Welcome to the Coyote Logistics Content Style Guide.

Who: This content style guide was created for Coyote Logistics employees, partner organizations and collaborators.

What: These comprehensive guidelines that will help you write clear, consistent content across teams and channels.

When: Use this as a reference whenever you are writing for Coyote, regardless of the market or audience.

Why: Its purpose is to show relevant parties the basic principles of our corporate identity, and how to express it within written communications.

If you have a question about writing for Coyote, you’ll find your answer in here.

3 Important Notes:

• AP Style: We rely on AP Style for grammar — when in doubt, follow general AP Stylebook principles.
• Giving Credit: We modeled this guide after Mailchimp’s acclaimed content style guidelines, but every detail has been adapted to represent our unique Coyote brand, voice and values.
• Navigating this Guide: This document is long — use the Table of Contents or “ctrl + f” to easily navigate, or jump to the summary for a quick overview.

Table of Contents

We divided this guide by topic based on the types of content we publish.

The entire guide has internal hyperlinks, so you can easily jump straight to the section you are looking for — when in doubt, search the document using “ctrl + f”.

Content Style Guide Summary

Writing Goals and Principles

Brand Attributes

Voice & Tone Overview

• Voice: Do’s & Don’ts
• Tone

Writing about People

Writing about Companies

• Coyote
• Others

Grammar and Mechanics

• Writing Basics
• Grammar Guidelines
• Punctuation
• Capitalization
• Number Formatting
• Miscellaneous Grammar

Web Elements

• Buttons
• Navigation & Menus
• Forms & Surveys
• PDFs
• Titles & Headings
• Links & Linking
• Lists & Callouts
• SEO

Writing for Conversion

Writing Technical Content

Writing for Public Relations

Writing for Executives

Legal and Copywriting

Writing Emails

Writing for Social Media

Writing for Accessibility

Writing for Translation

Copyright and Trademarks

Word List

Proofreading

Content Style Guide Summary

Writing Goals & Principles

Goals

With every piece of content, we aim to achieve one or more of the following goals:

• Solve problems
  Logistics can be complicated and complex. Give readers clear, concise and direct information that will help resolve issues to make their experience easier.
• Educate
  Tell readers what they need to know, not just what we want to say. Give them the exact information they need, along with opportunities to learn more. Don’t assume readers know — always explain concepts and terms. Remember that you are the expert, and many people will not know everything that you do.
• Empower
  Help people to understand shipping and logistics so they can better perform in their role. When appropriate, we inform readers of our services, explain how these services are beneficial to their role, and encourage readers to make use of them.
• Guide
  Whether you are leading readers through educational materials or a task in the CoyoteGO^® digital freight platform, communicate in a helpful, easy-to-understand way.
• Convert
  Before writing, it’s important to know what logical next step you want a reader to take. “Conversion” will mean different things to different audiences in different contexts, but we should always build our content around what we would like them to do. Some examples include: getting a quote, signing into CoyoteGO, updating a shipment, reading the next article, taking a survey, etc.

Principles

To achieve those goals, we make sure our content follows these principles:

• Problem-focused
  Be empathetic. We always put the reader at the center of our focus, trying to understand what issues, problems and concerns they have.
• Clear
  Use simple words and concise sentences. Explain concepts and define industry terminology. Have a logical progression — whether it is an email or a research study — that takes the reader from one point to the next.
• Insightful
  Be relevant to the specific audience we are targeting. What purpose does this piece of content serve? Who is going to read it? What do they need to know? Figure out all the questions they could have and answer them in the content. Be deliberate to avoid wasting the reader’s time.
• Actionable
  We want our audience to be able to take what they learn and apply it in their jobs.

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Brand Attributes

Our brand symbolizes the characteristics of a coyote. It’s important to first understand what those animal characteristics are, then reflect those brand attributes in our content.

• Tenacious
  Coyotes are most known for their effortless adaptability.
• Smart
  They are clever and resourceful, quick and agile.
• Tribal
  They work as a team and are loyal to their pack.
• True
  They have keen vision and can accurately spot opportunities.

This symbolism is fundamental to our brand and must be consistent in all our interactions, from our voice and to our values.

Each time someone interacts with our brand, we have the opportunity to influence them, to trigger their emotions and influence decision making.

Our global brand identity is an evolution from literal animal to symbolic attributes.

Access the full Coyote Logistics Brand Guidelines here.

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Voice & Tone Overview

Personality and voice are key traits that guide how we communicate (namely word choice) in all our global communications.

This applies to both internal and external communications and across all channels, including sales collateral, website content, social media posts, emails, press releases and more.

Maintaining a consistent voice and tone when writing for Coyote is incredibly important. It not only ensures we properly communicate our brand — it also helps us to create insightful, empowering content.

In this section, we’ll explain the difference between voice (or personality) and tone, then lay out the elements of each as they apply to Coyote Logistics.

Voice vs. Tone: What’s the Difference?

In writing, voice is constant — it never changes. Tone, however, will adapt based on the audience and situation.

Think of how you communicate in your personal life — your actual voice is always the same, but you use a different communication style (word choice, inflections, references) when speaking with a close friend versus a stranger.

It’s the same concept when writing for Coyote. Our brand voice doesn’t change, but your tone will subtly shift when writing for different audiences about different topics with different goals.

Consider the emotional state of the person you are addressing — are they complaining about an issue or are they a long-time customer and advocate?

To sum it up, an email to an owner-operator about CoyoteGO should read differently than a research report presentation to an executive at a Fortune 500 shipper.

What is Coyote’s Voice?

Coyote started out as a scrappy, Chicago-based startup but has grown into a $5B global company. For this reason, we speak like an experienced and compassionate provider who can empathize with businesses big and small.

We treat everyone who wants to join our network seriously. We want to educate people without patronizing or confusing them.

Whether the reader is a 20-year industry veteran or a newcomer, we want to impart our expertise with clarity and authority, using every word to inform and encourage.

All of this means that when we write copy:

• We are authentic.
  We are honest, reliable and straightforward. What you see is what you get — we do not mislead, we don’t bait and-switch and we don’t make excuses.
• We are confident.
  We speak with authority because we are proud of what we have accomplished. We are certain of our capabilities.
• We are direct.
  We take shippers’ and carriers’ problems seriously. We get to the point and present the facts because we know that their time is valuable.
• We are experienced.
  We present insights that are well-researched, rooted in data and always accompanied by key takeaways and analyses. We act like we have been there before, because we have.
• We are approachable.
  We are personable and accessible — our people set us apart from competitors. Our customers know that behind every social post, article and email, there is always a real person.

Coyote’s Voice: Do’s & Don’ts

Authentic

• Do: Speak with dedication. Be realistic about problems and solutions. Own any mistakes. Stand by your word.
  Example: “There is no question — overall truckload volume is much lower than average for this point in the year. Spot market truckload rates have suffered as a result, declining for each of the last five weeks. Unfortunately, we’ve seen some carriers park capacity during this trying time.”
• Don’t: Beat around the bush or oversell our capabilities.
  Example: “Despite the market reaching all-time lows in terms of rates and capacity, Coyote has managed to keep carriers loaded with freight whenever they need it — furthermore, those loads generally pay top dollar.”

