It’s all in the details: Creating an editorial style guide
Marketing directors and arts administrators often do a lot of writing and editing – sometimes multiple paragraphs for a blog post, other times, just a handful of words in an ad. While we do this, we’re mindful of big-picture strategic perspectives like brand voice and event positioning.
We’re also looking for accuracy. Is everything spelled right? Are the dates correct? How about the phone number? All important.
But what about whether the time is listed as 8:00 p.m., 8pm, or 8:00 PM?
Does that formatting change based on the writer, the medium, or perhaps for no good reason at all? If the start time is accurate, does the formatting even matter?
Yes, it does.
This doesn’t mean that someone reading an ad is going to determine whether they want to attend or not based on how the start time is written. But which format you choose and your consistency in using that format do have an impact.
These are tiny details that may never get noticed consciously by readers, but consistency – even subconsciously-observed consistency – builds trust, and building trust with your audience is critical. When someone is making decisions about how to spend their time and money, you don’t want anything to distract them from saying yes to your offer.
Since there are so many options and no universally right or wrong format, selecting one usually comes down to your brand. Here are five different ways to write the same time. There are more, but let’s start with these.
8:00 p.m.
8:00 PM
8 p.m.
8 pm
8pm
They bring different levels of formality and clearly take up different amounts of space. Select the one that is the best match for your brand and voice, or even the one you are already using most frequently. You can take a quick, informal poll of your colleagues if you’re feeling stuck, but these decisions are typically pretty quick and intuitive.
There are dozens of formatting and style choices that can be made in addition to how to write the time. Some, like the example above, have no right or wrong answer, while others do, for example, the proper way to write your organization’s name.
Once you’ve made your choices and identified all the details that everyone should have, collect them in an editorial style guide, and share it throughout your organization. Remember that consistency is key. It’s not enough for all marketing materials to be the same if development or education are doing something different. Patrons don’t differentiate between departments.
Review your guide annually, update when needed, and be sure to share with new hires as part of onboarding.
Every editorial style guide will be different. Here are some items you can consider including in yours.
How your organization’s name and facilities should be written out, including which abbreviations are acceptable for the public, and which for are internal use only
If you have areas or buildings that are named (i.e. the Kate Brandt Lobby), when do you use the official name and when do you just say ‘lobby’
What are the official names for your special programs and events. For example: “Coffee and chat” or “Coffee & Chat”
Do you prefer italics, quotation marks, or all caps to designate titles
Do email addresses and URL’s contain capital letters or all lowercase; do you include the www when writing our your website
How are phone numbers written. For example: (508) 555-1212; 508-555-1212; or 508.555.1212
Do you use theater or theatre
Are you #TeamOxfordComma
If your events are structured in a season, is it the 2022-2023, 2022-23, or 22/23 season?
Helpful Hint: While you’re at it, it’s worth creating a Visual Style Guide as well so that everyone is using the same colors and the correct version of the logo.
If you need some help working through how to create a Style Guide, let’s talk. I can help.