Writing Style Guide
Below is a brief style guide that includes some of the most common nomenclature and styling we use in our copywriting.
Trademarks
The registered trademark should be used in the first instance the brand name is mentioned. The exception is headline copy, which can offset typography. In this case the trademark must be included in the first instance of the sub-head or body copy.
Registered trademark names and properties include:
NationsBenefits®
- NationsHearing®
- NationsResponse®
- NationsOTC®
- NationsFlex®
- NationsMarket™
- Benefits Pro™
- Directed Spend™
- NationsProduce™
Innovative Healthcare Solutions with NationsBenefits
NationsBenefits® delivers benefit management strategies that strengthen the relationship between partners and members while improving the quality and outcomes of healthcare delivery.
NationsBenefits®
NationsBenefits delivers benefit management strategies that strengthen the relationship between partners and members while improving the quality and outcomes of healthcare delivery.
In the instance of a standalone headline or title, the brand name should include the proper trademark.
NOTE: Whenever using the ® symbol, the disclaimer must be used as well. Example:
©2024 NationsBenefits, LLC. All rights reserved. NationsBenefits is a registered trademark of NationsBenefits, LLC.
Copyrights
Please note:
The ® symbol should be used after each registered trademark to indicate its registered status.
- The copyright symbol © should be included at the beginning of each disclaimer to indicate copyright protection for the entire content.
- The year indicates the year the disclaimer was first used, and it should be updated annually.
- "LLC" should be used consistently after the company name throughout the disclaimers.
- Always make sure to double-check the actual company name, trademark names, and ownership details for accuracy in the disclaimers.
NationsBenefits®
NationsHearing®
NationsOTC®
NationsResponse®
Cobranding with partners:
Add "Other marks are the property of their respective owners."
Writing Style Cheat Sheet
Below, you will find guidelines for common copywriting scenarios. Use the table of contents below to jump to different sections.
General writing style:
Punctuation:
People, Places, and Things:
Commonly Misused Terms:
General Writing Style
Abbreviations or acronyms
If there’s a chance your reader won’t recognize an abbreviation or acronym, spell it out the first time then use the abbreviation for all other references.
First use: Over-the-Counter (OTC)
Second use: OTC
Well-known abbreviations or acronyms should never be spelled out.
HTML or PDF
When writing TTY numbers, be sure to include a space after the colon.
(TTY: 711)
Capitalization
When writing headline copy, use Title Case and capitalize the first letter of every word except articles, prepositions, and conjunctions.
Introducing a New Way of Testing for Hearing Loss
When writing sub-head and body copy, use Sentence Case and capitalize the first letter of the first word only and use proper punctuation.
Our digital hearing test makes self-assessment simple and quick.
Contractions
Contractions can be used sparingly to help reduce word count and sound more personal.
Members are encouraged to call if they’re experiencing difficulties.
Dates and times
Spell out the day of the week and month, do not abbreviate.
Yes: Wednesday, January 15
No: Wed, 1/15
It is preferred not to use a hyphen when indicating a range of dates that include day/month/date.
The event takes place Wednesday, January 15 through Friday, January 17.
The exception includes member communications and areas with restricted space. In these instances a closed en dash (–) is allowed.
The event takes place Wednesday, January 15–Friday, January 17
A closed en dash (–) can be used to indicate a range of dates that include days or months.
We are open Monday–Friday.
The fiscal year runs July–June.
Do not use st, nd, rd, or th with dates.
Yes: The event will take place on August 15
No: The event will take place on August 15th
Always use numerals for hour and minutes with a space and periods for time of day.
Yes: 8:00 a.m.
No: 8 am
It is preferred not to use a hyphen when indicating a range of time.
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The exception includes member communications and areas with restricted space. In these instances, a closed en dash (–) with spaces and abbreviated times are allowed.
8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Specify time zones when writing about an event, hours of operation, or scheduling. Abbreviate time zones within the continental United States as follows:
Eastern time: ET
Central time: CT
Mountain time: MT
Pacific time: PT
When referring to international time zones, spell them out.
Nepal Standard Time
Australian Eastern Time
If a time zone does not have a set name, use its Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) offset.
Abbreviate decades when referring to those within the past 100 years; do not include an apostrophe.
the 00s
the 90s
When referring to decades more than 100 years ago, be more specific.
the 1900s
the 1890s
Decimals and fractions
Spell out fractions.
Yes: two-thirds
No: 2/3
Use decimal points when a number can’t be easily written out as a fraction, like 1.375 or 47.2.