Confident

• Do: Use strong verbs. Be prepared for every conversation. Take accountability for mistakes.
  Example: “During times of uncertainty, Coyote stands grounded in the principles of our vision: We Lead. We Innovate. We Move the World’s Freight — Forward.”
• Don’t: Be cocky or arrogant, hesitant or unsure. Don’t make assumptions.
  Example: “As shippers and carriers are aware, Coyote is the most innovative 3PL in the world, and has done more to change the industry than any ‘digital freight matcher’ just getting into logistics.”

Direct

• Do: Be brief, smart and concise.
  Example: “Your brand can’t compete if your supply chain can’t deliver.”
• Don’t: Sound overly informal, friendly or playful. Don’t sound overly blunt or rude either.
  Example: “Hear those faint whimpers coming from your marketing department? That’s the sound of your brand slowly dying because your supply chain can’t deliver, you know, literally deliver!”

Experienced

• Do: Present clear facts and analysis informed by expertise. Shippers and carriers look to us for intelligence — be a champion for the industry.
  Example: “According to the American Trucking Association, there are over 892,000 for-hire common carriers registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. 97% of those companies operate 20 or fewer trucks, and 91% operate less than six trucks. In many ways, the hundreds of thousands of owner-operators, small- and medium-sized trucking companies dominate the supply base.”
• Don’t: Use buzzwords to sound intelligent or add spin or hide details to make a point.
  Example: “The massive and ever-expanding truckload market is extremely difficult for shippers to efficiently navigate. Cohesive strategy and streamlined collaboration are not possible for most supply chain strategies.”

Approachable

• Do: Emphasize person-to-person connections. Be friendly. Meet shipper and carrier needs with empathy, curiosity and determination.
  Example: “We are here to help you drive your business forward.”
• Don’t: Be overly casual or unprofessional, or use stilted language and unnecessarily long, stiff descriptions.
  Example: “As a leading global provider of third-party logistics services, Coyote Logistics helps its customers drive their businesses forward.”

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Tone

Coyote’s tone is usually professional and errs on the side of formal, but it is always friendly, welcoming and helpful — never too stiff and impersonal.

In your writing, consider the reader’s state of mind by referencing our personas.

• Are they stressed about making sure critical freight is covered?
• Are they confused about why spot rates are rising?

Once you have an idea of their emotional state, you can adjust your tone accordingly.

Though Coyote is a recognized thought leader, we avoid being academic or esoteric — we do not want to come across as inaccessible, boring or arrogant.

If you are ever unsure, opt for the straightforward, “dumbed down” approach.

Style Tips

Here are a few key elements of writing Coyote’s voice. For a more detailed view, see Grammar and Mechanics.

• Use active voice.
  Avoid passive voice whenever possible.
• Avoid slang, industry jargon and buzzwords.
  Write in plain English.
• Write positively.
  Use positive language rather than negative language when possible.
• Emphasize person-to-person connections.
  Be friendly and meet the audience’s needs with empathy, curiosity and determination. Use second person when possible.
• Follow AP Style.
  When in doubt, reference standard AP Stylebook guidelines, which emphasize consistency and clarity.

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Writing about People

Whether you are writing for an internal or external audience, it is important to write for and about other people in a way that’s compassionate, inclusive and respectful.

Consider the potential impact of your language. This awareness will help you be a good steward of the Coyote brand, both within the company and in the wider industry.

In this section we will lay out some guidelines for writing about people.

As Part of an Audience

• If you are referring to a general audience (i.e., the entire market), then refer to them in broad terms like our network, logistics professionals, supply chain professionals, etc.
• When you are speaking to specific audiences, use more explicit terms, such as shippers, customers, network carriers, etc.
• Do not capitalize the audience unless it’s grammatically necessary.
• Do not refer to an audience as “it.” Audiences are made up of real people, so always use “they” as a singular pronoun.
• This goes for contacts, too. Contacts are real people, never pieces of data.
• Do not call groups of people “guys” or “girls.”
• When referencing LGBTQ people or communities, do not use these terms: homosexual, lifestyle, preference.

Talking to or about Individuals

• Whenever possible, make them feel like you are speaking directly to them by using “you.” For example, “We are here to help you drive your business forward.”
• If you are speaking about a person, use the person’s full name and title (with permission) on the first reference. On the second reference, just use their last name (without titles, i.e., Mr., Mrs., Dr.). Depending on context, it is also acceptable to use a person’s first name only (after the first reference). For instance, in a case study where the rep and the shipper have a close relationship, it might make sense to use the first name to convey a more personal tone. The key is consistency — choose one and stick with it for the remainder of the content.
• Always note the person’s company name or trade organization affiliations (with permission) for context and to establish authority. As a best practice and a good gesture towards their site’s SEO, add a hyperlink to their site (or relevant landing page) when publishing online.
• When writing about a person, use their communicated pronouns (he/him/his, she/her/hers, they/them/their). When in doubt, just ask or use their name.
• Never reference a person’s age unless it is relevant, and do not refer to people using age-related descriptors like “young,” “old” or “elderly.”
• Never reference a person’s race or ethnicity unless it is relevant, and do not use hyphens when referring to someone’s dual heritage or nationality. For example, use “African American” instead of “African-American.”
• Only capitalize the name of a race or ethnicity. For example, capitalize “Black” as it refers to Americans in the African diaspora, but keep “white” lowercase since white refers to the color of a person’s skin and not a group of people.
• Avoid all disability-related idioms. For example, “falling on deaf ears.” However, if relevant to what you are writing, use “deaf” or “blind” as an adjective to describe a person with significant hearing or sight loss.
• Avoid gendered terms such as “businessman” and instead use neutral alternatives like “professional” or “expert.”
• Do not refer to a person’s medical condition or cognitive condition unless it is relevant to what you’re writing.

Writing about Companies

Writing about Coyote Logistics

Our company’s legal entity is “Coyote Logistics, LLC.”

Our trade name is “Coyote” in mature markets, like in the United States.

For emerging markets, like Mexico and Europe, use “Coyote Logistics” for the first mention and then “Coyote” on subsequent mentions.

Use “Coyote Logistics, LLC” only when writing legal documents or contracts.

Otherwise, use “Coyote.”

Always capitalize the first “C” and “L” in Coyote Logistics.

Refer to Coyote as “we” (not “it”), unless writing a press release, for example: “Coyote Logistics opened its doors in 2006…”

Capitalize branded terms, like CoyoteGO and Coyote Transportation Management.

We also capitalize program names (Coyote’s Carriers of the Year) and events (Coyote Logistics Digital Summit) to distinguish them from generic use of those adjectives.

Do not capitalize descriptive product or feature names, like email or landing pages.

• Dynamic route optimization
• CoyoteGO’s mobile app
• Allowing carriers to book it now

Writing about Other Companies

Honor companies’ own names for themselves and their products. Go by what is used on their official website.

• iPad
• YouTube
• Yahoo!

Refer to a company or product as “it” (not “they”), unless writing a case study or testimonial where we establish a more familiar relationship with the company.

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Grammar and Mechanics

Everyone is a writer.

