Overview
This section outlines how we style content within key elements and surfaces. For component-level guidelines, see individual component pages.
Keep emails short, ideally less than 150 words. To emphasize a point, use a single sentence paragraph. Otherwise, each paragraph should cover one topic in no more than four lines (about 50 words). Lean on subheaders and bulleted lists to structure complex or lengthy information.
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Subject lines (SL)
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Pre-headers (PH)
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Headers
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Body
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Calls to action (CTAs)
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Footers
Push and SMS notifications are an effective way to communicate time-sensitive, actionable messages — especially to pros who are on the job. Assume you’re writing for a smaller phone screen with a standard font display setting and keep content under 90 characters.
To avoid inundating users with communications, waterfall the push and SMS instead of sending both. In other words, send a push notification first and, if the user has push notifications turned off, send an SMS.
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Headers
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Body
Buttons and links should always be sentence case, unless they contain a proper noun. Buttons should be 4 words or less and links should be 8 words or less.
When writing copy for buttons and links, remember these 4 guidelines from Nielsen Norman Group:
Use buttons for primary actions and links for navigation. Unless you’re following a common button pattern, like “Done” or “Continue,” buttons and links should follow the [action verb] + [noun] pattern.
Remember, image-only buttons and links need alt-text.
Do | Don’t |
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See policy details | Learn more |
Start free trial | Try it now! |
Set reminder | Set a reminder |
When writing error messages, explain what went wrong and how to fix it. Avoid generic language and focus on getting the user back on track (rather than explaining what happened).
Encountering an error isn’t fun no matter the severity, so approach tone with this in mind. Don’t make jokes to try to put the user at ease and use passive voice when helpful to avoid sounding accusatory. When it’s our fault, take responsibility and emphasize how we’re making it right.
Keep headers to one line and no more than 10 words. Generally, headers communicate what went wrong. If a user only reads the header and CTA, they should have all the information needed to resolve the error.
Use complete sentences and keep body copy to two lines total. This space is generally used to provide additional context on the reason for the error — avoid technical jargon (e.g. “Error 404”) and focus only on the information that helps the user resolve it.
Keep CTAs to four words or less and don’t punctuate them. If the user can resolve the error on their own, direct them to do so in the CTA (even if it’s just trying again or refreshing the page).
Do | Don’t |
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We weren’t able to process your payment. | The payment failed. |
We’re working to improve. | We’re sorry. |
That doesn’t look like the right password. | You entered the wrong password |