WRITING GUIDELINES
YOU’RE AN EXPERT This guide is a set of standards to help you write solid and engaging content that suits our brand. Whether writing a blog post, web copy or a press release, this guide will cover some grammar basics, explain the types of content we publish and give you a sense of the Sabre personality. We generally follow the AP Stylebook writing standards, with some exceptions that are noted.
CONTENTS: 1. Voice and tone 2. Grammar 3. Word and phrase bank 4. Writing for Sabre 5. Content types 6. Writing for the web 7. Contact
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | VOICE AND TONE
VOICE AND TONE Our voice is human, smart, friendly and straightforward. Use language that educates without patronizing the reader. Use real words that someone outside our industry would understand. There is a difference between voice and tone. As a person, you have the same voice all the time, but your tone changes. You might speak in one tone to your closest friends and family, and a different tone with your boss. Your tone also changes depending on circumstances. In the same way, the Sabre voice is constant but our tone may change based on context.
INCORRECT: The explosion of consumer-facing technology services has multiplied the paths to purchase and inundated consumers with information from price comparisons and reviews to promotions and deals.
CORRECT: Consumers are suffering from information overload. The emergence of new technology for price comparisons, user reviews, promotions and deals has made it even more difficult to understand their options.
THE SABRE COMMUNICATION STYLE IS: • Tech-savvy, but not overly technical • Clever, but not silly
• Confident, but not arrogant
• Helpful, but not overbearing
• Smart, but not scholarly
• Influential, but not pushy
• Brilliant, but not formal
• Accomplished, but not boastful
Focus on the positive instead of highlighting the negative. And when you write, consider the reader’s state of mind and adjust your tone accordingly. IS YOUR AUDIENCE: A developer looking for information
A frustrated agent looking for
A new employee looking for information
on the next hackathon?
support on one of our products?
on our corporate culture?
INCORRECT: You’re wasting time with messy formatting when you could be using the must-have app for every efficient agent—Clipboard.
CORRECT: Clipboard is the second most-used app on the Sabre Red App Centre. Clipboard’s level of efficiency has earned an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Visit the Sabre Red App Centre to download it free today.
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | GRAMMAR
GRAMMAR ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS Use acronyms and abbreviations only when necessary. Every time you use an abbreviation or acronym, you are forcing your reader to do work, so use them sparingly. When you must use an acronym, use all caps, but no periods. Examples include GDS, TBO and OTA. Use periods in two-letter abbreviations such as U.S., U.K. and B.C. Spell out the full name the first time mentioned, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. After that first mention, use the abbreviated acronym in place of the full term.
FOR EXAMPLE: FIRST MENTION: There are many different viewpoints on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) SUBSEQUENT MENTIONS: Have you ever eaten GMO foods? Do not use an apostrophe to form the plurals of nouns, abbreviations or dates made up of numbers. Just add “s.” For example: MP3s, APIs, 2010s and DVDs.
ACTIVE VOICE VERSUS PASSIVE VOICE Active voice is a more natural, direct and succinct way of communicating. In a sentence with active voice, the subject is doing the action. In a sentence with passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed by the verb. When writing for Sabre, use active voice as often as possible. ACTIVE: Developers use APIs to build apps. PASSIVE: APIs are used by developers to build apps.
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | GRAMMAR
AMPERSANDS Use ampersands in blog headers, headlines, social media and complex series that include a combination product/solution. Do not use ampersands in body copy. Given the complexity of technology content, we frequently reference combination products and solutions in headlines such as: Data & Analytics Developers & Startups Agencies & OTA This rule is a break from the AP Stylebook.
AND/OR Try to avoid the “and/or” occurrence. Usually, rewriting the sentence with “or” better reflects the meaning. Other times, you should use “or both”.
CAPITALIZATION (HEADINGS AND SUBHEADINGS) Use common capitalization rules. When in doubt, do not capitalize. Common words that should not be capitalized are:: web, website, online and email.
HEADLINES: For headlines in content and in and PowerPoint presentations, use the “initial cap” rule and only capitalize the first word of the title/heading and proper nouns. Use lower case for everything else.