Whether you are on the marketing team writing copy for coyote.com, in sales emailing shippers and carriers, or on the People Team communicating with employees around the world, these best practices will help you clearly communicate your ideas while staying consistent with the Coyote brand.

This section will lay out our grammar guidelines, which generally follow the AP Stylebook and should apply to all the content we create.

Writing Basics

Write for all readers.
Some people will read every word you write. Others will just skim. Help everyone read better by following a clear narrative structure, grouping related ideas, utilizing descriptive headers and subheaders, and using plenty of white space and text breaks.

Solve a problem.
Before you start developing any content, have a clear idea of exactly what problem it’s intended to solve — this will help bring clarity to your efforts. Establish the who/what/when/where/why and answer each in your content.

Develop a logical narrative.
Create a hierarchy of information.

Follow the tried-and-true structure you learned in grade school English class:

• Introduction outlining the purpose of the content
• Main point 1
  • Supporting point 1
  • Supporting point 2
  • Supporting point 3
• Etc.
• Conclusion recapping what you covered and setting up the logical next step

Be concise.
Use short words and sentences. Avoid unnecessary modifiers and cut redundant phrases and sentences.

Be specific.
Avoid vague language. Cut the marketing buzzwords and fluff while adding in facts, figures, stats and examples.

Be consistent.
Stick to the copy patterns and style points outlined in this guide. Just as important — be consistent within each piece of content.

Drive action.
We never want to give readers a dead end. Always include a logical next step to keep people engaged.

Grammar Guidelines

Abbreviations & Acronyms

If there is a chance your reader will not recognize an abbreviation or acronym, spell it out the first time you mention it, followed by the acronym in parentheses.

Afterwards, use the short version for all other references.

• First use: Coyote Transportation Management (CTM)
• Second use: CTM
• First use: Less Than Truckload
• Second use: LTL

If the abbreviation or acronym is either universally understood (e.g., ASAP), or is more common than the full spelling (e.g., API or HTML), then use the shortened version instead and do not worry about spelling it out.

Active Voice

Use active voice. Avoid passive voice.

In active voice, the subject of the sentence does the action. In passive voice, the subject of the sentence has the action done to it.

• Yes: Coyote’s solutions helped the shipper to reduce their transportation spend.
• No: The shipper reduced their transportation spend by using Coyote’s solutions.

Words like “was” and “by” may indicate that you are writing in passive voice. Scan for these words and rework sentences where they appear.

There are a few exceptions to this rule. For instance: if you want to specifically emphasize the action over the subject.

• Your account was flagged by our Compliance team.

In some cases, this is fine. Whenever you do use passive voice, it’s important that you are being deliberate and intentional — there needs to be a sound grammatical reason for doing so.

Contractions

Contractions are a great way to communicate in a more personal, casual tone; however, they are not generally suitable in formal writing.

Consider your target audience and your medium and use contractions strategically.

Avoid contractions in formal communications:

• Research papers for large businesses
• Product pages and sales pages
• Sales collateral
• Announcements and press releases
• Executive communications

It is acceptable to use contractions when striking a more personal tone or reproducing quotations:

• Reproducing a direct quotation (within a press release, case study, etc.)
• Social media posts
• Emails
• The Den (internal communications)
• Contributor content (blog posts “authored” by individuals)
• Audio / video content (videos, webinars, spoken presentations)
• Explaining concepts in informational blog posts

Emojis and Hashtags

Do not use emojis. The only exception would be for informal internal communications, such as an employee email or Den post.

Hashtags are only acceptable on social media channels. Do not incorporate hashtags into emails or other forms of internal or external content unless necessary to promote an event or campaign hashtag.

When leveraging hashtags for social media posts, avoid excessive made-up hashtags or hashtags that are not trending. Use straightforward and trending hashtags that will gain us greater brand exposure.

Hashtags to consider:

• #supplychain
• #logistics
• #thankatrucker

Hashtags to avoid:

• #coyotelovestruckers
• #ltlforever
• #berelentless

Capitalization

We use a few different forms of capitalization.

Title case capitalizes the first letter of the first word, the last word and every important or “big” word.

This does not include articles, prepositions or conjunctions with two notable exceptions:

• If the non-major word is the last word of the title
  Example: The 5 Rules of Trucking (& Where They Came From)
• If the non-major word is four or more letters
  Example: Taking Your Supply Chain From Cost Center to Competitive Advantage

Sentence case capitalizes the first letter of the first word of the sentence.

When to use title case:

• Title of blog post, research study, presentation, etc.
• Call-to-action (capitalize non-major words in a CTA button)
• Section headers and subheadings
• Email subject lines
  (can use sentence case or title case as a style choice, but maintain consistency within a campaign)

When to use sentence case:

• Bullet points and numbered lists (when not used as subheaders). Also, end each with a period if the point is written as a complete sentence.
• Email subject lines
  (can use sentence case or title case as a style choice, but maintain consistency within a campaign)
• Email preview text

When writing out an email address or website URL, use all lowercase.
Examples: kyle.reynertson@coyote.com / coyote.com
Do not capitalize random words in the middle of sentences.

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Number Formatting

Spell out a number when it begins a sentence or is below 10.

Otherwise, use the numeral. This includes ordinals.

• Ten new employees started on Monday, and 12 start next week.
• We moved three expedited loads.
• American Dreams Logistics won 1st place in last year’s Peak season contest.

Sometimes it might feel weird to use the numeral. If it is an expression that typically uses spelled-out numbers, leave them that way.

• A friendly welcome email can help you make a great first impression.
• We are a third-party logistics provider.
• Put your best foot forward with the all-in-one marketing platform that grows with you.

Numbers over three digits get commas:

• 999
• 1,000
• 150,000

Write out big numbers in full. Abbreviate them if there are space restraints, as in a tweet or a chart: 1k, 150k.

Dates

Generally, spell out the day of the week and the month. Abbreviate only if space is an issue.

• Saturday, January 24
• Saturday, Jan. 24
• 01/24/2021

Localize dates with day first for international markets, such as the 24^th of January.

• Saturday, 24 January
• 24/01/2021

Decimals and Fractions

Spell out fractions.

• Yes: two-thirds
• No: 2/3

Use decimal points when a number can’t be easily written out as a fraction, like 1.375 or 47.2.

Percentages

Use the % sign when paired with a numeral, with no space.

• 60%
• 0.6%

When used as descriptive language, spell out percentage rather than symbols and numbers, for example, “There is a zero percent chance of delivering.”

Ranges and Spans

Use en dashes (–) to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. Sometimes, exceptions can be made for hyphens (-) but whenever possible, use an en dash.

• It takes 4–5 days to ship.
• Expect a quote in 1–2 hours.

Money

When writing about North American currency, use the dollar sign before the amount. Include a decimal and number of cents if more than 0.

• $20,000 USD
• $19.99 CAD
• $500,000 MXN

When writing about other currencies, follow the localized symbol-amount format:

• £100 (pound symbol appears before the number)
• 100,000€ (euro symbol appears after the number)

Telephone Numbers

Use dashes without spaces between numbers. Use a country code if your reader is in another country.

• 555-867-5309
• +1-404-123-4567

Temperature

Use the degree symbol and the capital F abbreviation for Fahrenheit. Since our business is international, include both Celsius and Fahrenheit.

