09 Editorial Style
“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”
Introduction
Best pen practices. For everything we write: internal, external, printed, posted, pitched, or quietly judged by another writer.
Writing Style
Our voice is editorial, provocative, and humane. We write with cultural fluency and strategic restraint. Every line should either clarify the idea, sharpen the argument, or make the reader feel the point.
Grammar & Mechanics
- Default to Chicago-style clarity, unless rhythm demands otherwise.
- Headlines use sentence case unless the design system calls for title case.
- Oxford commas: yes. We believe in serial devotion.
- Use em dashes when the thought turns. Use them sparingly enough that the turn matters.
- Contractions are welcome. Don’t be afraid to sound human.
- Avoid exclamation points unless something is on fire or the client approved round one.
- Use adjectives like seasoning. Use adverbs like controlled substances.
- Short sentences are good. Fragments can be better. But only when they land.
- Never let wordplay outrank meaning.
Word Choice
What to cut, what to use with intention, and what to avoid.
- Agency jargon pretending to be strategy
- “Disruptive” unless we are actively disrupting something
- Fake humility
- Fake bravado
- “Authentic storytelling” without a more specific thought
- “Elevate,” “activate,” “leverage,” and “optimize” in groups of two or more
- Copy that sounds like it could belong to any agency with a WeWork address
Closing Thought
Every brand wants attention.
Better brands earn belief.
Write accordingly.
“People read what interests them. Sometimes it’s an ad.”
Example Copy
Proof in practice. Real lines that show how Good Word Agency sounds when it is doing what it does best.
We make believers.
Good words travel fast.
It’s not magic. It’s the 23rd try.
Interesting has a better ROI.
We build brands with soul.
Spread the good word.
Good faith creative.
Brands worth believing in.
Creative with conviction.
Make belief.
Say the word.
Stories worth spreading.
- Attention is rented. Belief compounds.
- Stop posting. Start meaning.
- The audience is not confused. The message is.
- Your brand needs a reason to be remembered.
- Say the quiet part well.
- Give the audience something to carry.
- If it sounds like marketing, that’s probably the problem.
- Don’t chase culture. Contribute to it.
- A website is the first room your customer walks into.
- If they can’t repeat it, it’s not your message yet.
- We don’t need more words. We need truer ones.
- Social is the longest conversation your brand will ever have.
- Messaging is not what you say. It’s what they remember.