Podcast 53: style guide v tone and voice. What’s the difference?

What should go into a brand’s style guide? Recently, we’ve been thinking about this question a lot – sometimes out loud, in front of a microphone. Eavesdrop now to hear our carefully considered tips…

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Do you italicise titles? Or put them in speech marks? The question may seem barely worth your time, but the fact remains: writing “Ulysses 31” and Ulysses 31 in the same sentence looks more than a little sloppy.

A good style guide can help you keep content consistent, even when you’ve a small army of people writing for your brand.

But do you need one? What should it contain? And is it the right place to lay down the law on voice and tone?

Hear Emily, Fiona and David share their expert perspectives in our 22-minute guide to guides (and still find the time to reminisce over 1980s Franco-Japanese cartoons).

Listen now to discover:

  • The difference between “editorial style” and “voice and tone” guides
  • The one thing absolutely every style guide should contain
  • Our gripes with The Economist Style Guide (which, for the most part, we love)
  • Why blog posts are a special case when it comes to “voice and tone” rules
  • … and much, much more

How to listen:

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Alternatively, add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Economist Style Guide Online

Credits:

Intro and outro music by Industrial and Marine.

Header based on photo by Tim Graf on Unsplash.

Kieran

Kieran’s marketing experience and flair for language often see him singled out by clients looking to push the content envelope. When Kieran’s not delivering persuasive copy and outstanding client experiences, he’s helping the rest of our team do the same as Radix’s Head of Staff Development.

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