Create an editorial style guide for my content team
A practical editorial guide covering grammar, formatting, sourcing, and AI use so every writer is consistent.
The prompt
Create an editorial style guide for our content team and freelancers.
Brand and audience: [WHO WE ARE, WHO WE WRITE FOR]
Content types: [blog, newsletter, social, ebooks, website]
Base style we follow (if any): [AP / Chicago / none]
Our recurring problems: [e.g. "inconsistent product names", "walls of text", "weak sources"]
Examples of content we're proud of: [PASTE OR LINK]
Existing brand voice guide: [PASTE or "none"]
Sections:
1. Voice in practice: 3-4 traits with "we write / we don't write" examples.
2. Grammar and mechanics: headline and subhead case, numbers, dates, abbreviations, Oxford comma, contractions.
3. Terminology: product names, words to use and avoid, inclusive language.
4. Formatting: paragraph length, headings, lists, bolding, links, images and alt text, CTAs.
5. Sourcing: acceptable sources, how recent, how to cite and link, no unattributed statistics.
6. AI use: what's allowed, disclosure, fact-checking, and human review requirements.
7. Process: drafts, reviews, approvals, and a pre-publish checklist.
Keep it scannable, under 1,500 words, with examples for every rule. Where I haven't specified a preference, propose one and mark it [PROPOSED].
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Content & Social Media prompts
What to fill in
- WHO WE ARE, WHO WE WRITE FOR
- blog, newsletter, social, ebooks, website
- AP / Chicago / none
- PASTE OR LINK
- PASTE or "none"
- PROPOSED
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
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