Do:

• Let your creative personality come through.
• Don’t be afraid to take a stance—but be friendly, and back up assertions with data.
• Write in a natural voice; avoid tech-speak like “solution” and “utilize”.
• We’re here to help—make sure your advice is as actionable as possible.

Don't:

• Be condescending or confrontational (same goes for responding to comments).
• Assume all readers are experts.
• Take overt, divisive political, or religious stances.
• Be overly promotional or salesy.

Do:

• Be concise but casual.
• Stay appropriate—no politics, religion, or sarcasm.
• Be creative with captions and images; pics of staff are best, next best is a funny but relevant gif.
• Always respond to complaints or comments in a friendly, open tone; if discussing customer service, offer to take it to DM.

Don't:

• Stir up controversy for controversy’s sake.
• Respond to negativity with more negativity; take the high road.
• Spam our audience with too many self-promotional links.

Do:

• Get to the point quickly.
• Sell the true value of the offer; show we can help them.
• Demonstrate that you understand the reader’s pain points.
• Use simple, concise language (write for a fourth grader!).

Don't:

• Be overly casual or make too many jokes (save it for the blog).
• Trigger the reader’s spam reflex by being overly pushy.

Do:

• Treat the reader like a new colleague or existing customer; don’t talk down to them.
• Include helpful images that illustrate the points we’re trying to make.
• Cite all data sources to encourage trust.
• Link to relevant resources, such as the Google Ads Grader.

Don't:

• Use guides solely as a way to push our products; be helpful/educational first.
• Use sleek, techy buzzwords like “solutions” and “synergize”.
• Copy and paste a blog post directly into a guide; adjust tone and style for a more focused audience.

Do:

• Refer to “your clients’ ads/accounts” vs. “your ads/accounts”.
• Use a slightly more formal/professional tone than you would in a guide aimed at SMBs.
• Include case studies or input from customers when relevant.
• Assume the audience is more informed than the average customer.

Don't:

• Include memes, silly images, or too many jokes.
• Assume you know how large the target agency is.
• Make any guesses—when in doubt, check with someone on the agency team in sales.

Do:

• Remember our tagline: the goal is to make online advertising easy.
• Use clear, simple language (use, not utilize).
• Use strong, engaging verbs like “save” and “grow”.
• Highlight the voice of the customer through testimonials.
• Be clear and upfront about processes to build trust.

Don't:

• Overuse the word “free”.
• Focus on US—keep the focus on THEM and how they’ll benefit.
• Use visuals or language that are too sleek, which could alienate our core audience.
• Use the acronym “PPC” if you can avoid it; “paid search” is preferred.

Do:

• Try to walk the line between bragging and promoting.
• Don’t bury the lede.
• Focus on benefits, not features.
• Tie it back to WordStream’s mission as a company.
• Seize the opportunity to portray WordStream as influential.
• Include a staff quote to give it some voice.

Don't:

• Be overly casual or humorous; aim for a friendly tone, but less personal than the blog.
• Stir up controversy or invite distrust.
• Use hard-to-understand technical language.