[Organization] writing style guide

Replace the blue placeholders and delete the grey notes as you go. Fill in only the decisions your team actually makes; the base guide covers the rest.

Applies to	[What this guide covers: website, emails, docs, packaging, social]
Base guide	[The published guide for anything not covered here, such as AP, Chicago or Microsoft]
Dictionary	[Such as Merriam-Webster.com, first spelling listed]
Owner	[Name and role of the person who approves changes]
Last updated	[YYYY-MM-DD]
Propose a change	[How: email or document, with the rule, the reason and an example]

Write rules as instructions, each with an example. “Use the serial comma: red, white, and blue” can be followed. “We value clarity” can't. Mark every place you depart from the base guide as an exception, so nobody fixes it back.

Who we write for

Readers: [who they are, in a sentence]
What they already know: [terms and ideas you can use without explaining]
Where they read: [phone, desk, printed page, in a hurry or at leisure]
Explain at first use: [terms that need a short definition the first time]

Voice and tone

Voice stays the same everywhere. Tone changes with the situation. Three or four traits are enough.

Trait	This	Not that
[Trait, such as Plain]	[A line that sounds right]	[A line that misses]
[Trait]	[A line that sounds right]	[A line that misses]
[Trait]	[A line that sounds right]	[A line that misses]

Tone by situation

Situation	Tone	Example line
[Bad news, such as a delay]	[How we sound]	[One sentence]
[Instructions or help]	[How we sound]	[One sentence]
[Announcements or sales]	[How we sound]	[One sentence]

Sample paragraph: [One paragraph in the voice, on a real subject]

See a filled-in voice section

Plain, not folksy: “Sow 1/4 inch deep,” not “Tuck those little guys in!”

Sure, not salesy: say what a variety does, never that it's the best.

Honest about trouble: “Splits after heavy rain; pick when two-thirds red.”

Sample: “‘Hollis Gold’ tomato sold out in March, and we're sorry if you missed it. We grew a new crop this summer, tested it in September, and it's back today. Sow it indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost.”

From an invented seed company's guide.

Grammar and mechanics

Order these by how often each rule is broken, most-broken first. Write “exception to [base guide]” next to any rule that departs from it.

Spelling	[US or UK, and the words where it shows]
Serial comma	[Always, never, or only to prevent a misreading]
Capitals	[Sentence case or title case in headings; job titles; product names]
Numbers	[Words up to nine or numerals throughout; measurements; money; percentages]
Dates and times	[Format, such as March 3 and 5:30 p.m.; time zones]
Abbreviations	[Spell out at first use? Which ones never need it?]
Contractions	[Welcome, or only some, or none]
Punctuation	[Dashes, quotation marks, exclamation marks, ampersands]
We and you	[Who “we” is; whether we address the reader as “you”]

Formatting

Headings	[Case, length, whether they can be questions]
Lists	[Numbered for steps, bullets for the rest; end punctuation]
Bold and italics	[What each is for, and what it is never for]
Links	[Link text says where the link goes; no “click here”]
Tables	[When to use one; header row; units in the header]
Images	[Credit line format; alt text that says what the image shows]

Word list

Keep it alphabetical. Product and company names go here, written exactly as they should appear. Terms that need a full definition belong in a glossary.

Use	Don't use	Notes
[Preferred term]	[Words it replaces]	[One line]
[Preferred term]	[Words it replaces]	[One line]
[Preferred term]	[Words it replaces]	[One line]
[Preferred term]	[Words it replaces]	[One line]

Writing about people

Names and titles: [full name first, then first or last name; titles or not]
Pronouns: [use the ones people use; they when you don't know]
Disability, age and identity: [mention only when relevant; the terms you use]
Beyond this page: [the reference you follow, such as APA's bias-free language guidance]

Content types

Extra rules for each channel you publish in. Delete the rows you don't use.

Email	[Subject line length, greeting, sign-off]
Help pages	[Structure, steps, screenshots]
Social posts	[Length, hashtags, emoji, links]
Packaging or UI text	[Word limits, labels, error messages]
Headlines	[Case, numerals, length]

Writing for a different setup? Open the one that fits and add its rules to the sections above.

Documentation team: add these rules

UI text: match the label exactly, in bold; don't describe colors or positions
Procedures: one action per numbered step, with the result in the same step
Code: commands, file names and settings in code font
Placeholders: one format, explained in the line below
Versions: name the version a page covers once, in the first paragraph

Newsletter or publication: add these rules

Headlines: case, numerals, whether questions are allowed
Sources: link the primary source and name it in the sentence
Corrections: fix the text and add a dated note saying what changed
Images: a credit under every photo, and alt text

Freelance client sheet: the short version

Base guide: the one the client names
Their words: terms they use, and the ones they never use
Never: claims or phrases the client rules out
Their preference over mine: where the client's style beats your habits
Delivery: format, contact and deadline

Examples

Before	After	Rule
[A sentence that breaks a rule]	[The same sentence, fixed]	[Which rule]
[A sentence that breaks a rule]	[The same sentence, fixed]	[Which rule]
[A sentence that breaks a rule]	[The same sentence, fixed]	[Which rule]

Change log

Date	Change	Approved by
[YYYY-MM-DD]	[Rule added, changed or removed, and why]	[Name]
[YYYY-MM-DD]	[Rule added, changed or removed, and why]	[Name]

Before you share it

The base guide and the dictionary are named at the top
Every rule is an instruction with an example
Exceptions to the base guide are marked as exceptions
The voice section has traits, a tone table and a sample paragraph
The word list is alphabetical and includes every product name
The owner, the date and the way to propose a change are filled in
Sections nobody needs are deleted