EXAMPLE: Are you ready for American travel to Cuba?
SUBHEADINGS: Use subheadings break articles into smaller, more specific sections. They give readers avenues into your content and make it easier to scan. The same capitalization rules that are used for headings apply to subheadings.
COMMAS In a simple series, follow the AP Stylebook rule and refrain from using a comma (also referred to as the serial or Oxford comma) before the last item. Use serial commas for a series of complex terms that also contain a conjunction.
SIMPLE: Word, Excel and PowerPoint are all products in the Microsoft Office Suite. COMPLEX: If you visit sabre.com, you can find blogs on retailing, mobility, traveler experience, and industry and public affairs.
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | GRAMMAR
COMPANY NAMES AND PRODUCTS Refer to Sabre as “we” or “our” after the first mention, and always capitalize the first “S” in Sabre. Avoid the addition of an ‘s to indicate a Sabre possession. When describing a noun of which Sabre is in possession, write the sentence to describe both as separate nouns.
INCORRECT: Sabre’s brand CORRECT: The Sabre brand INCORRECT: Our company’s culture CORRECT: The company culture Honor other companies’ conventions according to their official websites.
DATES For dates and years, use figures only. Do not use the ordinal indicators (st, nd, rd or th) with dates, and always use Arabic numerals (1,2,3 ...)
INCORRECT: May 19th, 2016 CORRECT: May 19, 2016 Capitalize months. Spell out the month unless used as a complete date. When used with a date, abbreviate only the following months: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Commas are not necessary if only a year and month are given, but used to set off a year if the date, month and year are given.
EXAMPLE: The competition begins August 25. Sabre announced on May 14, 2015, that it had entered an agreement to acquire Abacus International. The acquisition completed on July 1, 2015. Interns arrive at headquarters in May. Use the letter “s” but not an apostrophe after the figures when expressing decades or centuries. Use an apostrophe before figures expressing a decade if numerals are omitted.
EXAMPLES: I love the ’80s. Wearables did not exist until the 2010s. If you refer to an event that occurred the day prior to when the information will appear, do not use the word yesterday. Instead, use the day of the week. Capitalize days of the week, but do not abbreviate them.
EXAMPLE: The workshop will take place on the first Thursday of every month.
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | GRAMMAR
ELECTRONIC MEDIA: CORRECT USAGES •
email, e-book, e-business, e-catalog and e-commerce
•
internet, URL, web, website and web page (this is a break from the AP Stylebook)
•
webcam, webcast, webmaster, webinar and website
•
cellphone, smartphone, BlackBerry, iPad and iPhone
•
web address: When referencing Sabre-controlled sites, such as sabre.com, no “www” is required.
ELLIPSES Treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods with a space before and after (...). Use an ellipsis to indicate the deletion of one or more words when condensing quotes, texts and documents. Avoid deletions that would distort the meaning. Do not use ellipses in titles or headers, and do not use an ellipsis when a colon should be used.
EM DASHES An em dash (—), like an ellipsis, has a space before and after. Use an em dash without spaces for a true break or to set off a parenthetical statement. The name “em dash” refers to the width of the dash — about the same width as the letter “m.” Don’t use two hyphens in place of an em dash.
EN DASHES The en dash (–) is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. The en dash is slightly wider than the hyphen (-) but narrower than the em dash (—). There should be no space between the en dash and the adjacent material. Depending on the context, the en dash is read as “to” or “through.”
EMPHASIS WRITING Emphasize important points by organizing your writing instead of exaggerated formatting or punctuation. Avoid using all caps, capitalizing common nouns or using quotations marks to create emphasis. See the below section labeled “Italics.” This includes writing for social media.
EXCLAMATION POINTS Use exclamation points in moderation and in a way that fits in with the tone of the communication. If you think something will raise eyebrows or invoke a “Wow” response from the reader, then an exclamation point might be appropriate. Otherwise use a period.
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | GRAMMAR
HEADLINES In headlines or sub-headlines, capitalize only the first word and proper nouns. Do not use periods or font styling (bold and italic) in headlines.
