Blog Style Guide | Flowster

FLOWSTER’S MARKETING STYLE GUIDE

Please adhere to the following style guide when submitting a guest post for the Flowster blog.

Voice and tone

Use active voice whenever possible.
Use contractions.
Avoid jargon.
- Use terms the target audience will understand.
- If you don’t know what terms the audience will understand, you don’t know them well enough to write for them.

Avoid vague words such as “maybe,” “might,” or “some.”
Aim for grade level 6 or 7 (refer to Hemingwayapp.com).
Spell out numbers that are smaller than 10.
Emoji are acceptable, but use them sparingly.
On Groove-owned web properties, mild swear words are acceptable (think: “bullshit”).

Headings and subheadings

Headings

Write headings (H1) in title case unless the heading is a punctuated sentence:
- Customer Service Ticketing System Magic: We Cut Response Time by 50% Using This Feature
Pro tip: Use titlecase.com to get this right.

Subheadings

Write subheadings (H2, H3, etc.) in sentence case:
- What is a customer service ticketing system?

Punctuation

Abbreviations

In general, avoid using abbreviations, especially for industry-related terms.
- Write “customer support” instead of “CS.”

Acronyms

Write acromnys first, then write them parenthetically.
- NPS (Net Promoter Score) is one of the best indicators of customer satisfaction. The inventors of NPS explain…

Bullet-point lists

When using bullet-point lists:
- Use parallel construction.
- If the bullet points are full sentences, add a period after each one.
- If the bullet points are phrases, add a period to the last bullet point only.

Commas

Use the serial (or Oxford) comma:
- I love Groove’s use of conventions, grammar, and punctuation.

En dash and em dash

Use the en dash (–) and em dash (—) without spaces:
- We’ll be out of town Friday–Sunday.
- We’ve made a lot of changes to our website—all for the better.

Italics and bold

Use italics to emphasize a word, phrase, or quote.
Use bold to make something to stand out.

Quotation marks

In headings and subheadings, use single quotation marks instead of double quotation marks:
- Target keywords such as ‘business strategies’

Semicolons

Avoid semicolons in almost all cases.
- A semicolon usually means you’ve written a lengthy, difficult-to-read sentence.
- Revise, rephrase, or cut.

Images and formatting

Formatting

No walls of text.
- Remember that most readers will scan your article, not read it word-for-word.
- Break up lengthy blocks of text into one, two, or (at most) three-sentence paragraphs.
- Use one visual element every seven to ten paragraphs (roughly).
  - Images, gifs, or videos
  - Bullet lists
  - Pull quotes
  - Takeaway boxes

Images and graphics

Liberally include images and graphics throughout every post.
Include a relevant caption for all images.
- Pro tip: Links in captions have extremely high click-through rates. If you can link to a content upgrade or a product page within an image caption, do it.

Spelling

Spelling Conventions

Sources and referencing

Links

Links should be added naturally and in context. In general, avoid phrases like “click here” or “learn more.”
In general, avoid referring to competitors or linking to their websites:
- Intercom
- HelpScout
- Zendesk
- Frontapp
- Freshdesk

Sources and research

Prioritize original research (which are uniquely valuable) over sources you found on the internet (which anyone can get and are not unique).
- Internal data
- First-person experiences
- Interviews with customers
- Interviews with subject matter experts

Supplement original research with information you find online.

Always link your sources. Never make things up.

Link directly to original content. Never link to an aggregator—especially infographics.

Don’t reference research or data collected more than 4 years prior to the date you submit your article.

People

Age and disability

Don’t reference age or disability unless absolutely relevant.

Gender

Use a person’s preferred pronoun or name.

Avoid gendered language.

The singular “they” or “them” is acceptable, though it is better to find an alternative:
- Acceptable: When talking to a customer, ask them for their perspective.
- Better: When talking to customers, ask them for their perspective.

Brands and Terminology

The Flowster brand

COMPANY

Refer to the company as “Flowster” with a capital “F.” Never refer to the company as “flowster”.

“WE”

When writing on behalf of the company, use the first-person plural “we.”

“I”

When writing in your personal capacity, use the first-person “I.”

Other companies

RESPECT

Be respectful of other businesses by referring to them by their correct names as written on their official websites.

“IT”

Use “it” not “they” for singular companies and brands.

Terminology

Use the variation eCommerce (not e-commerce or other).
Capitalize the first and last letter of SaaS.
Use startup vs start-up.