Every content team has a different idea of what \u2018on brand\u2019 means \u2014 until you write it down. I\u2019ve found that having a content style guide is vital to getting it right without multiple revisions or rewrites.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019ve seen long documents and cheat sheets, and both work as long as they explain why<\/em> you do things the way you do.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the real power: knowing when something strengthens your message \u2014 and when it waters it down. Especially now, with teams using AI to write faster, it\u2019s never been more important to train both your tools<\/a> and<\/em><\/a> your people<\/a> to sound like you.<\/p>\n So, what exactly goes into a content style guide \u2014 and why does it matter so much? Glad you asked. I\u2019m going to show you.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n What is a content style guide?<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n A content style guide \u2014 sometimes called a brand voice guide or editorial style guide \u2014 is your team\u2019s go-to resource for how your brand communicates in writing. It covers everything from what to say, grammar, punctuation, formatting, and tone of voice across everything you publish.<\/p>\n Yes, even whether or not you use em dashes or capitalize the word after a colon!<\/p>\n Debating the same comma or tone choice over and over?<\/p>\n Tired of giving your team the exact same feedback<\/em> over and over?<\/p>\n Getting frustrated with each editor requesting different stylistic changes \u2014 that all conflict with one another?<\/p>\n Those are all things I\u2019ve experienced as a writer and editor. And guess what? They\u2019re all signs you need a style guide.<\/p>\n\n Whether you’re working with freelancers, agencies, or in-house marketers, a solid content style guide helps you:<\/p>\n Build a consistent brand voice.<\/strong> Every writer interprets \u201cfriendly\u201d or \u201cauthoritative\u201d differently. A brand voice guide clears that up. <\/p>\n Avoid common errors.<\/strong> If your company name has a tricky spelling or formatting (looking at you, HubSpot), you can lock that down once, instead of correcting it every time. <\/p>\n Make collaboration easier.<\/strong> A well-documented guide reduces nitpicky edits and helps you give constructive feedback without killing anyone\u2019s confidence. <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n A content style guide<\/strong> sets the rules for how your brand sounds in writing \u2014 covering tone, voice, grammar, punctuation, and formatting across everything you publish.<\/p>\n A brand guide<\/strong> can mean a lot of things. It may focus on visual elements like logos, colors, and typography, or I\u2019ve also seen them expanded to include messaging, brand values, and positioning.<\/p>\n Both play a key role in how people experience your brand. One shapes what they see, the other shapes what they hear.<\/p>\n Now that we’ve cleared that up, I\u2019m going to show you how to create a content style guide that actually works.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all formula here \u2014 but there is<\/em> a framework that works.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re starting from scratch or fine-tuning what you\u2019ve already got, I\u2019m listing the 12 steps I recommend for creating a style guide that clears things up for your team, brings consistency to your brand, and yes, makes your AI tools smarter, too.<\/p>\n A content style guide covers a lot \u2014 from brand values to grammar rules. You can<\/em> start from scratch, but I recommend kicking things off with a solid template. It\u2019ll help get your ideas on the page faster\u2014 and make sure you\u2019re not forgetting something obvious (like whether to use title case in H2s).<\/p>\n\n HubSpot\u2019s free style guide template<\/a> is a great starting point. Or pull inspiration from one of the examples at the end of this post and make it your own.<\/p>\n Not every brand has a formal mission statement<\/a> or core values<\/a>. And actually, I kind of love it when they don\u2019t because it\u2019s a great discussion and leads to a session that creates a ton of clarity for both internal and external communications.<\/p>\n Wondering what that looks like? I\u2019ve found it may be difficult to say what you want to do, but figuring out what you don\u2019t want to be usually creates a killer discussion. Here are some of my favorite questions to get this going:<\/p>\n What drives you nuts about the industry you\u2019re in? A few short answers to those questions will help your content style guide come to life so your writers can rally behind why<\/em> you do things the way you do.<\/p>\n What else should you consider?<\/p>\n If your brand stands for transparency, your content should avoid hype and lean into clarity. If inclusivity is a core value, your guide should reflect that in both language and examples.<\/p>\n If what your brand says and what it practices don\u2019t match up, readers can (and they will, trust me) see the disconnect \u2014 it\u2019s like watching a TV show with bad lip-syncing.<\/p>\n Take it from Maddy Osman<\/a> , founder of The Blogsmith<\/a> , who knows how seriously brands should take conveying values like inclusivity through their content.