best practices
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time
Signify a.m. or p.m. and the relevant time zone whenever referring to time. To determine the relevant time zone, use the time zone most relevant to your audience; if your audience spans multiple time zones, use the time zone where the event is being played: the Cubs game is scheduled to begin at 3:05 p.m.
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possessives
For singular nouns and plural nouns that do not end in -s (including words that end in -x or -z), add ‘s: New York’s fifth win in six games; the women’s bathroom; the Red Sox’s first championship; the Blitz’s biggest star For singular nouns that end in -s, add only an apostrophe: LeBron James’ contract
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ellipsis
An ellipsis — the three dots in the middle of a passage — denotes omitted or missing text. It does not signify a pause in speech, which should be represented with a long dash instead. When using an ellipsis, always place a space before the first dot and after the last dot. When an ellipsis
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death
Death is final. As such, there should never be any ambiguity when reporting it. All caution must be made that once a death has been reported, it cannot be taken back. Never use euphemisms such as “passed away” or “left us.” Only use forms of the word die: Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader in
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parentheses, brackets, long dashes
Parentheses and long dashes may be used, but should be deployed sparingly to preserve their impact on the audience. Parentheses should be used to add a comment relating to the preceding clause as an aside. Imagine you are telling this story to your friends; would you mumble this remark under your breath? Then use parentheses.
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headlines
The headline is the most important factor in the success of your content. A headline that prioritizes the most important information, is easy to read, utilizes vivid wording, and follows SEO best practices stands the best chance of reaching and being engaged with by the desired audience. Write your headline first Before you even click