• 98°F (37°C)

Localize as needed by switching the order.

Time

Use numerals and lowercase a.m. or p.m., with a space in between the numeral and letters and periods. Do not use minutes (:00) for on-the-hour time.

• 7 a.m.
• 7:30 p.m.

Use an en dash between times to indicate a time period.

• 7 a.m.–10:30 p.m.

Specify time zones when writing about an event or something else people would need to schedule. Since Coyote’s headquarters is located in Chicago, we default to Central Time.

Abbreviate time zones within the continental United States as follows:

• Eastern time: ET
• Central time: CT
• Mountain time: MT
• Pacific time: PT

When referring to international time zones, spell them out: Central European Time or Western European Time. If a time zone does not have a set name, use its Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) offset.

Abbreviate decades when referring to those within the past 100 years.

• the 00s
• the 90s

When referring to decades more than 100 years ago, be more specific:

• the 1900s
• the 1890s

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Punctuation

Apostrophes

The apostrophe’s most common use is making a word possessive.

If the word already ends in an s and it is singular, you also add an ‘s. If the word ends in an s and is plural, just add an apostrophe.

• The carrier covered Coke’s freight.
• The carrier covered Walgreens’s freight.
• The carrier covered the customers’ freight.

Colons

Use a colon (rather than an ellipsis, em dash, or comma) to offset a list.

• Coca-Cola quoted three kinds of truckload freight: dry van, reefer and flatbed.

Use a colon to end a sentence or phrase when it begins a bulleted or numbered list, but only when the sentence or phrase is directly referring to the subsequent content.

• Coyote works with several different types of LTL carriers.
  • National
  • Regional
  • Sub-regional
• Coyote works with several types of LTL carriers — here are the three main types:
  • National
  • Regional
  • Sub-regional

You can also use a colon to join two related phrases, when the leading phrase directly sets up the following.

• The shipper was faced with a dilemma: they wanted to ship quickly, but they wanted the savings benefits of LTL.

Semicolons

Go easy on semicolons. They usually support long, complicated sentences that you can usually simplify. Try an em dash (—) instead, or simply start a new sentence.

Commas

Follow AP guidelines. If you are unsure, read the sentence out loud. Where you find yourself taking a natural pause, you should probably use a comma (or simplify the thought into two sentences).

There is one notable call out: the Oxford comma.

When writing a list, avoid using the Oxford (or serial) comma.

• Yes: Coyote has offices in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
• No: Coyote has offices in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The only acceptable usage is to maintain clarity in long sentences with complex lists. In these instances, a serial comma prevents the audience from misreading.

• Yes: The quote module on coyote.com has icons for truckload, less-than-truckload, air and ocean, and intermodal.

Dashes and Hyphens

Use a hyphen (-) without spaces on either side to link words into a single phrase, or to indicate a span or range.

• first-time user
• third-party logistics
• Monday–Friday

Use an em dash (—) with spaces on either side to signal abrupt change, to set off a series within a phrase (instead of commas), to start lists, and to link together related phrases.

Make sure to use a true em dash, not hyphens (- or –).

• CoyoteGO^®, our digital freight platform — available on desktop and mobile devices — can help you grow your business.

Ellipses

You can use ellipses (…) to indicate that you are trailing off before the end of a thought.

Do not use them in formal writing or external-facing materials.

Don’t use them for emphasis or drama, and don’t use them in titles or headers.

For internal communication, use them sparingly.

• We are excited to have you on the team and look forward to a bright future…

You can use ellipses in brackets to show that you are omitting words in a direct quote.

• “We are a customer-centric business at our core — but we’re also a people-centric business, […] when we pair this culture with one of the best employee training and development programs in the industry, we’re positioned to offer an unmatched experience to our network.”

Periods

Periods go inside quotation marks, unless you are using the quotation marks for stylistic emphasis, not to indicate a literal quote.

• Jonathan said, “We are a customer-centric business at our core.”

Periods go outside parentheses when the parenthetical is part of a larger sentence, and inside parentheses when the parenthetical stands alone.

• We are a customer-centric business at our core (and a people-centric business, too).
• We are a customer-centric and people-centric business. (According to Jonathan.)

Leave a single space between sentences.

Question Marks

Question marks go inside quotation marks if they are part of the quote.

Like periods, they go outside parentheses when the parenthetical is part of a larger sentence, and inside parentheses when the parenthetical stands alone.

Exclamation Points

Use exclamation points sparingly, and never more than one at a time.

A well-timed exclamation point can convey emphasis or excitement, but too often or too many can come across juvenile and unprofessional.

Exclamation points go inside quotation marks. Like periods and question marks, they go outside parentheses when the parenthetical is part of a larger sentence, and inside parentheses when the parenthetical stands alone.

Never use exclamation points in failure messages or alerts. When in doubt, do not use them.

Quotation Marks

Use quotes to refer to words and letters, titles of short works (like articles and white papers) and direct quotations.

Periods and commas go within quotation marks. Question marks within quotes follow logic — if the question mark is part of the quotation, it goes within. If you are asking a question that ends with a quote, it goes outside the quote.

Use single quotation marks for quotes within quotes.

• Who originally said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes”?
• Chris said, “Mark Twain once said, ‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.’”

Ampersands

Do not use ampersands in standard writing unless one is part of a company or brand name.

• H&M
• Truckload, LTL and intermodal

It is acceptable — and generally encouraged — to use ampersands where space is an issue, or where visual interest is paramount.

Here are some instances where it is acceptable to us an ampersand:

• Email subject lines
• Blog post titles
• Blog post subheaders
• Legends on a graph or chart

File Extensions

When referring generally to a file extension type, use all uppercase without a period. Add a lowercase s to make plural.

• GIF
• PDF
• HTML
• JPGs

When referring to a specific file, the filename should be lowercase:

• coyoteholiday.gif
• coyotebenefits.pdf
• coyote-twitter-profile.jpg
• coyote.html

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Miscellaneous Grammar

Pronouns

If your subject’s gender is unknown or irrelevant, use “they,” “them” and “their” as a singular pronoun. Use “he/him/his” and “she/her/her” pronouns as appropriate. Do not use “one” as a pronoun.

For more on writing about gender, see Writing about People.

Quotes

When quoting someone in a blog post or other publication, use the present tense, unless when doing so would be confusing or inconsistent.

Modest modifications for grammar and clarity are acceptable. Do not change the substance of what was said, but we want the quoted party to come across as well-spoken.

• “Using Coyote has helped our business to grow,” says American Dream Logistics.

Names and Titles

The first time you mention a person in writing, refer to them by their first and last names. On all other mentions, refer to them by their last name.

Capitalize the names of departments and teams (but not the word “team” or “department”).

• Marketing team
• Sales department

Capitalize individual job titles when referencing to a specific role. Do not capitalize when referring to the role in general terms.

• Our new Marketing Manager starts today.
• All the managers have mandatory training.

Schools

The first time you mention a school, college or university in a piece of writing, refer to it by its full official name. On all other mentions, use its more common abbreviation.

• Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech
• Georgia State University, GSU

States, Cities and Countries

Spell out all city and state names. Do not abbreviate city names.