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted our content practices to reflect what The Blogsmith stands for, and needed to find a way to get a team with diverse backgrounds on the same page,\u201d <\/em>says Osman.<\/p>\n To nurture these values, Maddy got the ball rolling by establishing clear-cut guidelines in her style guide.<\/p>\n \u201cI sat down with team members to brainstorm what inclusivity would look like on pa<\/em>per \u2014 the<\/em> things we normally don\u2018t account for in day-to-day speech. Whether it\u2019s listing alternatives to outdated words like blacklist or manpower or examples of people-first language.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The bottom line here is that your style guide is how you express<\/em> your values.<\/p>\n Imagine writing to a Gen Z buyer vs. a Boomer. Same product, totally different tone. That\u2019s why I always include simplified personas in a style guide \u2014 not full marketing profiles, but enough to ground content creators in who they\u2019re speaking to.<\/p>\n New to buyer personas? I\u2019ve done everything from semi-fictional characters with names to high-level descriptions of pain points and messaging. Both are fantastic. But if you\u2019re about to tackle this for the first time, I recommend starting with HubSpot\u2019s persona generator<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n Amanda Price<\/a> , content manager at Imagefix, is also totally on board: \u201cUnderstanding who we’re communicating with is just as important as understanding our brand itself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Price adds that detailed buyer personas make sure a style guide \u201cstops being about abstract rules and starts being a proper and useful tool to build a real connection with our readers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n She\u2019s right. And when personas are included, your guide becomes less about rules and more about relationships.<\/p>\n At minimum, I recommend including:<\/p>\n A short description of the audience If you can go one step further and include actual phrasing they use\u2014or language that\u2019s proven to win them over\u2014you\u2019ll help your writers create content that feels personal, relevant, and usually converts well<\/p>\n Voice and tone get mixed up and overlooked all the time.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve had more than a few animated discussions about the difference with other copywriters. That might say a lot about my personality\u2026 but it also speaks to how important this section is.<\/p>\n Because if you want your content (or your AI output) to sound on-brand, you\u2019ve got to spend some time here.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how I break it down:<\/p>\n Voice<\/strong> is your brand\u2019s personality. Your brand voice<\/a> should be consistent across all content. <\/p>\n Tone<\/strong> is how that voice adapts to different channels or situations. <\/p>\n Think of it like this: When I talk to my clients, I sound like me. When I talk to my family, I still<\/em> sound like me, but the tone is often very different. Your brand should work the same way.<\/p>\n\n To define your tone, a lot of brands reference Nielsen Norman Group\u2019s four tone dimensions<\/a>:<\/p>\n Formal vs. casual That\u2019s a solid starting point. That said, I usually like to go deeper, taking my friend Justin Blackman<\/a>\u2019s approach from Brand Voice Academy. He starts with over 100 tone descriptors and distills a brand\u2019s voice into one of nine styles that fall into three categories:<\/p>\n Authoritative It\u2019s the most comprehensive (and effective) approach I\u2019ve seen\u2014and it works beautifully, especially when you want to define a voice that scales across channels, teams, and AI tools.<\/p>\n Regardless of what approach you take, make sure to codify it with examples. Think \u201cSay This, Not That.\u201d<\/p>\n For example, if you\u2019re a coaching brand that trades on humor, but never wants to come across as sarcastic or mean-spirited, you might have these:<\/p>\n \u2705 Messy starts count. So do snack breaks.<\/p>\n \u2705 You don\u2019t need another planner. You need a plan that fits your life.<\/p>\n \u274c This isn\u2019t that hard, you know.<\/p>\n \u274c You\u2019re great at quitting \u2014 congrats.<\/p>\n If it\u2019s helpful, you can also encourage people to channel their inner [celebrity name here]. (For me, it\u2019s always Robin Arzon from Peloton.)<\/p>\n Wondering what else to include in this section?<\/p>\n Preferred perspective:<\/strong> First-person, second-person, third-person? <\/p>\n Writing style:<\/strong> Friendly guide? Trusted expert? Straight-talking peer? <\/p>\n Favorite phrases:<\/strong> A few go-to lines can help writers (and AI tools) capture your brand voice faster. <\/p>\n Especially if you\u2019re using generative AI, this section helps it learn what \u201csounding like you\u201d actually<\/em> means.<\/p>\n Want to stop arguing about em dashes and serial commas? Consider picking a reference style and stick with it \u2014 and just note any variations in the content style guide.<\/p>\n Lots of brands use the Associated Press Stylebook<\/a> (AP) Chicago Manual of Style<\/a>. Personally, I find AP a better fit for online content \u2014 less formal, easier to remember, and widely used by media outlets.