What is a Writing Style Guide?

In the world of content writing, we often hear the term Style Guide. Let us understand the true meaning and the purpose of its existence.

What is a writing style guide?

A writing style guide is a list of protocols that sets the standard of writing, grammar, active or passive speech, punctuations, and tone by an organization, in the expectation of maintaining a standard tone and style regardless of content creators in the team.

It should be followed by all the content contributors which help in maintaining consistency and matching the readers’ expectations. It adds recognition and face value to the organization.

Here is the list of 5 important guidelines, which help in standardizing a content

1. Introduction: The basic and most important part of writing is the introduction part. It gives the readers a fair idea about what they are going to get by reading the content.

*Author introduction followed by the topic is a vivid way of grabbing the attention of the readers and remembering the first 30 seconds of reading will judge the quality of the content.

2. WIIFM (What’s in it for me): This is the second most important part of reading. Readers often like to know what they are going to learn and how is it going to help in their lives. It gives them a benefit of the doubt and the benefit of spending their time reading the content, Altogether it is a win-win situation.

• List the frequently asked questions with answers
• Add examples and compare them with real-time scenarios
• Use authentic sources and always give accreditation by providing external links and adding credits.
• Give them the benefit of doubt

3. Readability: Use simple words which can be easily understood by the reader. Content quality is also gauged by the readability score and defines the level of knowledge someone needs to understand the content you have created.

• Avoid using long sentences and complex words
• Use short and easy words, unlike thesaurus (no pun intended)
• Avoid jargons
• Use simple fonts

4. Summarize: It improves reading skills as readers pick out the important parts of reading. It illustrates the level of comprehension of the content.

• Use of reporting verbs ex. presents, reports on, deals on, describes,…etc.
• Mention important conclusions of the context
• Write in the present tense.
• Begin with the name of the title.

5. Conclusion: Having a proper closure is as important as the introduction. It should be concise and clear. Encourage the reader to consider the information provided in the content and feel thoughtful about the content.

• Answer frequently asked questions.
• End with a positive note
• Avoid confusion
• End with a strong point but not an opinion
• Share resources to validate the content.

To create a unique and consistent copy of your content, it is a good idea to create a style guide for yourself and try following it religiously.

I hope this article has given you a fair idea about the style guide.

Thanks for reading and please don’t forget to read our other articles