using headquarters instead of the news origin city: The city and state in your dateline must reflect where the important news is actually happening. If your company is based in New York but the product launch is in Austin, proper format requires AUSTIN — not NEW YORK. Using the wrong city misleads journalists and damages press release content credibility.

• Skipping the state on ambiguous cities: Cities like Springfield, Columbus, and Kansas City exist in multiple states. Missing the state abbreviation breaks the logical flow editors rely on to assess geographic relevance quickly.

• Using postal service abbreviations: AP Style and postal service abbreviation formats differ. "Calif." is correct AP Style; "CA" is not. Always follow AP Style guidelines, not USPS.

• Dropping the em dash: The em dash is required after the date. It connects the dateline to the first word of the lead paragraph. A hyphen is not a substitute.

• Wrong placement: The dateline belongs at the very beginning of the first body paragraph. It does not go under the headline, inside the media contact information block, or as a standalone line.

Where Does the Dateline Appear in a Press Release?

The dateline appears at the very beginning of the lead paragraph, which is the first paragraph of body text. Here is the proper press release format showing exact placement:

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" is a release instruction that tells media outlets when to publish. The dateline tells them where and when the news originated. They are different elements in different positions.

Media contact information sits above the headline or at the end of the release depending on the press release template your team uses. It should never be confused with the dateline. Journalists expect these elements in their standardized positions because it makes their job easier when processing high volumes of releases.

To make your press release distribution-ready from the start, read our full press release writing guide and review the press release boilerplate - what to include.

Key Takeaways

• A dateline press release follows AP Style: CITY, State, Month DD, YYYY —

• Capital letters apply to the city name only; state names and proper nouns use title case

• Always use the city and state where the news happened, not the company headquarters

• The em dash is required and connects directly to the first word of the lead paragraph

• News organizations, media outlets, and wire services all expect a standardized format

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a dateline in a press release?

A dateline in a press release is the city and date stamp at the very beginning of the lead paragraph, formatted in AP Style as CITY, State, Month DD, YYYY — followed directly by the first word of your opening sentence. It tells journalists and media outlets where the news originated and when it was issued, which directly affects media pickup. EasyPRwire formats the AP Style dateline automatically during press release submission.

What is the correct format for a press release dateline?

The correct AP Style press release dateline format is CITY, State Abbreviation, Month DD, YYYY — for example, KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 8, 2026 —. The city name is in capital letters, the state uses AP Style abbreviations rather than postal service abbreviation formats, and the month is spelled out. Well-known major cities like NEW YORK and CHICAGO stand alone without a state, per the Associated Press Stylebook.

Should the dateline be the city where the company is based or where the news happened?

Use the city where the news is actually happening. If a New York company holds a product launch in Austin, the dateline should read AUSTIN, Texas - not NEW YORK. This AP Style rule exists because journalists expect the dateline city to reflect the news origin. Using the wrong city and state makes your press release content appear inaccurate to editors reviewing it for media coverage.

Do online press releases still need a dateline?

Yes. An AP Style dateline is required even for digital press releases. Wire services and news organizations parse the dateline to categorize releases by region and specific date. Omitting it does not just look unprofessional, it can cause distribution systems to misread the release entirely. EasyPRwire prompts you to confirm the dateline city and date before distribution to help you maintain consistency across all media outlets.