# Content Style Guide > Creates editorial style guides covering grammar preferences, formatting rules, tone guidelines, and word lists. Use when standardizing content quality across writers, platforms, or team members. - Skill: `reaperinvest/content-style-guide` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/content-style-guide` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/content-style-guide/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Docs & Writing - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/content-style-guide --- # Content Style Guide ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Create a brand style guide for written content (grammar, tone, formatting) - Standardize how your business communicates across all written channels - Onboard new writers or team members with clear editorial rules - Document word preferences, banned phrases, and formatting conventions **DO NOT** use this skill for visual brand guidelines (logos, colors, typography). This is for editorial and written content rules only. --- ## Core Principle A STYLE GUIDE MUST BE SHORT ENOUGH TO REFERENCE IN 5 MINUTES AND SPECIFIC ENOUGH TO RESOLVE ANY WRITING QUESTION WITHOUT A MEETING. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Business name** | "What is your business or brand name?" | No default — must be provided | | **Content channels** | "Where does your content appear? Blog, email, social, docs?" | Blog + email + social media | | **Existing style references** | "Share 2-3 pieces of content that represent how you want to sound." | None — will build from scratch | | **Audience** | "Who reads your content?" | Solopreneurs and small business owners | | **Tone keywords** | "Pick 3-5 words that describe how your brand should sound." | Direct, friendly, confident | | **Pain points** | "What writing inconsistencies bother you most?" | None identified | **GATE: Confirm brief before building the guide.** --- ## Phase 2: Outline ### Style Guide Sections ``` 1. Brand Voice & Tone 2. Grammar & Punctuation Preferences 3. Formatting Rules 4. Word List (preferred terms & banned phrases) 5. Channel-Specific Guidelines 6. Common Mistakes to Avoid ``` **GATE: Approve section structure before writing.** --- ## Phase 3: Write ### 1. Brand Voice & Tone ``` ## Brand Voice **We sound like:** [Concrete description — e.g., "A smart friend who runs a business"] **We do NOT sound like:** [Concrete anti-example — e.g., "A corporate press release"] ### Voice Traits | Trait | Description | Example | Anti-Example | |-------|-------------|---------|-------------| | [e.g., Direct] | [Get to the point fast] | "Here's how to fix it." | "In this section, we will explore potential solutions." | | [e.g., Confident] | [State opinions, don't hedge] | "This is the best approach." | "This could potentially be worth considering." | | [e.g., Conversational] | [Write like you talk] | "Let's break this down." | "The following analysis will demonstrate..." | ### Tone Adjustments by Context | Context | Tone Shift | |---------|-----------| | Blog posts | Most casual — personality shines through | | Emails | Warm and direct — like writing to a colleague | | Social media | Punchy and concise — hook fast | | Customer support | Empathetic and clear — solve the problem | | Legal / policies | Professional and precise — no ambiguity | ``` ### 2. Grammar & Punctuation ``` ## Grammar Preferences | Rule | Preference | |------|-----------| | Oxford comma | [Yes / No] | | Contractions | [Use freely / Avoid / Context-dependent] | | Sentence fragments | [Allowed in casual content / Never] | | Em dashes | [Use for emphasis / Avoid] | | Exclamation points | [Max 1 per piece / Never / Sparingly] | | Numbers | [Spell out 1-9, digits for 10+ / Always digits] | | Percent | [% symbol / "percent" spelled out] | | Ampersands | [Never in body text / OK in headings] | | Ellipses | [Avoid / OK in casual content] | ``` ### 3. Formatting Rules ``` ## Formatting | Element | Rule | |---------|------| | Headings | Sentence case ("How to write a pitch") not title case | | Bold | Use for key phrases readers should not miss | | Italic | Use for emphasis or introducing new terms | | Lists | Bullet points for unordered, numbers for sequential | | Paragraphs | 2-4 sentences max | | Links | Descriptive anchor text, never "click here" | | CTAs | Bold, action-oriented, one per section | ``` ### 4. Word List ``` ## Word List ### Preferred Terms | Use This | Not This | |----------|---------| | [e.g., "solopreneur"] | [e.g., "sole proprietor"] | | [e.g., "revenue"] | [e.g., "income" or "earnings"] | | [e.g., "customers"] | [e.g., "users" or "consumers"] | ### Banned Phrases - "In today's world..." - "It goes without saying..." - "At the end of the day..." - "Leverage" (as a verb) - "Synergy" / "synergize" - "Touch base" - "Circle back" - [User-specific additions] ### Industry Jargon Rules - Define technical terms on first use - Never assume the reader knows acronyms — spell out on first reference - [Specific jargon allowances for this brand] ``` ### 5. Channel-Specific Guidelines ``` ## Channel Guidelines ### Blog - Target: [word count range] - Always include: meta description, internal links, featured image brief - Heading hierarchy: H1 > H2 > H3 (never skip levels) ### Email - Subject lines: under 50 characters - Body: under 300 words for promotional, under 800 for newsletter - Always include: preview text, one CTA, P.S. line ### Social Media - Platform-specific character guidance - Hashtag rules per platform - Link placement rules ``` ### 6. Common Mistakes ``` ## Common Mistakes to Avoid 1. **Passive voice** — "The report was written by the team" → "The team wrote the report" 2. **Hedging language** — "We think this might help" → "This will help" 3. **Redundant phrases** — "Free gift" (gifts are free), "End result" (results are at the end) 4. **Nominalizations** — "Make a decision" → "Decide" 5. **Starting with "I think"** — Just state the opinion ``` --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### 1. Style Guide Checklist ``` ## Style Guide Checklist - [ ] Voice description includes concrete examples and anti-examples - [ ] Grammar preferences cover the 10 most common questions - [ ] Formatting rules are specific and actionable - [ ] Word list includes both preferred terms and banned phrases - [ ] Channel-specific guidelines are included for each active platform - [ ] Common mistakes section addresses real issues (not generic advice) - [ ] Guide is under 5 pages (reference-friendly, not a textbook) - [ ] At least 3 "Example vs Anti-Example" comparisons throughout ``` ### 2. Quick Reference Card Create a one-page summary of the most important rules for fast reference. --- ## Example: Style Guide for a SaaS Startup ``` Voice: Confident mentor — we've done this and want to help you do it too Not: Corporate PR team reading a script Preferred: "Start your free trial" Not: "Begin your complimentary trial period" Preferred: "dashboard" Not: "user interface" or "control panel" Oxford comma: Yes Contractions: Always in blog/social, avoid in legal docs Numbers: Digits always (even 1-9) for scannability ``` --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Too long** — a 30-page style guide will never be read. Keep it under 5 pages. - **Too vague** — "Be professional but friendly" is useless without examples. Show, don't just tell. - **No examples** — every rule needs a "do this / not this" pair or it will be interpreted differently by every writer. - **Outdated references** — style guides need annual reviews. Flag the review date. - **Ignoring channel differences** — the same tone does not work on TikTok and in legal contracts. Address channel shifts. --- ## Recovery - **No existing content to reference:** Write 3 sample paragraphs in different tones. Have the user pick the closest match and build the guide from that. - **Too many stakeholders with opinions:** Focus on the 10 rules that cause 90% of inconsistencies. Defer edge cases to the editor's judgment. - **Guide is getting too long:** Cut anything that duplicates AP or Chicago style. Only document deviations from standard practice and brand-specific rules. - **Writer keeps ignoring the guide:** Add the top 5 rules to a pre-publish checklist. Make it a gate, not a suggestion.