Per AP Style, all cities should be accompanied by their state, with the exception of: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington.

The same rule applies to major European cities.

On first mention, write out United States. On subsequent mentions, U.S. (with periods) is fine.

The same rule applies to any other country or federation with a common abbreviation (European Union, E.U.; United Kingdom, U.K.). UK (sans periods) is also acceptable.

Do not use periods in the abbreviation when writing headlines or subject lines.

URLs and Websites

Capitalize the names of websites and web publications. Don’t italicize.

Avoid spelling out URLs, but when you need to, leave off the http://www.

• resources.coyote.com

Slang and Jargon

Write in plain English. If you need to use a technical term, briefly define it so everyone can understand.

If you are not sure if the meaning translates into other markets, simplify it.

• Coyote’s Product team is constantly scaling our digital freight platform, CoyoteGO^®, to make sure our users have a great experience with our products. One way we do this is with dynamic optimizations, or automations, that help us more quickly connect with our network of carriers.

Text Formatting

Use italics to indicate the title of a long work (like a book, movie or album) or to emphasize a word.

• American Dream Logistics really loves CoyoteGO.

Use italics when citing an example of an in-app CoyoteGO element, or referencing button and navigation labels in step-by-step instructions:

• When you are all done, click Send.
• The familiar A/B testing variables—Subject line, From name, and Send time.

Do not use underline formatting (expect when content is hyperlinked).

Do not combine multiple types of text formatting simultaneously (e.g, italics and bold).

Left-align text, never center or right-align.

Leave one space between sentences, never two.

White space is your friend — use paragraph breaks liberally in digital formats.

Remember this axiom of the internet: 
Paragraphs of three lines or less get read.
Paragraphs of four lines or more get skipped.

Write Positively

Try to use positive language rather than negative language. An exception would be when you are describing a common industry issue or challenge in order to evoke negative feelings and anxiety.

One way to detect negative language is to look for words like “can’t,” “don’t,” etc.

• Yes: To get your freight moving, request a quote.
• No: You can’t get your freight moving if you don’t request a quote.

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Web Elements

Coyote is a digital-first marketing organization, therefore, much of the content we create lives online, either on our core site or the Coyote Resource Center.

This section lays out our style for these formats, as well as an overview of our approach to search engine optimization (SEO).

In general, all the aforementioned writing best practices and guidelines apply to web elements, but we’ll dive deeper in a few areas of specific digital formats.

Alt Text

Alt text is a text label for images.

Every image on our site should have alt text added to it.

Adding alt text is a web content best practice, and it is important for three reasons:

• Alt text aids in image search, helping search engines to categorize and rank the image with related key phrases.
• It makes the page more accessible, allowing visually impaired site visitors to have a better experience with the content.
• Accessibility is a search ranking factor.

Alt text should offer a plain description of the image in a brief sentence or two.

Most screen readers will cut off the description at 125 characters, so try to keep descriptions under that.

There is no need to say “image of” as screen readers will automatically designate alt text as an image description.

If the image is related to any targeted key phrases, try to include the primary and secondary key phrase, but only if you can do it in a plainspoken way — do not sacrifice clarity for keyword stuffing.

For more on how and why we use alt text, read the Accessibility section.

Buttons (CTA Buttons)

Buttons should always contain actions.

The language should be clear and concise — the reader should know exactly what they are going to get if they click that button.

When pixel space is not a limitation and conversion is the goal (blog posts, landing pages, emails), try to be descriptive. Keep it less than 40 characters, but an adjective or two can give the reader a better reason to click.

It is acceptable to use first person to aid conversion if it is in-line with surrounding content. Avoid using “your.”

• [Show Me the 10-Point Checklist]
• [Create My Free Account]
• [View Webinar On Demand]

Use title case (capitalize all major words and four-letter prepositions).

Always use an ampersand (“&” instead of “and”) in button copy for brevity.

Standard website buttons include:

• Log In
• Sign Up
• Request a Freight Quote
• Talk to a Specialist
• Subscribe
• View All Articles

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Checkboxes

Use title case for headings and sentence case for checkboxes.

Radio Buttons

Use title case for headings and sentence case for button fields.

Navigation

Use title case for main or global navigation. Use sentence case for subnavigation.

Navigation links should be clear and concise.

Dropdown Menus

Use title case for menu names and title case for menu items.

Every dropdown should have at least three sub-items to justify its existence — otherwise it may be better to reconfigure the navigation.

Try to limit the number of items in a dropdown to six — more than that, and you will sacrifice legibility. To keep longer lists legible, either section dropdown lists with subsection headers or create a megamenu.

Remember: Everything you leave out makes what is left more powerful.

Forms

Form titles should clearly and quickly explain the purpose of the form. Focus on the benefit for the user.

Use title case for form titles and sentence case for form fields.

Keep forms as short as possible.

Only request information that we need and intend to use. Do not ask for information that could be considered private or personal, including gender. If you need to ask for gender, provide a field the user can fill in on their own, not a drop-down menu.

Make all forms as clear as possible — write for the least informed audience member. If we are asking for information, it should be obvious at every step what the user needs to do.

Surveys

If used, survey titles should clearly and quickly explain the purpose of the survey.

Use title case for survey titles and subtitles and sentence case for questions and answer fields.

Keep surveys as short as possible. Only ask questions if there is a clear action plan for what we are going to do with that information.

When promoting the survey, focus on the benefit for the user — what will they get out of filling it out?

Always use numeric measurements to indicate survey length and set audience expectations. Either estimated completion time or number of questions is acceptable.

Be honest in your measurement — we are not trying to trick the reader.

• Take this five-question survey and tell us what you would like to see.
• Fill out this one-minute survey for a chance to win!

PDFs

In general, we try to avoid using PDFs — they are difficult to track, are not dynamic and take a visitor out of our environment.

However, many people like them. They are also a great opportunity to use a gate and collect emails for high-value, downloadable content.

When creating and using PDF content, here are a few best practices:

• 16×9 aspect ratio (PowerPoint slide size) is preferred
• Use plenty of white space and make sure font is large enough to be clearly legible
• Add in some descriptive body copy when hosted on a webpage — it helps search engines index PDF content. Use SEO best practices for titles and meta descriptions.
• Link to other related content on coyote.com or the Resource Center.

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Page Titles

Titles are incredibly important.

They organize multiple pieces of content in a system, attract readers and set expectations.

Titles should be clear and descriptive, but also attention-grabbing. When in doubt, err on the side of clarity, but titles are an opportunity to express creativity and play on reader psychology.

Always be honest. The title must be an accurate representation of the page content — we do not bait-and-switch readers.

Titles are written in title case. Capitalize major words, do not capitalize articles, conjunctions or prepositions.

While staying within general brand guidelines, it is OK to bend grammar rules in titles to make them catchy and readable (e.g., do not write out numbers in titles, use ampersands, etc.).

Do not use end punctuation in a title unless the title is a question.

When creating a title, always draft at least five versions — the more the better. Do not skimp on this part of the creative process.

H1 Titles for Resource Center Content

An H1 title is just the page title. This is what the reader will see on the page, or when browsing in the Resource Center.