GENDER PRONOUNS When describing a person where the gender is unknown, avoid occurrences of “he/she.” “He or she” or “s/he” is awkward for the reader and choosing either “he” or “she” would seem partial to one gender. You may substitute “They” and “their” as genderneutral pronouns, but only when the original noun is plural. You can solve this issue by rewriting the sentence to make the original noun plural.
INCORRECT: When a traveler shops, he or she may use a mobile device.
CORRECT: When travelers shop, they may use a mobile device.
HYPHENS Use a hyphen without spaces to link words that form a single phrase (see the word and phrase bank for specific references). When describing a range in most communications, write out the word “to” in describing that span. When describing a range in tables, charts, graphics or graphs, use an en dash (–) instead of a hyphen.
EXAMPLES: He is a first-time user of this software. This project could take 24 to 36 months.
ITALICS Italicize to emphasize a word, cite an example or indicate the title of a long work like books, movies and albums (this is a break from the AP Stylebook).
LINKS Provide a link when referring to a website. Do not capitalize links or words within links. Do not say things like “Click here!” or “Click for more information.” Write the sentence as you normally would, and link relevant keywords. To underscore the interactive nature of a link, the copy may be bolded or emphasized.
EXAMPLE: To learn more about career opportunities, visit the Sabre website.
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | GRAMMAR
LISTS BULLETED LISTS : Use bullets, not dashes, for lists in content that follow a colon. Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in each bulleted entry. Lead with a benefit verb if possible and be consistent in text structure (for example, use all short phrases or all complete sentences).
NUMBERED LISTS: Use numbered lists when the order is important, such as describing steps of a process. Use bullets when the order of the items is not important.
EXAMPLE: To make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich: 1. Prepare two slices of bread. 2. Spread peanut butter on one slice. 3. Spread jelly on the other slice. 4. Put the two slices together. 5. Enjoy your sandwich.
NUMBERS should be written as actual numbers. Spell out numerals at the beginning of a sentence, except for a calendar year. When possible, avoid beginning a sentence with a large number or a calendar year. When writing a percentage, use numbers for the amount and spell “percent.” However, because online content is consumed faster than printed content, use the percent symbol in email. For legibility, also use the percent symbol in charts and graphics. These guidelines are a break from the AP Stylebook. When describing a numerical range in most communications, write out the word to describe that span. When describing a range in tables, charts, graphics or graphs, use an en dash (–) instead of a hyphen. Use figures for ages, and use hyphens if the number is an adjective.
EXAMPLES: A recent report found that 44 percent of U.S. citizens have dogs as pets. Ninety-nine minutes had passed before the concert began. Your package will be here in 5 to 7 business days. Twenty minutes later, we went to lunch. Hannah is 6 years old. Hannah is a 6-year-old genius.
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | GRAMMAR
QUOTATION MARKS Punctuation generally goes inside quotation marks. The only instance when punctuation should go outside the quotation marks is when it applies to the sentence outside of the direct quote.
EXAMPLE: Ghandi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Do you live by Ghandi’s statement, “Be the change you want to see in the world”? Use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes.
EXAMPLE: During the meeting Bobby explained, “Delia said, ‘This isn’t quite right.’ ” Although the AP Stylebook advises the use of quotation marks to indicate titles of long or short works, (books, movies, articles, whitepapers and albums), italicize the title instead.
EXAMPLE: The summer assignment is to read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
SABRE NAMES When writing copy for any communication, do not use font emphases like italics or all caps or include registration marks for brand names. Treat these brand names as proper nouns and capitalize the official name of the company, product or solution.
INCORRECT: Sabre Airline Solutions® recently announced the launch of a new product, Crew Manager.
CORRECT: Sabre Airline Solutions recently announced the launch of a new product, Crew Manager. Do not substitute an acronym in the place of any of our business names as it diminishes the Sabre brand. Avoid referring to the business units within Sabre as if they were their own company. If the business unit must be mentioned, it must include the Sabre descriptor.
EXAMPLE 1 (IDEAL): An infographic featured in the Sabre report on the future of hotel booking takes us through a personalized traveler’s journey.
EXAMPLE 2 (IF NECESSARY): An infographic featured in the Sabre Hospitality Solutions report of the future of hotel booking takes us through a personalized traveler’s journey.
