![\"Free](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/53\/76520ae5-1a3b-4055-9e8e-95e150b90965.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nI\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 <\/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 Whether you’re working with freelancers, agencies, or in-house marketers, a solid content style guide helps you:<\/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 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 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 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 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 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 To define your tone, a lot of brands reference Nielsen Norman Group\u2019s four tone dimensions<\/a>:<\/p>\n 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 \u201cSources\u201d to avoid:<\/strong><\/p>\n You may also want to include an example of how you want data cited.<\/p>\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 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 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\n
What is a content style guide?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Why are content style guides important?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Style Guide vs\u00a0Brand Guide<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. Use a style guide template.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"screenshot](\"http:\/\/www.coclea.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/screenshot20of20a20content20style20guide20template.jpg\")
<\/p>\n2. Review your brand\u2019s mission and values.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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3. Create buyer personas for your target audience.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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4. Define your company\u2019s voice and tone.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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5. Decide on a reference style manual.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n6. List troublesome words and branded phrases.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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![\"ethnicity,](\"http:\/\/www.coclea.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Operation-Everest-content-style-guide-9-20250821-7329090.png\")
<\/p>\n7. Establish guidelines for graphics.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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8. Share your formatting recommendations.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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9. Describe your SEO requirements.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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10. Add recommended methods to source reliable data.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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![\"example](\"http:\/\/www.coclea.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/example20of20sourcing20for20your20content20style20guide.jpg\")
<\/p>\n11. Outline prohibited topics.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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12. Give examples to solidify the writing style guide.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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