Here are some guidelines when creating Resource Center content:

• Long titles are OK (10+ words) — research shows they are often more effective
• Include the target keyword or key phrase and, if possible, a secondary keyword or key phrase or any other related words
• Indicate relevance and the direct benefit of reading the post
• Consider using colons or dashes to separate complex, two-part titles
• Include a number (if possible)
• Take into account other related posts in that content cluster to avoid too much repetition or redundancy (i.e., we can only have one “Guide to LTL…”)
• Only use the word “Guide” if the content justifies that designation — a guide should be comprehensive (1,000+ words) and the pillar piece of content in that cluster

SEO Titles (Title Tags)

An SEO title will appear in search engine results, but not on the post itself.

It does not necessarily have to be different than the H1, but the two will usually have slight variations.

There are two reasons for this:

1. A reader sees the H1 when they are already in a Coyote-branded environment, and when previewing the post, the H1 will almost always be accompanied with the thumbnail image. A reader will only see an SEO title when they are on a search engine results page (SERP) — there is no supporting image, we are competing against other related posts and there is no clear connection to our brand (at a glance).
2. Space (character count) is a consideration for SEO titles — search engines truncate titles after 50-60 characters. With H1s, we have much more space to play with.

With those in mind, here are some considerations when crafting an SEO title:

• Put the relevant keyword or phrase towards the front of the title — frontload the relevance to the searcher.
• While OK to differentiate, it should closely follow the H1. A reader should have a consistent experience from an organic search conversion into the page itself.
• Research the first SERP for the targeted key phrase — how can we simultaneously indicate topical relevance without duplicating existing titles?
• Avoid long titles, assuming search engines will truncate over 60 characters.

Article and Meta Descriptions

The article description will display in Coyote environments (e.g., the Resource Center) while the meta description will appear in search results.

They do not necessarily need to be different, but the different contexts (and potentially different H1 and title tag) should guide your decision.

Descriptions are written as sentences (sentence case, end in punctuation). It is OK to have multiple sentences in a description, but not generally encouraged.

Descriptions should be clear and concise. They should work together with the title without being duplicative.

Most search engines will cut off descriptions at 160 characters — use that as the upper limit.

Use the same logic as titles:

• Be creative and catchy
• Use numbers (OK to bend grammar rules, do not spell out)
• Communicate the benefit to the reader
• Incorporate primary and secondary key phrases or keywords
• Frontload relevance in case description is truncated

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Headings and Subheadings

Headings and subheadings organize content for readers once they land on a page.

They also help organize content for search engines (which is a secondary consideration to the reader).

They are incredibly important for guiding readers through a page, whether they are reading every word intently or — as is often the case in digital formats — skimming.

A well-written page or post should be able to convey the basic message if a reader only reads the headings and subheadings.

Use headings and subheadings liberally to clearly break up and organize content. Whenever you can break up big blocks of body copy into two or more sections with descriptive subheadings, that is often the best course.

Here are some guidelines for headings and subheadings:

• Be descriptive. A reader should know what each section is about simply by reading the big, bolded words.
• Be creative. Clarity comes first, but treat subheadings with the same approach you would apply to creating page titles.
• Include relevant keywords and key phrases, but avoid being repetitive.
• It is OK to have long headings, but they should not extend much over one line break for a desktop view.
• Write headings and subheadings in title case. In rare instances, it is OK to write subheadings in sentence case to improve legibility, but it must be consistent throughout the post (e.g., a listicle post where each item is a complete sentence).
• If you ask a question in the heading, answer it in the body copy.
• Avoid using punctuation expect for question marks.
• Similar to titles, it is OK to bend grammar rules for readability, style and visual interest (e.g., use of ampersands, do not spell out numbers).
• It is OK to use second person (you) but not first (I). We are establishing a dialogue with the reader, but do not want to be presumptuous and write as if we were them. The exception is forms and buttons, where we want them to take an action.

Formatting Headings and Subheadings in the Resource Center

Organize headings and subheadings hierarchically, with headings first, followed by subheadings in order.

For an example of how we format, use this Editorial Style Guide as a reference.

Here is how to execute them in the Resource Center:

• Use H2 formatting for section headings.
• To further break out content that ladders back up to that section, use H5 formatting.
• Note: we use H5 as it looks the best in our CSS (vs. H3 and H4). Though this is not the most intuitive, we started doing this a while ago, and it is easiest to continue this way without manually readjusting everything. There is no real difference from an SEO perspective when used in this way.
• If you need to make any further callouts within an H5 subheading, use bolded font. Any more levels, and you need to either start a new subsection (H5) or section (H2), otherwise there will be too many competing fonts and visual clutter.
• White space is your friend. Let each section and subsection breathe. Though all HX formats have padding built in, always apply a paragraph (full space) between H2 sections. Use a line break (CTRL+space) between H5 points. When in doubt, err on the side of spacing — it doesn’t cost anything, and it makes content easier to read.
• Keep paragraphs of body copy under four lines (when possible).

Here is a sample hierarchy and formatting of a typical Resource Center post:

H1 Title

Intro body copy. If paragraph is more than three lines, use a line break.

H2 Section Heading

Section set up copy. If paragraph is more than three lines, use a line break.

H5 Subsection 1

Subsection copy. If paragraph is more than three lines, use a line break.

Key takeaway in a call out box.

H5 Subsection 2

Subsection 2 copy. If paragraph is more than three lines, use a line break.

Bold callout list of interesting things:

• First interesting thing
• Second interesting thing

H2 Section Heading

Section set up copy. If paragraph is more than three lines, use a line break.

H5 Subsection

Subsection copy. If paragraph is more than three lines, use a line break.

H5 Subsection

Subsection copy. If paragraph is more than three lines, use a line break.

H2 CTA Section Heading

Call-to-action copy followed by CTA (table of contents, in this example).

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Links

Links are extremely important in improving user experience and indicating relevance for search engines.

Linking to External Sites

If you are referring to something on an external website, link to it. It not only improves user experience and lends to credibility — it’s the right thing to do.

Link to specific, relevant pages, not homepages.

Internal Linking

Every page should have an internal linking strategy laid out before publishing.

Links to other Coyote content must be deliberate — do not cram links to everything just because you can.

Links pass some of the page’s authority on to the linked page. This is not a hard-and-fast search rule, but take this concept into consideration: a page has a finite amount of authority to pass on, and the more links you add, the more it dilutes the authority given to each page.

Use these best practices when setting a linking strategy:

• First, foremost and always: be empathetic to the reader. Only link to other Coyote content that is relevant. Do not add a link because it is what we want them to do — add a link because we think that content would be valuable to the reader.
• Link to similar content in that content cluster. If there is not a logical place to add in a link to a closely related piece of content, consider adding copy. Do not sacrifice overall clarity to squeeze in a link though.
• Consider the place in the funnel. If an article is a basic, top-of-the-funnel post, focus link strategy on other top-funnel and mid-funnel content. If content is mid-funnel (e.g., case study), link to sales and conversion content. If on conversion content, do not send them back up the funnel, but instead to a form.
• When adding new content, consider not only what it can link to, but what existing content can link to it (and update accordingly).

