Content Style Guide Template

A content style guide is the operational layer of your brand voice. While a brand voice guide defines your personality, a style guide answers the daily questions that writers actually face: How do we handle product names? Do we write out numbers or use numerals? What's our Oxford comma policy? How do we format dates?

Without a style guide, every writer makes these calls independently — and inconsistency accumulates until your content looks like it came from five different companies. With a style guide, these decisions are made once and applied everywhere.

This template is your starting point. Fill in the sections relevant to your business and add any company-specific rules you discover over time.

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Part 1: Company & Product References

These are the most important rules in any style guide — incorrect product naming is immediately visible to customers and erodes trust.

Company Name

Official company name: _______________________________________________

Correct usage:

• In formal contexts (press, legal, email signatures): _______________________________________________
• In casual contexts (social media, conversational copy): _______________________________________________
• As a modifier: _______________________________________________ (e.g., "Averi users" or "an Averi account")

Never write:

• ---

• ---

(e.g., "AVERI," "averi.ai" in running text)

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Product Name(s)

Product / Feature	Correct Name	Common Misspelling to Avoid	Notes

Capitalize feature names: Yes / No / Depends (explain):

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The product vs. the platform: How do you refer to the product generically?

• Use "the platform" / "the tool" / "the software" / other: ___

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Part 2: Capitalization

General Rules

• Sentence case for headers: "How to write a content brief" (not "How to Write a Content Brief")
• Title case for headers: "How to Write a Content Brief"

Our choice: Sentence case / Title case

(If title case: which words do NOT get capitalized? Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or), prepositions under 5 letters (in, on, at, by), unless first or last word.)

Job Titles

• Job titles before a name: Capitalize / Lowercase (e.g., "Chief Marketing Officer Jane Smith" or "chief marketing officer Jane Smith")
• Job titles after a name or alone: Always lowercase (e.g., "Jane Smith, chief marketing officer, said...")

Industry Terms

Specific capitalization decisions for your industry:

Term	Capitalize?	Notes
artificial intelligence	No — write "AI" or "artificial intelligence"
AI	Yes
internet	No	(per AP Style, lowercased since 2016)
email	No
SaaS	Yes
startup	No

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Part 3: Numbers and Data

General Number Rules

Spell out numbers: one through nine (standard AP) / one through ten (Chicago)

Our choice: Spell out ___ through ___; use numerals for ___ and above

Exceptions (always use numerals):

• Percentages: 5%, not five percent
• Dates: February 25, not February twenty-fifth
• Ages: 3-year-old, not three-year-old
• Measurements: 5GB, not five GB
• Statistics in data-heavy contexts: "Generated 3x more leads"

Large Numbers

Amount	Write as
1,000	1,000 / one thousand
1,000,000	1M / $1 million / 1,000,000
1,000,000,000	1B / $1 billion

Our choice: _______________________________________________

Percentages

• In text: 15% or 15 percent? Our choice: _______________________________________________
• When beginning a sentence: always spell out ("Fifteen percent of...")

Statistics and Research Citations

• Citation format: (Source, Year) inline / footnote / link
• Our choice: _______________________________________________
• For stats without a source: acceptable / not acceptable Our choice: _______________________________________________

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Part 4: Dates and Times

Date Formatting

• Full dates: February 25, 2026 / 25 February 2026 / 02/25/26 Our choice: _______________________________________________
• Month and year: February 2026 / Feb. 2026 / 2/2026 Our choice: _______________________________________________
• Do not abbreviate months: Jan., Feb., etc. / Yes, abbreviate / Never abbreviate Our choice: _______________________________________________

Time Formatting

• 12-hour or 24-hour: _______________________________________________
• Format: 2:30 PM / 2:30 p.m. / 14:30 Our choice: _______________________________________________
• Time zones: always include / include for scheduled events / omit Our choice: _______________________________________________

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Part 5: Punctuation

Oxford Comma

The Oxford (serial) comma is the comma before "and" or "or" in a list of three or more items.

• Example with: "We support WordPress, Webflow, and Framer."
• Example without: "We support WordPress, Webflow and Framer."

Our choice: Always use the Oxford comma / Never use the Oxford comma

(Recommendation: Always use it. Ambiguity is more damaging than stylistic preference.)

Em Dash (—) vs. En Dash (–) vs. Hyphen (-)

• Hyphen (-): Compound modifiers ("best-in-class," "user-friendly"), phone numbers
• En dash (–): Ranges (2010–2015, pages 45–89)
• Em dash (—): For emphasis or parenthetical statements

Em dash formatting: spaces around it ("this tool — which we love — is fast") / no spaces ("this tool—which we love—is fast") Our choice: _______________________________________________

Ellipsis (...)

• Acceptable uses: Trailing off in quotations, casual social media
• Avoid in: Formal copy, marketing headlines, CTAs
• Formatting: Three periods with space before (... ) / Three periods no spaces (...) / Use the ellipsis character (…)

Exclamation Points

Use freely / Use sparingly (max 1 per document) / Avoid entirely in formal content / Acceptable in social media Our choice: _______________________________________________

Question Marks

Standard use. Note: rhetorical questions in marketing copy can feel manipulative — use judgment.