<\/p>\n\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Bernard Meyer<\/a>, senior director of communications and creative at Omnisend<\/a>, shares that he prefers AP Style as it helps Omnisend come across as friendlier and less formal.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Get your team an online subscription. It\u2019s easier to search \u2014 and much more likely to be used \u2014 than a dusty print copy.<\/p>\n This is one of the most practical (and used!) sections of any guide.<\/p>\n Include:<\/p>\n Proper formatting for your brand name (HubSpot, not Hubspot or Hub spot) <\/p>\n Product names, slogans, or phrases<\/a> with preferred spelling and punctuation Also be sure to make note of language preferences based on regional usage (color vs. colour, apartment vs. flat) and inclusive alternatives (blocklist vs. blacklist, \u201cfirst-year student\u201d vs. \u201cfreshman\u201d).<\/p>\n This section saves editors so much<\/em> time \u2014 and helps AI tools get more accurate, too.<\/p>\n\n You don\u2019t need to rewrite your brand design manual<\/a> here, but if your writers are expected to source, edit, or write for visual content, you do<\/em> need to give them some direction.<\/p>\n Address common questions like:<\/p>\n Where should images come from, and how should they be attributed? If you have a paid stock image account, list it. If you want all graphics to have descriptive alt text (you should), make that clear.<\/p>\n Also, if you expect writers to include infographic content for designers and you have guidelines around what should be included, I highly recommend sharing that here, too.<\/p>\n This is where you prevent formatting chaos before it happens. At a minimum, cover your guidelines for<\/p>\n Body text:<\/strong> Preferred font, size, color (if applicable) <\/p>\n Headers:<\/strong> How many levels? Use of title vs. sentence case? <\/p>\n Hyperlinks:<\/strong> Should writers link whole phrases or just keywords? <\/p>\n Lists:<\/strong> Bulleted or numbered? Punctuation at the end? <\/p>\n Styling:<\/strong> When to bold, italicize, or use quotation marks <\/p>\n Special characters:<\/strong> When to use ampersands, em\/en dashes, acronyms, etc. <\/p>\n With consistent formatting, your readers will be able to skim and digest your information more easily.<\/p>\n No need to include your full SEO strategy<\/a> here, but a basic overview helps writers avoid keyword stuffing or structure issues. I always recommend covering:<\/p>\n Keyword usage:<\/strong> Where to include target keywords (title, headers, alt text, etc.) <\/p>\n Content structure:<\/strong> How to use headers and organize ideas <\/p>\n Linking strategy:<\/strong> Internal and external links, plus link density guidelines <\/p>\n Length expectations:<\/strong> General word count ranges for key content types <\/p>\n Meta tags:<\/strong> If writers are expected to write meta titles\/descriptions, include guidance <\/p>\n In addition to these sections, I also include links to external sources like HubSpot\u2019s guide to SEO<\/a> to ensure writers can find answers to their questions from reputable sources.<\/p>\n You\u2019ve probably seen that stat about humans only having an 8-second attention span. BBC debunked<\/a> it in 2017.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the problem with relying on secondhand (or fifth-hand) data \u2014 once it\u2019s out there, it spreads. So if you want your brand to sound credible, you need to be picky about your sources.<\/p>\n Because \u201cTrust me, bro\u201d doesn\u2019t cut it.<\/p>\n Neither is that Medium post that links to a blog that links to a roundup from 2016. That\u2019s lazy research and if you want to be credible, you need to make it clear to your writers that it won\u2019t fly.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re serious about trust and transparency, your style guide needs to spell out what \u201cgood\u201d looks like.<\/p>\n\n If you want to create trustworthy, authoritative content, you\u2019ve got to be picky about what you cite and where it comes from. And that means teaching your team \u2014 and your AI tools \u2014 how to tell the difference between solid data and sketchy filler.<\/p>\n And AI is notoriously untrustworthy, both at following directions and sourcing current data. Sometimes it makes things up, too.<\/p>\n So be sure to call out sources you want, what to avoid, and guidelines.<\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n Examples of great sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n Primary data and studies<\/strong>: Surveys, interviews, customer analytics, original research <\/p>\n Suggested industry studies<\/strong>: Deloitte, Gartner, McKinsey, BCG, Pew, HubSpot Research <\/p>\n Government + nonprofit sources<\/strong>: Census Bureau, World Bank, WHO, NIH <\/p>\n Reputable news outlets and trade pubs<\/strong>: Think Harvard Business Review<\/em> or AdWeek<\/em>, not your cousin\u2019s Substack <\/p>\n \u201cSources\u201d to avoid:<\/strong><\/p>\n Aggregator blogs<\/strong> with no clear citation trail <\/p>\n Roundups that quote roundups<\/strong> (if it takes 3 clicks to get to the source, stop) <\/p>\n LinkedIn thought-leader posts<\/strong> that link to nothing Anything that sounds like<\/strong>: \u201cAccording to a recent study I once saw somewhere\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n You may also want to include an example of how you want data cited.