How Do You Create a Writing Style Guide?

 In any organization where content is created—be it a business, nonprofit, educational institution, or personal brand—a writing style guide is essential. It is the foundation for consistent, clear, and recognizable communication. Whether you're developing content for websites, reports, social media, or email marketing, a well-crafted style guide ensures every piece of writing aligns with your tone, voice, and values.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of creating a writing style guide from scratch. It is designed to be as practical and easy to follow as possible, providing the "why" and "how" behind each step, so that by the end, you will have a thorough understanding of how to build a style guide that works.

What is a Writing Style Guide?

A writing style guide is a reference document that outlines the rules, conventions, and preferences for written communication within an organization. It standardizes everything from grammar and punctuation to tone of voice and formatting.

The goal is simple: to ensure that all writing is consistent, professional, and reflective of your brand identity, regardless of who is doing the writing.

There are two main types of style guides:

1. General Editorial Style Guides – These include established guides like the AP Stylebook, Chicago Manual of Style, or APA Style. They are often used in journalism, publishing, and academia.

2. Custom Organizational Style Guides – These are tailored to your specific organization and incorporate brand voice, preferred spellings, formatting rules, and more.

In most cases, a combination of both is used—adopting an established guide as a foundation and customizing it to suit your brand or team's needs.

Why You Need a Writing Style Guide

Before we begin building one, it's important to understand why a writing style guide matters. Here are some key reasons:

• Consistency: When multiple people are writing content, differences in grammar, punctuation, tone, and formatting can be distracting or confusing to readers. A style guide ensures uniformity.

• Brand Integrity: Your writing represents your brand. A style guide helps maintain a consistent voice and personality across platforms.

• Efficiency: Writers spend less time wondering how to format a headline, which words to capitalize, or whether to use Oxford commas.

• Onboarding: New writers, editors, or marketers can ramp up faster with a clear guide to follow.

Now that we’ve established the importance, let’s get into how to actually create one.

Step 1: Define the Purpose and Scope

Start by identifying what your style guide will cover. Ask yourself:

• Who is the guide for? (e.g., marketers, customer support, copywriters)

• What types of content does it apply to? (e.g., blog posts, social media, emails, internal documents)

• Will it serve as a standalone guide or work alongside a larger editorial manual?

You may choose to focus exclusively on brand language and tone, or you may include technical details like formatting and structure.

Write a short introductory section in the guide itself that explains its purpose. This helps new users understand why it exists and how to use it.

Step 2: Choose a Base Style

Rather than reinvent the wheel, it’s common to adopt an existing editorial style as your base. Popular choices include:

• Associated Press (AP): Used by journalists and public relations professionals.

• Chicago Manual of Style: Common in book publishing.

• APA (American Psychological Association): Used in academia and scientific writing.

Once you choose your base style, document it clearly. For example, "We follow AP style except where noted below." You can then build your customizations on top of that foundation.

Step 3: Define Your Brand Voice and Tone

This is arguably the most important and distinctive part of your writing style guide. It reflects the personality of your brand and helps writers communicate with your audience in a recognizable way.

Start by answering the following:

• Is your brand formal or conversational?

• Do you prefer a friendly or authoritative tone?

• Should the writing be playful, serious, optimistic, or objective?

Create a few bullet points that summarize your brand voice. For example:

• Friendly, not casual – We want to be approachable, but still professional.

• Clear and direct – Avoid jargon, passive voice, and overly complex sentences.

• Helpful and confident – Provide value with assurance, not arrogance.

It can also help to include examples of writing that does and does not align with your voice.

Step 4: Establish Grammar and Usage Rules

This section provides clarity on rules that often vary between organizations. Use your base style guide as a reference and specify where you deviate.

Common areas to cover include:

• Oxford commas: Do you use them?

• Contractions: Are they acceptable? (e.g., it’s vs. it is)

• Numbers: When do you spell out numbers versus using numerals?

• Dates and times: Do you use “10:00 a.m.” or “10 AM”? “January 1st” or “1 January”?

• Capitalization: How do you treat headings, titles, and job roles?

Be as specific as possible and include examples.

Step 5: Create Formatting Guidelines

Formatting improves readability and accessibility. Your guide should define how content is visually structured. Consider including:

• Headings and subheadings: What hierarchy should be used?

• Bullet points and lists: When should lists be used? How should they be punctuated?

• Links: Should they open in new tabs? Should full URLs ever be used in text?

• Bold and italics: When is it appropriate to use emphasis?

It may be helpful to show a side-by-side example of well-formatted versus poorly formatted content.

Step 6: Address Common Terminology and Word Choices

Every industry or brand has preferred terminology. A consistent vocabulary builds trust and recognition. Create a section that includes:

• Approved terms and phrases: For example, say “clients,” not “customers.”

• Words to avoid: For example, avoid words like “cheap,” “cutting-edge,” or overused buzzwords.

• Spellings and capitalizations: For example, do you write “email” or “e-mail”? “Website” or “web site”?

If you use specialized or technical language, include a glossary with definitions.

Step 7: Clarify Punctuation and Style Preferences

Punctuation may seem minor, but inconsistencies can affect readability and perception. Make your preferences clear in your guide:

• Quotation marks: Single or double?

• Dashes: When to use em dashes, en dashes, or hyphens?

• Ellipses: When are they appropriate?

• Apostrophes: How do you handle possessives of company names or acronyms?

As with other sections, include clear examples.

Step 8: Include SEO and Digital Guidelines

If your writing is published online, it’s helpful to include a section on digital best practices. This might cover:

• Keyword usage: How should writers incorporate keywords naturally?

• Meta descriptions: How to write them and optimal character length.

• Headings for SEO: Use of H1, H2, H3 tags.

• Alt text for images: Guidelines for writing effective image descriptions.

• Internal linking: Best practices for linking to your own content.

A clear set of rules here ensures that your content is both user-friendly and optimized for search engines.

Step 9: Reference Visual Style Guidelines

While this guide focuses on writing, it's often helpful to briefly reference your visual style guide if one exists. If your brand has specific requirements for:

• Image styles

• Logo usage

• Font and color choices

• Layouts for printed materials

…then link to that document so writers and designers can ensure alignment across all mediums.

Step 10: Review and Maintain the Guide

Once your writing style guide is drafted, circulate it among your team for feedback. Writers, editors, and designers can all offer insights and suggestions.

Once finalized, your guide should be:

• Accessible: Store it in a shared folder or company wiki.

• Concise: Avoid turning it into an overwhelming manual. Make it easy to navigate.

• Living: Revisit it regularly and update it when necessary.

Assign someone—usually a managing editor or content lead—to oversee updates and communicate changes to the team.

Optional Additions

Depending on your audience and needs, you may wish to add sections on:

• Social Media Guidelines: How your brand voice translates to platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn.

• Diversity and Inclusion Language: Recommendations for using inclusive and respectful language.

• Legal or Regulatory Guidelines: Any compliance requirements, disclaimers, or industry-specific rules.

These are not necessary for every organization, but can be critical in certain contexts.

Final Thoughts

A writing style guide is not just a rulebook—it’s a communication compass. It tells your team not only what to say, but how to say it in a way that resonates with your audience. It reduces ambiguity, fosters unity, and ensures that every piece of content you produce reflects your identity and values.

Creating a writing style guide does require time and thought, but the investment pays off in improved quality, faster production, and stronger brand consistency. Start small if needed. Even a one-page guide can make a difference. Over time, expand and refine it into a comprehensive resource your entire team can rely on.

Remember: the best writing style guides are not just read—they’re used. Make yours easy to navigate, relevant, and practical. Then, let it grow along with your organization.