Write for an audience? Why you need a style guide

Do you write for an audience? Hire others to write for you?

Whether you freelance, run a business, or write as a hobby, if you produce any of the following:

• Marketing or website copy
• Social media posts
• Blogs
• Articles
• Short stories or novels

… it pays to use an editorial style guide.

Many overlook this resource, especially when starting out. But it’s the not-so-secret tool used by media outlets, publishers, and other organisations to elevate the polish and professionalism of the content you consume. It also helps to get content out more quickly and with less effort.

If you want to level up your (or your team’s) writing and save time and energy, an editorial style guide really is a no-brainer. Let me explain why.

What is an editorial style guide?

An editorial style guide is a set of rules that cover how you use words and language within your (or your organisation’s) communications. Things like:

• Default writing tone (e.g. formal vs. informal)
• Localisation (UK vs. US English; metric vs. imperial)
• Preferred wording (‘customer’ vs. ‘client’)
• Preferred spelling of certain words (‘embed’ vs. ‘imbed’)
• Pronoun use (are organisations singular or plural?)
• Target reading level/readability score
• Other general style and format rules

I could list more examples, but you get the idea.

Other types of style guides exist that may also be relevant to you. A design style guide, for example, covers rules such as which colours, typefaces, logos, and even page dimensions should be used in your branded documents.

Why use an editorial style guide?

1. To ensure consistency. An editorial style guide gives you or your business a recognisable voice, and makes sure that it always sounds like the same person is writing, even if this isn’t the case. It can help you add a consistent personality to your brand and nail the right wording to draw in your target audience. Are you fun and informal, or more traditional and businesslike?

2. To save time and brainpower. A style guide is basically a quick ‘cheat sheet’ that you can check whenever you’re unsure of how to write something. This beats researching (and re-thinking) it every single time. It also leads to fewer errors, and higher output (since you’re saving all that time!).

3. To add professionalism. Consistent and considered content comes across as mature and polished. Potential customers are more likely to trust a brand that seems professional.

4. To facilitate discussion. When you encounter a new potential writing style rule, knowing that you need to add it to your style guide compels you to consider or discuss it properly before making it official. The alternative would be to make a snap decision while writing. This might not be well-reasoned, and you might easily forget (or even contradict) it later.

5. To make everyone’s job easier. If you have multiple team members or hire freelancers to write, a style guide gets everyone on the same page fast, and reduces the need for questions. If your writers submit their work to editors before publication, following a common style guide should result in fewer edits being required.

Does creating a style guide take a lot of work?

If you decide to create your own style guide from scratch, you will need to invest time into building out your initial set of rules. Then once you have the groundwork in place, you will start to see immediate time savings.

New questions and ambiguities will crop up from time to time, but adding these to an existing style guide should be a simple task (more on this below). And the more you write, the fewer new entries you’ll need over time.

If you’d prefer to get up and running more quickly, you can choose to use an existing style guide instead of creating your own. The more established and popular style guides include Hart’s Rules (included in the Oxford Style Manual) in the UK, and the Chicago Manual of Style in the US. Many organisations also use newspaper style guides, such as the Guardian and Observer Style Guide (UK) or the AP Stylebook (US).

Is it better to create my own style guide, or use an existing one?

It’s down to you and your preferences, but in my opinion combining an established style guide with your own rules works best.

• Creating your own style guide requires more thought and initial time investment, but you have full ownership and control. As a result, you may find yourself memorising rules and spending less time looking them up. However, it may take longer for freelancers or new writers to familiarise themselves with your style.

• Using an established style guide saves time and effort, and gets you started quickly. Many writers and editors will already be familiar with the major ones. There may be some monetary cost, which will be more significant if you have multiple team members, as some style guides require either an online subscription or a hardcopy purchase. You may still find that some of your requirements are not covered, or that you disagree with some rules. You may also find memorisation more difficult.

• Combining your own rules with an established style guide may be a ‘happy medium’ for many. You may still need to purchase a style guide, and some work will be required to create your own document. However, you can quickly look up and use existing rules, while still having the freedom to adjust to your own preferences as needed.

Any tips for creating an editorial style guide document?

I would recommend creating your style guide using a note-taking app, such as my favourite, Notion. This provides the best solution if you consider the following:

• A style guide should be easy to search. If it’s easier to search, it’s easier to make it a habit! Most digital document formats will support the good old ‘CTRL+F / Cmd+F’ “Find” method, which is much more convenient than scrolling through multiple pages. This won’t work if you create a hardcopy.

• A style guide should be easy to update. After all, these are usually evolving documents. Note-taking software such as Notion or OneNote can be updated with ease. A word processor document could mean formatting adjustments are needed with each update, and a document converted to PDF adds an extra step every time. Hardcopies are not convenient to update.

• A style guide should be easy to share. Your team members or freelancers need access to the latest version of your style guide. Note-taking apps are built for this. Teammates will see updates in (almost) real-time, and can add their own comments and questions. Sharing a digital document is also straightforward, but a new version will need to be sent with each revision. Unless your team works in the same location, sharing hardcopies (again, one for every update) is expensive, slow and inconvenient.

My final tip is that if you work as a team, you should remain open to discussion when candidates for new style rules crop up. Your readers all have different perspectives. Getting a range of ideas from your team can help you find a solution that works well for more of your audience.

I live by my own rules, but I have so much to do! Is there a shortcut to creating my own style guide?

Of course!

If you’d rather not follow one of the existing style manuals, many good editors offer services in this area. We’re familiar with what’s already out there, and many of us have prior experience building and maintaining in-house style guides.

Whether you’d like us to do the heavy lifting or simply guide you through the process, collaborating with an editor to build your own style guide can be as hands-on as you want it to be.