<\/p>\n\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n While that helps address most data-sourcing questions, you\u2019ll also want to decide if competitor statistics and data are allowed.<\/p>\n My general rule is \u201cyes!\u201d if it\u2019s reliable and trustworthy, but again, you\u2019ve got to make the call for your business.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re worried about search engine optimization (SEO), Osman, who is also ranked among the top 100 content marketers by Semrush<\/a>, shares that she\u2019s not \u201cagainst using data from competitors. But you have to be careful from an SEO perspective if the data you\u2019re referring to is a keyword competitor.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Beyond that, it also depends on your brand\u2019s core values. Meyer prefers to include \u201c helpful data even if the data comes from our competitors\u201d <\/em>because Omnisend wants to come across as a customer-centric brand.<\/p>\n Even if your team has good judgment, it helps to spell things out \u2014 especially for freelance contributors.<\/p>\n List any off-limits content, including:<\/p>\n Politics or religion<\/strong> (unless your brand explicitly addresses them) <\/p>\n Legal advice<\/strong> (encourage linking to resources or consulting a lawyer) <\/p>\n Controversial topics<\/strong> without expert input <\/p>\n Think of this as setting smart boundaries \u2014 so writers know what not<\/em> to touch. And if there\u2019s ever a possibility of an exception to the rule, outline the process for requesting that.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n This is the section most guides skip \u2014 and the one that makes the biggest difference.<\/p>\n Meyer agrees, \u201cThe more specific you can make [your style guide], the better your team will understand how to adopt it effectively.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Osman also prefers adding examples. According to her, \u201cstyle preferences make a lot more sense to writers when they see them executed in actuality \u2014 much like a case study.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s how I write content style guides to show the team what \u201cgood\u201d looks like:<\/p>\n Use do\u2019s and don\u2019ts<\/strong>. Add an incorrect example and then mark it up to show how a writer could fix it. <\/p>\n Include visual examples<\/strong>. For formatting and graphics, I prefer adding visual examples to help the contributors visualize what the brand requires. <\/p>\n Preferred text<\/strong>. I find that writers are more likely to succeed in nailing down the brand tone and voice if you provide examples of it in practice. <\/p>\n Editorial process. <\/strong>What are the steps involved from assignment to editing to publishing? You don\u2019t need a detailed SOP, but a high-level overview of the flow makes it easy for writers to understand and deliver on expectations. <\/p>\n Style guides are living documents. The world isn\u2019t static, customer expectations aren\u2019t static, so I feel like it\u2019s unrealistic to think you\u2019ll never edit them.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n My favorite content style guides are easy to follow because they are hyper clear. WIth that said, it\u2019s not about creating rules for the sake of\u2026well, having rules.<\/p>\n It\u2019s about making everything simpler for your team and your customer base.<\/p>\n\n Pro tip: <\/strong>This shouldn\u2019t just go to writers. I\u2019d recommend sharing this with any core customer-facing teams. It\u2019s helpful when marketing, sales, and customer service talk about things the same way.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Don\u2019t try to do too<\/em> much. I\u2019ve shared a ton of things you can include and that I recommend including on some level. But you don\u2019t have to go into detail on all of them. Here\u2019s what I recommend leaving out \u2014 or at least linking to specific SOP documents<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yes, content ops are the backbone of your process. But things like editorial calendars, request forms, approval workflows, and publishing timelines don\u2019t belong in your style guide. Keep those reference links in your project playbooks. Your writers need writing guidance, not a lesson in Airtable.<\/p>\n This is one of those \u201cyour call\u201d things. I personally like to include a page with the company logo, typography, and color palette. After all, they\u2019re critical for the brand and it\u2019s helpful for onboarding new team members.<\/p>\n But think high-level instead of 6 pages on how to use the logo. Instead, include that detail in a separate brand and visual style guide to convey the brand identity elements<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stay as high-level as you can. If there\u2019s important information writers need to refer to, include links to reference documents or how-to videos in the style guide, but don\u2019t go overboard.<\/p>\n Rule of thumb: If it feels like a text, thin it out.