Hyperlink Formatting

Links should look different than regular copy, strong text or emphasis text. They should have a hover state that communicates they are interactive, and should have a distinct active and visited state.

The hyperlink should include enough anchor text to indicate relevance to both the reader and search engines, but not so much that it impairs legibility.

Do not include preceding articles (a, an, the, our) when you link text.

If a link comes at the end of a sentence or before a comma, do not link the punctuation mark.

Avoid things like “Click here!” or “Click for more information” or “Read this.” Write the sentence as you normally would, and link relevant keywords.

If you cannot cleanly fit a relevant link into a sentence, but the link provides high reader value and you want to properly set up the content, add a “related” callout below the paragraph. The link should be on its own line directly below the relevant content.

It is acceptable to include an abridged version of the article title, and use formatting concepts similar to headings (e.g., do not spell out numbers).

Format it like so:

Related: Find out the 7 ways LTL will save you money.

Do not add links in headings and subheadings.

Links within the Coyote domain should open the new link on the same page. Links outside of the Coyote domain should open in a new tab.

Here are some examples of correct and incorrect text links:

• Incorrect: Click here to read the post.
• Incorrect: Find out the seven ways LTL can save you money.
• Incorrect: Find out the seven ways LTL can save you money.
• Correct: Find out the seven ways LTL can save you money.

Anchor Links

Anchor links are a great way to guide users through a longer or dense piece of content.

You will need to set up a table of contents towards the top of the article.

In most cases, the table of contents should be at the end of the introduction. Designate it with a bolded, sentence-case description, and bulleted, linked sections.

The anchor text should link to an H2 section header. The anchor text does not need to match the H2 exactly, but it should be similar.

Use anchor links strategically — adding them may be a useful guide, but it also indicates a long, complex piece of content, which may turn off some readers.

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Lists

Lists — both numbered and bulleted — are great ways to break up information within large copy sections. They create visual interest and make it easy for readers to digest information.

Use lists to present steps, groups or sets of information.

Give context for the list with a brief introduction.

• Do: Number lists when the order is important, like when you are describing steps of a process.
• Do not: Use numbers when the list’s order does not matter, with the exception of section or subsection headings in the context of a listicle-style piece of content.

If the list is within a subsection, use sentence case. If the list is actually comprised of subheadings (e.g., in a listicle post), use title case.

If one of the list items is a complete sentence, use proper punctuation and capitalization on all of the items.

If list items are not complete sentences, don’t use punctuation, but do capitalize the first word of each item.

The key is consistency, not just within the list, but compared to other lists in that piece of content.

If you start the first item with a verb, try to start every item with a verb:

• Increase carrier capacity
• Gain insights from original research
• Access a supply chain specialist to meet your needs

Callout and Pull Quote Boxes

In Uberflip, our content management system, there are several different ways to add visual interest to a post.

We want to be careful on how often and what types we use — too many creates visual clutter and interrupts a post.

We primarily use one style: The callout or quote box.

Callouts

• We use these to pull out a main idea or concept from the surrounding content to emphasize it, as well as make it visible for the casual, skimming reader.
• This does not have to be an exact reproduction of body copy — in fact, it’s usually more powerful to have a summary, truncated takeaway.
• Limit the amount of copy in the box. It should be no more than a few line breaks.
• The point should clearly ladder up to the corresponding subheading.
• Bold the text in a callout.
• Do not use any more than one callout box in a section.

This is an example of a great callout to recap a dense section of content.

Pull Quotes

• This should be an exact quote. This can either be present in the body copy, or only appear in the quote box.
• Limit quote length — any more than a couple lines becomes difficult to read in this format.
• Use quotation marks and italicize the quote. Beneath the quote, insert a hyphen, followed by the person’s name, title and company (non-italicized).
• Do not bold the text.
• Do not use more than one per section.

“Pull quotes use the same module as callouts, but slightly different formatting, as you can clearly see in this example.”

– Kyle Reynertson, Content Overlord, Coyote Logistics

 

Call to Action

Every piece of digital content should end with a call to action. We do not ever want a reader to hit a dead end.

Consider what type of content the reader is currently on. How can we provide additional value? What’s a logical next step that this person could realistically take?

Oftentimes, it will be another post or piece of content. It may be a down-funnel piece of content or a form — use what you know about your target reader to guide your decision.

For Resource Center content, we often end posts with an H2 heading, followed by body copy setting up the CTA.

The CTA can be a plain text hyperlink or a button.

Generally, we use plain text CTAs for cross-linking to other content, and buttons for gated content, forms and bottom-of-the-funnel actions (e.g., download study, view webinar, get a quote, etc.).

This is the code snippet to create a CTA button:

<p style=”text-align: center;”><a class=”cta-button” href=”insert destination link here” style=”text-align: center;”>Insert Button Copy Here</a></p>

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SEO

Throughout this section, we have covered several elements of SEO best practices, but we’ll recap a few of them here.

People are the primary audience, not search engines. When in doubt, err on the side of clarity and value to a human reader.

Always use basic SEO best practices. It doesn’t cost us anything, will improve the user experience and help create a better, more easily found piece of content. A little extra work up front makes for a more sustainable site.
Here are some SEO best practices to apply every time:

• Have a target key phrase for every page. It doesn’t matter if there is much organic traffic around that phrase, it will at least help you organize content around a focused topic.
• Use your target key phrase in the title tag and H1.
• When relevant, include related keywords and phrases throughout the content.
• Include ALT text on every image.
• Include an SEO title tag and relevant meta description on every page.
• Link out to related, relevant content, and find other related content in the Coyote ecosystem and link back to the page.
• Use descriptive headings and subheadings to structure your page and highlight important information.

Writing for Conversion

This section addresses a few best practices for writing conversion copy. Use these when creating content for people farther down the funnel.

When writing for conversion, we believe that a prospect is either considering or ready to take an action with Coyote, beyond engaging in our content. This can include signing up for CoyoteGO, getting a quote, joining the carrier network or talking to a specialist.
In these scenarios, the visitor has a different mindset.

• Informational visitor: the visitor wants to learn about logistics generally.
• Conversion visitor: the visitor wants to learn about us.

Though we should talk about — and sell — Coyote, it is still about them. The visitor doesn’t really care about us, only how we can potentially be useful.

Keep that in mind when writing copy. Always frame Coyote benefits around how they answer visitor problems.

Give your content the “we” test. Go through it and count how many times you use “we” vs. “you.” Conversion copy should always be focused around “you” statements.

Strong conversion copy gets into user psychology.

• What are their pain points? What do they struggle with?
• What do they struggle with without knowing it? Show them what’s wrong with their current beliefs and habits and the pain and negative consequences that occur if they don’t change.
• How can they be successful with Coyote? How do we empower them to overcome these issues?

The best arguments include:

• Social proof
  People trust their peers over us every time. Use quotes, logos and case studies.
• Data
  Avoid unsubstantiated marketing claims and use stats, facts and figures. “1,200 food and beverage shippers trust Coyote” is far more convincing and “Coyote is the best 3PL for food and beverage shippers.”
• Answers
  Buyers have questions. A good piece of conversion copy provides them answers. Clear, simple copy that explains who we are and what we do is much more important than snappy marketing quips. We’re writing for transportation professionals, not other marketers.
• Compelling CTA
  Build an argument then end with a clear, logical next step. It should seem like the obvious choice by the time the reader skims all the content.

