About HeadStart’s Mini Style Guide

What is a style guide?

A style guide provides instructions and guidelines about writing and formatting written content. Style guides help companies establish and maintain a consistent brand voice.

Corporate style guides usually include the following information:

  • The company’s mission and values statement.
  • Information about the company’s customers and audience.
  • How the company is different from its competitors.
  • The company’s tone, voice, and style.
  • The preferred style manual. The AP Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style are common choices.
  • The preferred dictionary.
  • Information about preferred research sources and reference style.
  • Company-specific instructions about grammar, punctuation, spelling and abbreviations, DEI considerations, numbers, and dates. This section of the style guide is often accompanied by examples showing what writers should and shouldn’t do.

Corporate style guides may also contain design guidelines, such as preferred colors and fonts.

What does HeadStart provide as part of a mini style guide?

First, we’ll review selected pieces of your company’s online content. Then we’ll schedule a call with you to discuss:

  • Your company’s competitors, main differentiators, key audiences, and customer personas.
  • Your company’s preferred tone and voice, as well as platform-specific style concerns.
  • Grammar, spelling, and punctuation guidelines for your company’s content.
  • Preferred and unacceptable research sources.

After the call, we’ll document these points in a short (2-3 page) guide. It’s the ideal quick reference for anyone at your company who produces or edits written content.

 

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HeadStart is an extension of your team to help you finish your content projects. Call 1.416.712.4440 or contact us.