SEMICOLONS Use a semicolon to separate two independent clauses that are not joined by a conjunction. When appropriate, use an em dash (—) instead, or simply start a new sentence.
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | GRAMMAR
STATES AND CITIES (U.S.) When the name of a state appears alone in the body copy, spell it out. When the name of a city and state are used together, the name of the state should be abbreviated (except for Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah). Here is how state abbreviations appear in the AP stylebook: Ala. (Alabama) Ariz. (Arizona) Ark. (Arkansas) Calif. (California) Colo. (Colorado) Conn. (Connecticut) Del. (Delaware) Fla. (Florida) Ga. (Georgia) Ill. (Illinois) Ind. (Indiana) Kan. (Kansas) Ky. (Kentucky) La. (Louisiana) Md. (Maryland) Mass. (Massachusetts) Mich. (Michigan) Minn. (Minnesota) Miss. (Mississippi) Mo. (Missouri) Mont. (Montgomery) Neb. (Nebraska) Nev. (Nevada) N.H. (New Hampshire) N.J. (New Jersey) N.M. (New Mexico) N.Y. (New York) N.C. (North Carolina) N.D. (North Dakota) Okla. (Oklahoma) Ore. (Oregon) Pa. (PA) R.I. (Rhode Island) S.C. (South Carolina) S.D. (South Dakota) Tenn. (Tennessee) Vt. (Vermont) Va. (Virginia) Wash. (Washington) W.Va. (West Virginia) Wis. (Wisconsin) Wyo (Wyoming)
EXAMPLES: The event was held in Dayton, Ohio. The wildfire began in California and moved east toward Carson City, Nev. Place one comma between the city and the state name, and another comma after the state name, unless ending a sentence or indicating a dateline.
EXAMPLE: The hackathon tour will go from Nashville, Tenn., to Austin, Texas, and make its final stop in Albuquerque, N.M.
DATELINES Datelines appear at the beginning of press releases and include the name of the city in all capital letters, followed the state or territory in which the city is located. The AP Stylebook lists U.S. and international cities that do not need to be followed by the name of a state.
EXAMPLES: DENVER – The signing of the national... ST. PAUL, Minn. – Grocery stores in the state have issued... YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Random acts of kindness have spurred... MEXICO CITY – Authorities have recommended... TELEPHONE NUMBERS (U.S.) Use spaces and numbers, not parentheses or periods. Include country codes as +1 or +44 with a space before any international number.
TELEPHONE NUMBER EXAMPLE: +1 682 605 1000
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | GRAMMAR
TIME In cases where the exact time is included, use figures, but spell out noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes, but do not use :00. Always add a space after the numeral followed by “a.m.” or “p.m.”
EXAMPLE: The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. You will need to wake up at 3:30 a.m. When referring to a time span in a chart or graph, use an en dash to separate the start- and end-time. When referring to a time span in body text, write out “to.”
EXAMPLE: [Chart or graph] 11 a.m.–5 p.m. [Body text] 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Do not spell out time sequences.
EXAMPLES: You must complete 50 hours of community service. They will announce the winners in 25 minutes.
TIME ZONES Capitalize only the region name and do not reference daylight savings or standard time. Use abbreviations on first reference only if the abbreviation links to a clock reading. The continental U.S. time zones are Eastern time (ET), Central time (CT), Mountain time (MT) and Pacific time (PT).
EXAMPLES: Chicago is in the Central time zone. The webinar is at noon ET. The “It is a Mobile World After All” webinar begins on July 28 at 11:30 a.m. CT. We will meet at 4 p.m. Singapore time.
TITLES Only capitalize a formal title if used directly before an individual’s name.
EXAMPLES: Senior Vice President Amy Jones visited Singapore last week. Richard Jordan, the chief human resources officer, presented a forum on leadership to the interns. Lowercase and spell out titles when they are not used directly with an individual’s name
EXAMPLE: He is the president of Sabre Travel Network. Lowercase department names if they are not used in formal titles directly before an individual’s name
EXAMPLE: Mark Allen is the senior vice president of brand marketing.
