Voice & Tone

Guidelines for written content.

Best Practices

Let’s improve writing consistency across all of Louisiana’s digital products. The advice in this document are guidelines, not official rules. If your agency or department follows its own specific style guide, continue to use it. This is a living document and can be revised as needed. We take our guidance from the 18F Content Guide.

Voice and Tone

For Louisiana’s digital products, let’s use a voice and tone that is:

Approachable: Users shouldn’t be afraid of us.
Friendly: We are to help the users.
Casual, but professional: We’re easy to listen to, but our expertise is evident.

What is the difference between Voice and Tone?

Voice is what is said. It’s what you’re talking about.
Tone is how it is said. It’s whether you’re serious, urgent, or casual.

Consider the Audience

The needs of your intended audience should always come first. Consider the following questions. They will help establish both a clear voice and an appropriate tone.

Who is my audience?
What do I want them to know? What’s important?
How might they feel while reading this?
What are you trying to say?
Are you meeting the needs of your audience?
Am I using an active instead of passive voice?

Writing Effective Content

All text written for Louisiana state government digital products should use conversational, informal language. The goal is educate readers without talking down to them or confusing them.

Keep these tips in mind:

Write clearly and concisely.
Make the content educational and specific.
Use inclusive langauge.
Be trustworthy and authoritative.
Use simple words and short sentences.
Keep sentences to fewer than 14 words to improve reader comprehension.
Avoid long-winded explanations and get to the point.

Avoid these things:

Goofy jokes or puns
Figures of Speech
Mixed Metaphors
Pop culture references
Internet abbreviations
Figurative language
Unfamiliar jargon

Writing Style

Capitalization

Capitalize the first letter of every word in titles except for articles, prepositions, and conjunctions.
Use capital letters for proper nouns. This includes people, places, agency and department names.

Contractions

Use contractions when possible. They create a casual tone and they’re easier to read.

Numbers

Use numerals.
Write out the number when it starts a sentence.

Time

Use a 12-hour clock.
Write the time descriptors for before noon and after noon.
Write the time descriptors using lowercase letters (am and pm).

Dates

Write the full date, like this: March 21, 2019.
Avoid the numerical date, such as this 03/21/2019.

Agency Abbreviations

Always write the full name of a department or agency the first time it is mentioned on a page or screen.
The abbreviated name can be used after the first occurrence.