This writing style guide applies to all content produced by Big Blue. To the extent possible, this writing style guide should be promoted to our clients for their own content, too.
This applies to emails, social media posts, slide presentations, animation scripts, video scripts, blog posts, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MailChimp, and our website. Public content includes social media content, video scripts, animation scripts, anything on YouTube, etc
TL;DR
Writing style in 3 words
Accurate, readable, compelling
Writing style guide in a sentence
If this writing style guide were summed into 1 sentence, it would be: We are committed to accurate, readable, and compelling language readers can engage, with no one left out.
Tweet
Big Blue writes for accuracy and #readability first. Almost every reader faces temporary, permanent, or future disability. We write so all readers can trust us and engage, whatever their current ability.
Writing style in a paragraph
It is not enough to say that readers are busier than ever. Writers must consider much more than busyness. Writers must consider exclusion, their own biases, and readers’ current and future abilities. The ability to read and understand is fluid. Writers must also consider the effects of misinformation and fake news. In this environment, our team is committed to writing that is accurate, clear, inclusive, and compelling.
Use cases for accurate, readable, compelling writing
Reader scenario: Eager to read your writing, but is very busy and on a short Uber ride and only has time to read the first 300 words
Principles
- For specialized audiences, write slightly more professionally
- The reading grade must always be lower than 9
- Write with readability in mind
- Write with accessibility in mind
- Write with inclusion in mind
- Use short sentences and short words
- Use all these guidelines above for any public content
Mechanics
- Hyperlinks are bolded, not underlined
- Sentences should not exceed 20 words
- Bullet lists must have 3-7 bullets
- Remember that a readability score is calculated according to the average length of words and the average number of words per sentence. Long words and long sentences lead to a high chance that many readers cannot fully engage with the content
- Readers’ decisions to continue reading are made in microseconds
- Consider the full range of potential disabilities
- Do not put full stops at the end of bullets
- Use sentence case, not title case
- To highlight- bold only, not underline or italics