Public relations guidelines

Now that you are part of the platform, you may want to issue a press release or share via social media that your app is available on the QuickBooks App Store.

Guidelines for public relations from Intuit are below. You must adhere to these guidelines for Intuit to approve inclusion of our trademarks in your press release and social media campaigns. As with any public company, Intuit needs to review all press materials that are distributed with its name and products included. To streamline this process, we’ve included helpful tips that you should be aware of when writing, as well as naming conventions and guidelines that will streamline the Intuit approval process.

When crafting the headline for your press release, position your company first:

Acme Announces Integration with Intuit QuickBooks

OR

Acme Joins Intuit Developer Platform

NOT

Intuit Selects Acme to Develop for Intuit Platform

Summarize your story in a concise headline–preferably seven words or less–that compels the reader to read further.

When writing your press release, use the following to describe QuickBooks and the Intuit Developer platform:

• Intuit QuickBooks is the world’s leading small business technology platform that helps small businesses grow and run their business all in one place.
• The Intuit Developer platform enables developers to integrate with rich QuickBooks financial and transactional data, providing unparalleled reach to small businesses through the QuickBooks App Store, where millions of QuickBooks Online customers go to find, try, and buy apps that meet their needs.

Press releases have a fairly standard appearance, both in format and writing style from headlines to overall length. Here are some best practices:

• Headlines: 7 words or less
• Sentences: 20 words, on average
• Overall length: 500 words

There are a few key rules you must follow when writing public relations material that mentions Intuit or any of its products–including press releases, case studies, and fact sheets. These rules also apply when talking with reporters and industry analysts about your company’s involvement with the Intuit Developer platform. When you promote your company or your app, the following guidelines apply:

Do:

• Contact Intuit before issuing your press release, as we’ll need to approve it. Send it to Kim Amsbaugh (kim_amsbaugh@intuit.com) at Intuit at least eight (8) business days prior to when you want to issue your press release. When sending the press release for review, include any other materials (logos, images, etc.) that you are interested in including in your release distribution.
• Accurately describe your company’s relationship with Intuit and QuickBooks Online. You should describe yourself/company as an Intuit Developer platform “member,” “participant” or a “developer on the Intuit Developer platform.”
• Use Intuit QuickBooks on the first reference of your integration announcement.
• Clearly state which QuickBooks products, if any, your application shares data with.
• Share the final press release with your network via a newswire, email distribution or social media network that’s best for your business.
• When sending your press release for approval, also include any social media content for approval.
• Tag QuickBooks in your social media posts (@QuickBooks).

Don’t:

• Use the word partner, partnership, or any other language that implies Intuit is partnering with your company. Note: You can say that you are announcing an “integration with QuickBooks.”
• Make any specific representations that Intuit officially endorses or “authorizes” your company, or that Intuit recommends any particular developer company over any other.
• Say the Intuit Developer Platform enables a “complete integration” with QuickBooks. You cannot say that your application is “integrated into QuickBooks.”
• Use the Intuit stock ticker symbol in your materials.
• Share your news via a press release or social media prior to its availability to QuickBooks customers. Be clear on the date of the availability of your integration.
• Make unsubstantiated claims about the benefits of using your application with QuickBooks. If you make factual claims about your product (for example, “Cuts data entry by 50 percent”), the Federal Trade Commission requires that you have reasonable prior substantiation for claims. If you don’t have valid research to back up your claims, then don’t make them.
• For further information on this requirement, see the FTC Policy Statement Regarding Advertising Substantiation.
• Include the Intuit “boilerplate” statement at the end of your press release, unless approved by Intuit Public Relations.

Due to the high number of requests and the time required to approve and research each release, Intuit can’t provide a supporting quote for public relations materials.

The following first references in your press release require a trademark symbol:

• Intuit®
• Intuit QuickBooks®
• Intuit QuickBooks® Online
• Intuit® Developer Platform
• Intuit® Developer Program

For more information about our trademarks, visit our trademark page.