Writing Tips
The most effective way to communicate with our readers is to write clearly and concisely. We want to avoid long, dense blocks of copy. Best practices in copywriting dictate writing at the eighth-grade level. Our sector and customers are pretty sharp, however, so writing to the high-school or college level may be more appropriate, adjusting to the reader’s skill level and background.
Emphasize what's important
Many times in online copy, we’ll link to our blog posts and/or other information found on our website. We should always strive to add web links to the text that describes the resource or benefit itself, as in below.
Yep!
- U.S. privacy laws: Read the complete guide.
- Zero Trust is widely regarded as the most effective approach to preventing data breaches.
Nope.
- U.S. privacy laws: Read the complete guide here.
- Zero Trust is widely regarded as the most effective approach to preventing data breaches.
Strive for simplicity
Only use a singular space between sentences, not double spaces. Additionally, multisyllabic words are not ideal. Keep it simple for our audience and our SEO. When you are tempted to use the phrases below, remember condense = concise.
“all of the” ➡ “all the”
“as well as” ➡ “and”
"in order to" ➡ "to"
"has the ability to" ➡ "can"
"needless to say" ➡ Simply delete this.
Avoid words that don’t add value or are ambiguous, such as “clearly,” “fortunately,” or “many,” or word and phrases that may appear condescending or make the reader feel unintelligent, such as “just” or “simply.”
Yep!
- “Open the terminal and paste the command.”
- "At that point, you should be able to click the button."
Nope.
- “Simply open the terminal and paste the command.”
- "Just click the button."
We don’t want to appear pretentious, formal or stuffy, so try not to use phrases such as “due to the fact that,” “furthermore,” “thus,” “thusly,” “therefore,” etc.
Starting a sentence with a figure should be avoided; reword the sentence accordingly. For example, “710 companies reported a cyberattack in 2022, according to a recent survey.” would be incorrect but “A recent survey found that 710 companies reported a cyberattack in 2022.” would be correct.
Abbreviations
Abbreviations help your audience digest content more easily, rather than getting stuck on long and complex cybersecurity terms. Below are helpful tips on the right ways to use abbreviations.
*Note: It is now not required to put the acronym after the first use of the word (either in parentheses or offset with commas), however AP says it should be obvious what the acronym stands for on second reference or else you shouldn’t use it.
Periods: In most cases, two-letter acronyms should have periods, as in U.S., U.K. or U.N. However, common exceptions include AP (since it’s a trademark) and ID. In most other cases, omit periods unless it would spell another word.
Time: If you want to indicate something that happened in the morning or at night, use a.m. or p.m., lowercase and with periods. Unless in a table, do not abbreviate days of the week.
Addresses: Spell out avenue, boulevard and street when they are used without a street number: He lives on Pine Street. Abbreviate these as ave., blvd. and st. when used with a number: He lives at 123 Pine St.
However, all other street names — alley, drive, road, court, lane, terrace, you name it — are always spelled out.
Cardinal directions should be abbreviated when used with a numbered address: He lives at 123 N. Pine St.
Big no-nos
Don’t write negatively about competition or other organizations. Not only does it appear unprofessional and immature, but it also puts future partnerships in jeopardy. Focusing on our many strengths at Varonis is much more effective than bashing competitors.
Avoid promises and writing in absolutes such as, “We guarantee to make you safe” or “This is the best solution on the market.”
Do not rely on fear, uncertainty or doubt as a motivational tactic. There is a difference between instilling a sense of urgency and instigating panic. While we want our customers and prospects to be aware of the very real threats at hand, our goal is to help prepare them for a worst-case scenario, not to convince them that the sky is falling.
Yep!
Protecting your company from ransomware attacks and APTs is why we come to work every day. Let Varonis help secure your data and your peace of mind.
Nope.
The dramatic spike in ransomware and APTs will result in a financial and reputational crisis for organizations who are underprepared and without DatAdvantage. By the time you realize you’re under attack, it may be too late.Do this thing