When it comes to effective brand messaging, consistency is key. To keep our writing both clear
and consistent, we adhere to the following rules of grammar and mechanics.
If there's any chance our reader won’t recognize an abbreviation or acronym, spell it out. If your mom wouldn't recognize this abbreviation or acronym, don't use it.
Whenever possible, write in the active voice. Sentences in active voice are more concise than those in passive voice, because fewer words are required to express action. For example:
Active: I applied a band-aid.
Passive: The band-aid was applied by me.
Words like “was” and “by” may indicate that you’re writing in the passive voice. Look for thesewords, and rework sentences when necessary. Note: writing in the active voice is also good forSEO.
Within paragraph text: always use ‘and’ rather than ‘&.’
Within headings and titles: you can use ‘&’ where appropriate.
Use them! Contractions make our writing friendly yet polished.
Example: “That’s fine” instead of “That is fine.”
Use hyphens in date and time ranges. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes, but do not use :00 .
Examples: 1 p.m., 3:30 a.m. Per AP style, use periods when writing a.m. and p.m.
Emoji use is limited to social media, and the occasional email or subject line.
Our text should be gender neutral wherever possible. Attempt to restructure any gender-specific
sentences with this goal in mind.
No: “A good doctor is empathetic towards his patients.”
Yes: “A good doctor is empathetic towards their patients.”
Use the $ symbol: $20.
Don’t use decimals unless cents are included, e.g. $20.50 but not $20.00.
Spell out fractions.
Yes: one-third
No: ⅓
Use the % symbol instead of spelling out "percent."
Use only one space after a period, not two.
To avoid ambiguity in your writing, write positively. Negative words can make sentences difficult
for readers to understand.
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