Font size
Member-facing communications require a minimum of 12 point regular or bold, but not italic, typeface.
All other client communications should follow standard business typeface except for typographical treatments decided by the creative team.
Footnotes, disclaimers, boilerplate, and copyright statements on non-member communications can be reduced to 8-10 points.
Money
Use the dollar sign before the amount. Include a decimal and number of cents if more than 0.
$20
$19.99
Closed hyphens can be used to establish a dollar range.
$20-$29.99
Numbers
Spell out numbers one through nine. Exceptions include numbers followed by the percent symbol (%) or preceded by the number symbol (#) or dollar symbol ($).
Zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine
Large numbers 10 and above are written as numeral
10, 25, 500
Use a closed hyphen to indicate a range or span of numbers.
It takes 20-30 days.
Spell out a numbers when it begins a sentence.
Twenty new employees started on Monday.
Always spell out ordinals and numerals in expressions.
She made a great first impression.
We went with a third-party vendor.
Numbers over 3 digits get commas:
1,000
150,000
Large numbers should be written out, but can be abbreviated if there are space restraints.
1k, 150k
Percentages
Use the percent symbol (%) instead of spelling out percent.
25%
Telephone numbers
Always use a closed hyphen when writing out phone numbers.
Phone numbers should always remain intact and never break to a new line.
Domestic numbers should include the 10 digits without 1-.
Yes: 555-867-5309
No: 1-404-123-4567
Temperature
Use the degree symbol and relevant abbreviation for temperature.
98°F
22°C
Trademarks and copyright
The use of trademarks in copy should be used in the first instance only, except for headlines where it is not required. In this case, the trademark should be included in the first instance of body copy.
Partner with NationsBenefits
The NationsBenefits® provider network is continuously growing.
Comply with proper usage of copyright statements (see top of page).
Punctuation
Ampersands
Ampersands can be used for creative copy under the discretion of the creative team. Do not use ampersands otherwise unless it’s part of a brand name.
Yes: Ben & Jerry’s
No: Glenn & Michael
Apostrophe possessive
If the word already ends in an s and is singular possessive, add an ‘s.
The member complimented Chris’s customer service.
If the word ends in an s and is plural possessive, use s’.
NationsBenefits’ products and services.
Asterisks
When an asterisk is used as a footnote, do not superscript the symbol and include a space before the reference.
* To be included in all OTC orders.
Bullets
Use a period at the end of bullet point that is a complete sentence and completes an introductory sentence.
I enjoyed the event because:
- It was in my home state and the commute was easy.
- The presenters and speakers were leaders in our industry.
Do not use a period if the bullet points do not complete an introductory sentence.
Here is what I like about the event:
- Close to home and easy commute
- Industry leaders and guest speakers
Exceptions to using periods after bullet points that complete a sentence are short phrases or one-word bullets.
I enjoyed the event because:
- It was close to home
- It had great speakers
When the bullet points are dependent clauses and long phrases, then use semicolons and an end period for the last bullet.
It is my responsibly as event manager to:
- Notify all attendees of the location and time;
- Handle all event logistics; and
- Ensure all event details are met.
Citing and footnotes
When citing a reference, use superscript numbers at the end of the reference sentence with no space after punctuation.
About 2% of adults over the age of 54 have disabling hearing loss.1
When citing the reference in a footnote, superscript the relative numeral with no space before the reference and add a period at the end of the citation.
1National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
Colons
Use a colon to introduce a vertical bulleted or numbered list. In a sentence, use a colon to introduce an item or list.
The member ordered three sets of supplies: a first aid kit, band aids, and gauze.
You can also use a colon to join two related phrases but if a complete sentence follows the colon, capitalize the first word.
The member was faced with a dilemma: She didn’t have enough funds.
When including a fax, phone, or TTY after a colon, be sure to include a space.
(TTY: 771)
Cell: 123-456-7890
Fax: 123-456-7890
Commas
Use serial commas to separate three or more items in a series.
Yes: Patients, health plans, partners, and providers.
No: Patients, health plans, partners and providers.
Use a comma after introductory adverbs.
Surprising, they chose to attend the event.
Use a comma when attributing quotes.
The member said, “I was pleasantly surprised.”
Use commas to separate elements in an address and date.
1700 North University Drive, Plantation, FL 33322 is our current address.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020 was the day we attended the event.
Use a comma when the first word of a sentence is a freestanding “yes” or “no.”
Yes, they agreed to participate in the event.
Use a comma between two adjectives that modify the same noun.
It took a large, heavy machine to move these items.
Use a comma to offset negation in a sentence.
