Writing & Delivery Guides
Browse all 17 guidesUse these reference guides to choose tone, relationship fit, length and personalization.
Choose the guide for the writing decision you are making
Use these guides to improve tone, structure, personalization and appropriateness.
How to Choose the Right Words
Choosing words becomes easier when you stop looking for an impressive sentence and start looking for the sentence that does the job. The job might be…
How to Use and Personalize Examples
An example message should help you start, not force you into someone else’s voice. The most useful way to borrow one is to understand its structure,…
How to Personalize an Example
Personalization is the difference between a greeting that could be sent to anyone and a note that shows you were thinking about one particular person. You…
Tone Guide
Tone is how your words feel to another person. The same sentence can come across as affectionate, stiff, playful or insensitive depending on the relationship and…
Relationship Guide
Relationship is often a stronger guide to wording than the event itself. “Happy birthday” can be a simple greeting to a neighbor, a grateful message to…
How to Start and End Naturally
The opening tells a person why you are writing. The ending gives the message a natural place to land. When either is too elaborate, even a…
Cards, Notes and Spoken Wording
The format changes the writing. A short text arrives in the middle of somebody’s day; a handwritten card may be kept for years; a toast is…
Short vs Longer Wording
The best length is the amount of space a message needs to accomplish its purpose. Short can feel thoughtful. Long can feel deeply personal. Either can…
How to Write a Birthday Message
A birthday message does not have to be clever to feel special. What makes it memorable is the relationship behind it: a true observation, a small…
How to Write a Sympathy or Condolence Message
A condolence message cannot remove grief, and it does not need to. Its purpose is to acknowledge the loss and remind someone that they are not…
Wedding and Anniversary Wording Guide
Weddings and anniversaries celebrate a relationship, but they are not the same writing occasion. A wedding message welcomes a new chapter; an anniversary note recognizes the…
How to Write Meaningful Thank-You and Appreciation Messages
A good thank-you tells someone what they did and why it mattered. It need not sound formal, lavish or indebted. The aim is recognition: to show…
Professional Message Writing Guide
Professional messages can be warm, clear and human without becoming overly familiar. They work best when the reader understands the purpose quickly and can see whether…
How to Write Invitations and Announcements
An invitation should make somebody feel welcome and tell them what they need to know. An announcement should share news clearly without assuming every reader has…
How to Write Congratulations Messages
Congratulations recognize an achievement or happy change, but the best message does more than say “Well done.” It notices what happened and, when you know enough…
How to Write an Apology or Difficult Message
An apology is not successful because it sounds emotional. It becomes meaningful when it recognizes what happened, accepts responsibility and points toward a credible change. Difficult…
Religious and Secular Wording Guide
Faith can be central to the way someone celebrates, mourns or expresses gratitude. For someone else, religious language may feel unfamiliar or unwelcome. A thoughtful message…