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n If you put in all that work, you want people to use it. Most will, but not everyone. I know it feels<\/em> personal, especially when people have paid me to consult on their stuff and then ignore it, but I promise it\u2019s not personal at all.<\/p>\n This is an area where change management principles rule the roost \u2014 so here\u2019s what I\u2019ve found works best:<\/p>\n Your freelancers won\u2019t care, but if you have in-house writers, get their buy-in and make people feel like they\u2019re part of the process<\/a>. Even if you don\u2019t take all<\/em> of their suggestions, they feel some ownership in it.<\/p>\n Where possible, I like to come up with two equally awesome options for different categories and then let people weigh in on those options. I\u2019m always fine with whatever they choose.<\/p>\n Store it where people already work. Link to it in onboarding docs, pin it in Slack, and reference it in briefs.<\/p>\n Personally, I love a living doc with a table of contents and quick-reference sections that are easy to skim.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a static set-and-forget document.<\/p>\n Not everyone should have edit access, but I do ask teams to flag questions or inconsistencies as they come up, and we review and update the doc regularly. It doesn\u2019t have to be perfect on day one. Just keep it useful \u2014 and make updates part of your workflow.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n If you want to see a writing style guide in action, here are a few examples of writing style guides I have liked from well-known companies like Google, Shopify, and Intuit.<\/p>\n In Google\u2019s style guide, I noticed that Google is very explicit in its goal of creating clear, consistent content. It\u2019s broken up into simple sections so that people can easily navigate what might seem like a complicated document<\/p>\n What I liked:<\/strong>\u00a0My absolute favorite part of this guide is the statement,
\n Style Guide vs. Brand Guide<\/a>
\n How to Create a Writing Style Guide<\/a>
\n What to Include in Your Style Guide [+ Checklist]<\/a>
\n What Not to Include in Your Style Guide<\/a>
\n How to Get Others to Use Your Style Guide<\/a>
\n Writing Style Guide Examples<\/a> <\/p>\nWhat is a content style guide?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Why are content style guides important?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Style Guide vs\u00a0Brand Guide<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Use a style guide template.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Review your brand\u2019s mission and values.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n How do you not<\/em> want to come across?
\n What do you want to make sure never <\/em>to do?
\n What do you never<\/em> want to sacrifice? <\/p>\n3. Create buyer personas for your target audience.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n Key pain points
\n Communication preferences
\n Solutions your brand offers
\n Preferred tone (formal, conversational, etc.) <\/p>\n4. Define your company\u2019s voice and tone.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n Serious vs. funny
\n Respectful vs. irreverent
\n Matter-of-fact vs. enthusiastic <\/p>\n
\n Outlook-driven
\n Accessible <\/p>\n5. Decide on a reference style manual.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
6. List troublesome words and branded phrases.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n Commonly miswritten words (ecommerce vs. e-commerce, etc.)
\n Job title formatting (Director of Marketing vs. director of marketing)
\n Degree usage (bachelor\u2019s degree vs. Bachelor of Arts) <\/p>\n7. Establish guidelines for graphics.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n How many images per post?
\n Should images include alt text?
\n What are the preferred image sizes, file types, and alignment rules?
\n Are screenshots allowed?
\n Should text wrap around images?
\n How do you handle video embeds? <\/p>\n8. Share your formatting recommendations.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
9. Describe your SEO requirements.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
10. Add recommended methods to source reliable data.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n Sketchy data with no date<\/strong> <\/p>\n11. Outline prohibited topics.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
12. Give examples to solidify the writing style guide.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
What to Include in Your Style Guide [+ Checklist]<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What Not to Include in Your Style Guide<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Content Operation Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Visual Style Recommendations<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Training Materials<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to Get Others to Use Your Style Guide<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Involve others early on.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Make it easy.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Keep updating it.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Writing Style Guide Examples<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n1. <\/strong>Google<\/a><\/strong>
\n<\/h3>\n\n