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | WORD AND PHRASE BANK
WORD AND PHRASE BANK DICTIONARY
BLACKLIST
For spelling and definitions, the AP Stylebook recommends using Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition.
Do not use these words and phrases: click here
add on (verb)
online
click on
add-on (noun, adjective)
OTA, OTAs
anything related to politics (consult
back end (noun)
pay as you go (unless noted
government affairs)
differently in app)
anything related to religion
pop-up (noun, adjective)
“at the end of the day”
proper noun)
pop up (verb)
derogatory or profane language
Blackberry, BlackBerrys
setup (noun, adjective)
“on a ____basis” (instead of “on a daily
cellphone
set up (verb)
coworker
social media
double-click
smartphone
instead)
download
sign in (verb)
“from a ___ perspective” (replace with
drop-down
signup (noun, adjective)
“for ___, this means”)
e-commerce
sign up (verb)
Sabre’s
sync
Company’s
thought leader, thought leadership
utilize (replace with “use” instead)
(never hyphenated)
GDS (see alternative verbiage in
toward (not towards)
acronyms section)
backend (adjective) beta (lowercase unless it’s part of a
Google, Googling, Googled Flash front end (noun) front-end (adjective) geolocation hashtag homepage Internet LinkedIn
Twitter, tweet, tweeted, retweet up-to-date username URL (always uppercase) U.K. (but UK is acceptable in headlines) U.S. (but US is acceptable in headlines)
login (noun, adjective)
Web, World Wide Web, Web page,
log in (verb)
website
online
white paper
opt in (verb)
Wi-Fi
opt-in (noun, adjective)
YouTube
basis,” simply use “daily”) pan-Sabre (replace with “across Sabre,” “throughout Sabre” or just “Sabre”
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | WRITING FOR SABRE
WRITING FOR SABRE ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BEFORE WRITING ANYTHING: Why am I writing this? What is the benefit to my readers? What message do I want my readers to remember tomorrow? Is there a call to action and, if so, is it easy to understand? When you finish writing, read it aloud to yourself to get a sense of how your reader will understand your written work. Avoid acronyms and buzz words. Maintain an approachable tone by using natural language.
The chart below matches the type of content with a reader’s typical mindset and the tone that best fits.
CONTENT TYPE
READER’S MINDSET
TONE
Email newsletter
Pre-occupied, interested
Helpful, casual
Blog post
Mildly attentive, curious
Casual, informative
Press release
Busy, anxious
Straightforward, clear
White paper
Searching for answers, curious
Helpful, smart, confident
Product guide
Irritated, busy, frustrated
Clear, precise, organized
Legal document
Apprehensive, concerned
Clear, thorough, serious
Web copy
Interested, curious, searching
Captivating, confident
SABRE WRITING GUIDELINES | CONTENT TYPES
CONTENT TYPES BLOG POSTS Sabre blog posts are typically between 300 to 700 words. Write in the first person and use a casual but informative tone. Topics are flexible, and every post should educate, inform or entertain readers. For example, blog posts might announce an upcoming event; share interesting highlights from research and data; spotlight cool projects or discuss industry issues. Topic experts, such as the developer who created the app or the executive who presented a keynote speech, are ideal authors. WHY WE DO IT: To provide information on valuable solutions, resources, trends or the industry.
PRESS RELEASES Sabre press releases provide specific but brief information about an event or announcement tied directly to our company. Press releases are written in the third person and share important company announcements with the public and media.
PUBLIC WEBSITES The www.sabre.com website is the official website of Sabre Corporation. It provides information on our company, careers, investor relations, technology solutions and our lines of business. Write web copy with potential and current customers, investors, and prospective employees in mind.
SOCIAL MEDIA Social media postings allow us to quickly disseminate important information with our followers and the public. Organic and paid marketing campaigns that target specific audiences are also run through social media channels. For official guidelines on social media and a list of approved accounts, see the Social Media Support Guide, which also includes the Sabre legal social media policy.
This document was created by the Sabre Brand team. It reflects our passion for our company, the art of design and the enduring promise of a strong brand.
Š 2016, Sabre Inc. All rights reserved.