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Part 6: Formatting

Headers (H1, H2, H3 hierarchy)

• H1: Page title (one per page) — tone: _______________________________________________
• H2: Major sections — sentence case / title case
• H3: Subsections — sentence case / title case
• H4 and below: Use sparingly / Avoid / Fine to use

Bold and Italic

Bold for:

• ---

• ---

(e.g., key terms on first use, critical warnings, actionable steps)

Italic for:

• ---

• ---

(e.g., book titles, foreign words, emphasis in specific contexts)

Never use both together unless: _______________________________________________

Bullet Lists

• When to use: _______________________________________________
• When NOT to use: _______________________________________________
• Maximum nesting levels: _______________________________________________
• Parallel structure required: Yes / Best practice / Optional
• Period at end of each bullet: Yes / No / Depends on whether bullets are full sentences

Our bullet style:

• Complete sentences → period at end
• Fragments → no period
• Mixed → _______________________________________________

Numbered Lists

Use for: _______________________________________________ (sequential steps, priority-ordered items)

Use bullets (not numbers) for: _______________________________________________ (non-sequential items, feature lists)

Tables

Use for: _______________________________________________ (data comparison, feature matrices, pros/cons)

Avoid for: _______________________________________________ (information that reads better as prose, simple two-item comparisons)

Code Formatting

For tech-adjacent products: How do you display code snippets, technical strings, or commands?

• Inline code: backtick format
• Code blocks: fenced code blocks with language specified
• Command-line instructions: _______________________________________________

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Part 7: Links and CTAs

Link Text

Never use: "Click here," "Read more," "Learn more" as standalone link text Always use: Descriptive anchor text that tells the reader where the link goes (e.g., "Read our guide to content briefs" not "Click here for our guide")

Exceptions: _______________________________________________

Call-to-Action Copy

Strong CTA verbs we use: Start, Create, Build, Get, See, Try, Join, Launch Weak CTA verbs we avoid: Submit, Click, Download (when we mean "get") CTA format: Verb + noun ("Start your free trial") / Verb only ("Get started") Our choice: _______________________________________________

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Part 8: Writing Style Standards

Sentence Length

• Target sentence length: 15-20 words (readable)
• Maximum before breaking up: 30 words
• Variety is essential: mix short punchy sentences with longer explanatory ones

Paragraph Length

• Blog posts / guides: 3-5 sentences per paragraph
• Website copy / landing pages: 1-3 sentences
• Email: 2-4 sentences per paragraph
• Technical documentation: as needed for accuracy

Passive vs. Active Voice

Strongly prefer active voice: "We built this feature for marketers" not "This feature was built for marketers."

Acceptable passive voice exceptions:

• When the actor is unknown or irrelevant
• In technical documentation when the action matters more than the doer

• ---

Reading Level

Target reading level (Flesch-Kincaid or similar): _______________________________________________ (Aim for Grade 8-10 for most marketing content; Grade 12+ for technical documentation)

Point of View (POV)

Default POV for blog content: Second person ("you") / Third person / First person plural Default POV for case studies: Third person Default POV for emails: First person singular ("I") / First person plural ("we")

Our choices:

• Blog posts: _______________________________________________
• Marketing copy: _______________________________________________
• Email (from the company): _______________________________________________
• Support documentation: _______________________________________________

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Part 9: Inclusive Language

Gender-Neutral Language

• Default pronoun for general reference: they/their (not he/she) (e.g., "When a customer contacts support, they should receive..." not "he or she should receive...")
• Job titles: gender-neutral versions always (e.g., "spokesperson" not "spokesman," "chair" not "chairman")

Accessibility Considerations

• Alt text for all images: Required / Best practice
• Avoid ableist language: _______________________________________________ (e.g., "See the dashboard" vs. "View the dashboard")

Global Audience Considerations

If writing for international audiences:

• Avoid idioms that don't translate well
• Use international date formatting when context is global (DD Month YYYY)
• Avoid colloquialisms that have regional meaning

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Part 10: Content-Specific Guidelines

Blog Posts

• Minimum length: ___ words
• Target length for SEO: ___ words
• Subheadings every: ___ words / ___ paragraphs
• Images: ___ per 1,000 words
• Internal links: ___ minimum per post
• CTA: Required at end / Inline / Both

Case Studies

• Required sections: Challenge, Approach, Results, Quote
• Length: ___ to ___ words
• Data requirements: Must include at least ___ measurable outcomes
• Quote attribution: Full name, title, company required

Social Media

(Platform-specific limits)

• LinkedIn: ___ characters max; include ___ hashtags
• Twitter/X: ___ characters; ___ hashtags
• Instagram caption: ___ characters; ___ hashtags
• Image dimensions: _______________________________________________

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Further Reading

• why your brand voice sounds like everyone else's (and how to fix it)
• how to create thought leadership content that does not sound AI-generated
• craft your brand positioning

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should own the content style guide?

A content or editorial lead should own it — someone who writes and edits regularly and sees the inconsistencies that accumulate. The guide should be reviewed and updated collaboratively (with marketing, product, and occasionally sales input), but one person needs to be the keeper and enforcer.

How do we get freelancers and contractors to follow the style guide?

Make it part of your onboarding for any writer. Include it in your content brief template. Do a brief review of the most critical sections (company/product names, POV, Oxford comma, CTA copy standards) in the first feedback cycle for each new writer. Most writers will internalize the rules quickly if they're clearly communicated.

What's the difference between a style guide and an editorial calendar?

A style guide defines how you write; an editorial calendar defines what you write and when. Both are necessary, and they work together — the editorial calendar specifies the pieces to create, and the style guide ensures they're all created with consistent standards.

How long should a content style guide be?

As long as it needs to be to answer the questions your writers frequently ask — no longer. Overly comprehensive style guides are never read. A 10-15 page guide covering your key decisions is more useful than a 50-page document nobody opens. Start with the highest-impact sections (company/product naming, capitalization, key terms) and add sections as recurring questions arise.

When should we update the style guide?

Update it whenever: you rebrand or rename something, you expand to new markets or content types, you identify recurring inconsistencies in your content, or you add new channels with new formatting requirements. Keep a changelog at the top of the guide so writers know what's been updated recently.