I ran into Michael, not Steven, when I attended the event.
Dashes and hyphens
As a rule, if a compound adjective can be misread, use a closed hyphen. Use a closed hyphen to link words into a single phrase or indicate a span or range.
first-time user
Monday-Friday
Use a closed em dash (—) to offset an aside.
Outcomes interventions—just one of our new features—can be measured in stages.
Michael thought Steven would attend, but he was mistaken—it was Dianne.
Ellipses
Ellipses in brackets can be used to show that you’re omitting words in a quote.
“It is not blindness or deafness that bring me my darkest hours. It is the acute disappointment in not being able to speak normally, […] but out of this sorrowful experience I understand more fully all human striving, vaunted ambitions, and the infinite capacity of hope.”
Exclamation points
Exclamation points should be used very sparingly and only when expressing a powerful emotion or emphasize an urgent action.
Oh! That explains everything clearly now.
Download today!
Never use more than one in a sentence.
No: Remember to check all boxes!!!
Never use in failure messages or alerts.
No: You must agree to our terms!
Punctuation with quotes and parenthesis
Periods go inside quotation marks.
Diane said, “I will attend the event.”
If the last item in a sentence is an abbreviation that ends in a period, do not add another period.
We would like to welcome Diane Smith, M.D.
Periods go outside parentheses when the parenthetical is part of a larger sentence, and inside parentheses when the parenthetical stands alone.
I will attend (and arrive early, too).
I attended the event and party. (Michael was not at the event.)
Same rules apply for question marks.
Quotation marks
Quotes should never be italicized.
Periods, commas, and question marks stay within quotation marks.
If you’re asking a question that ends with a quote, place the mark outside the quote.
Who was it that said, “A fool and his money are easily parted.”?
Use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes.
Steven commented, “A wise man once told me, ‘A fool and his money are easily parted.’”
Semicolons
Semicolons are generally used to offset two independent clauses or long, complicated sentences. If the two clauses are merely related (not necessarily sequential in thought), then a semicolon can be used.
As far as travel through the United States, I’ve visited Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and San Francisco, California.
People, Places, and Things
Audience titles
When referring to our client audiences, do not uppercase the first letter unless it’s a proper name.
Yes: Strengthen the relationship between health plan partners
and members.
No: Strengthen the relationship between Health Plan partners
and Members.
File extensions
When referring to a file extension type, use all uppercase without a period. Add a lowercase s to make plural.
GIF
PDF
JPGs
When referring to a specific file, the file extension should be lowercase:
hearing.gif
NationsOTCBenefits.pdf
Michael-linkedin-profile.jpg
Names and titles
Capitalize the names of departments and teams, but not the words
“team” or “department.”
Marketing team
IT Support department
Capitalize individual job titles when referencing a specific role.
Our new Marketing Manager starts today.
Don’t capitalize when referring to the role in general terms.
All the managers are here.
States, cities, and countries
Abbreviate state names with a two letter acronym, spell out cities.
Our headquarters is located in Plantation, FL.
On first mention, write United States then abbreviate as U.S. on subsequent mentions.
Same rule applies to any other countries (European Union, EU; United Kingdom, UK).
Write positively
Use positive language rather than negative language. One way to detect negative language is to look for words like can’t, don’t, etc.
Yes: To get a benefit card, please call us.
No: You can’t get a benefit card if you don’t call us.
Use active voice, avoid passive voice. In active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action. In passive voice, the subject of the sentence has the action done to it.
Yes: Michael logged into his account.
No: The account was logged into by Michael.
Words like “was” and “by” may indicate that you’re writing in passive voice.
Commonly misused terms
Log in vs. Login
Log in is a verb phase.
Log into the computer and adjust the network settings.
Login is a noun.
Use your login credentials to gain access.
Into vs. In to
Into is a preposition that indicates movement or action taking place. It usually always answers the question “where?”
They moved into the corridor to avoid the crowd.
He drove the car into the garage.
In to is part of a verb phrase (preposition and adverb) that occasionally fall next to each other.
They dropped in to say hello.
I called in to the training at noon.
Affect vs. Effect
Affect is a verb meaning to influence or produce a change in something.
Hearing loss affects cognitive abilities.
Effect is a noun meaning the result of a change.
The most common effects of hearing loss.
Health care vs. Healthcare
Health care is a noun that encompasses the act of improving someone’s health.
The doctor has developed a plan for the patients’ health care.
Healthcare is a noun or adjective that refers to the industry or specific facility or system.
Modern healthcare requires skilled clinicians.