PowerPoints

Though presentations are used for all kinds of purposes, they are key tools for sellers.

• Less is more
  PowerPoints are not a good format for in-depth explanation — they are a visual aid. Limit the amount of copy on any given slide.
• One slide, one point
  The number of slides is not important; it’s how long you spend on each one. You are far more likely to keep an audience engaged with 30 minutes spread across 30 slides than 10 slides.
• Use an appendix and talk track
  For more detailed, complex information, drop it in an appendix or put it in the Notes section. Your audience can still reference in a follow-up reading, but it will not clutter a presentation.
• Images > words
  The more you can use visuals to communicate, the better. A great slide has a large image that supports your point, a snappy, descriptive title, and many a subpoint. A terrible slide is a great wall of copy.
• Be consistent
  Use the correct brand fonts. Use consistent font size for titles, subheadings and body copy throughout. Multiple fonts and inconsistent font sizes and spacing can distract your audience.
• Spacing > style
  You do not need to be a graphic designer to make a great presentation. Use a Coyote-approved template, be consistent with fonts, go easy on text and use lots of visuals.

Writing Technical Content

At Coyote, technical content appears primarily in our CoyoteGO user guides and product content.

This section will lay out the guiding principles of technical content, discuss the main types of technical content and outline the process of writing and editing technical articles.

Basics

Someone reading technical content is usually looking to answer a specific question. That question might be broad or narrowly focused, but either way our goal is to provide answers without distraction.

Ask these questions:

• Is the reader a prospective user, a new user or an experienced user?
• What is the goal of the user? To complete a task? To research a topic?
• Is the user in the middle of a task? Are they in a hurry? Could they be frustrated?

We do not want to overload our audience with unnecessary information, choices, or complex ideas or phrases when we don’t have to. This is particularly critical when a user may be new and/or frustrated.

When relevant, provide a brief outline of an article’s focus in an introductory paragraph or section, and stick to the topic at hand. Keep sentences, paragraphs and procedural steps focused and concise.

When writing technical content, follow the style points outlined in the Voice and Tone and Grammar and Mechanics sections.

Technical Content Best Practices

Stay relevant to the title.

When a user clicks the title of an article, they expect to find the answer they want. Do not stray too far from the title or topic at hand. Use links to make related content available.

If you find you are getting too far from the intended topic, then you may need to create a separate but related article.
Keep headlines and paragraphs short and scannable.

Focused users often scan an article for the part that will answer their particular question. Be sure headlines are short, descriptive and parallel to facilitate scanning.
Use second person and describe actions to a user.

Technical content talks to users when support agents cannot.
Strive for simplicity and clarity.

Be as clear as possible. Use simple words and phrases, avoid gerunds and hard-to-translate idioms or words, focus on the specific task, and limit the number of sentences per paragraph. If you must include edge cases or tangentially related information, set it aside in a Before You Start list or Notes field.
Provide context through embedded screenshots, videos and GIFs.

Screenshots, videos and GIFs may not be necessary for every article or process, but can be helpful to orient new users.

Crop screenshots tightly around the action to focus attention.
Capitalization

Capitalize proper names of Coyote products, features, pages, tools and teams when directly mentioned. In step-by-step instructions, capitalize and bold navigation and button labels as they appear in the app.

• Coyote Logistics
• Digital Team, Marketing Team
• Navigate to the Reports page.
• Click Create.

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Writing for Public Relations & Awards

Public relations (PR) materials, including press releases, bylines, contributor articles, executive quotes and award submissions must adhere to our editorial guidelines.

Given the high visibility of our PR initiatives, we have an extensive review and approval process.
The following must review and approve PR materials:

• Coyote Legal team
• Coyote marketing leadership
• Any quoted or attributed individuals

Press Releases

We do not distribute press releases over the wire for marketing campaigns and initiatives. Wire distribution is reserved for major company announcements and updates, as dictated by Marketing leadership.

These formal announcements follow a traditional press release format with a header, subheader, dateline and boilerplate.

We also speak about our organization in third person.

Traditional Press Release Example:
“Today, leading global third-party logistics provider Coyote Logistics unveiled a new proprietary global research study, titled Tech + Humanity.”

To announce marketing campaigns and initiatives, research or award wins, we use our “story” format for press releases. They live in our resource center and are not put over the wire.

This story format leverages a more conversational tone and creates the casual, yet professional and experienced narrative that aligns with these guidelines.

Story press releases still must provide all pertinent information about the initiative that members of the media need and expect in order to cover the news. We speak to ourselves in first-person.

Story Press Release Example:
“Today, we are proud to release our new Tech + Humanity original research study.”

Writing for Executive Team

Executive content should be developed in collaboration with members of the executive team. This could include quotes, presentations, bylines, articles and other thought leadership pieces.

If writing on behalf of a leader, it is critical to collect their unique insights and perspective, and fully understand their intended narrative.

All executive materials must adhere to these guidelines, while remaining authentic and honest. It’s important for the executive’s unique personality, tone and perspective to come through in order to differentiate from other leadership content.

Formal approval from Legal and the executive team member featured must be secured prior to distribution.

Curating and providing recommended social posts for the executive to further promote the content on their personal LinkedIn channels will help drive additional awareness and executive visibility.

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Legal and Copywriting

Due to the nature of our business, it is important that we work closely with our in-house Legal team for approvals on what we can and cannot publish.

This is to protect Coyote from liability and reinforce our third-party model since we don’t physically own trucking assets or directly employ drivers.

Coyote also publishes legal content to protect ourselves and our network around the world. Most of our legal content is written by the Legal team. This section gives a general overview of the types of legal content we publish and how those documents are written.

For information about laws that apply to non-legal content, see the Copyright and Trademark section.

Guidelines for Marketing Content

These guidelines will help prevent you from saying something that puts our brand in a compromising legal position. If you are ever in doubt, seek advice from Coyote’s Legal team.

If you are ever writing something for mass distribution, e.g., speaker panel, tradeshow presentation, comment to a reporter, blog post, press release, you must first submit for Legal review.

Avoid offering professional advice.

While we want to inform our network about industry issues related, we can’t offer them professional or legal advice. Sometimes it is a fine line.

The Legal team will check for this in their content review.

Approved and Non-Approved Language

Coyote has a network of carriers that we work with; we don’t have dedicated carriers.

• Yes: “Coyote’s network carriers,” “join our network/marketplace,” “Coyote’s vetted/contracted carriers”
• No: “our carriers,” “Coyote’s carriers,” “our drivers,” “our trucks,” “our trusted carriers,” “our dedicated carriers”

Coyote works with carriers and shippers; we don’t have partnerships with them.

• Yes: “Coyote works with,” “Coyote provides,” “Coyote is a provider,” “Coyote is a 3PL,” “our relationship with”
• No: “Coyote partners with,” “Coyote’s partnership with,” “our partners”

Avoid making claims when it comes to our capabilities, service and the capabilities and service of our network carriers.

• Yes: “Coyote helps,” “Coyote can/may,” “Coyote strives to,” “Coyote is a leading provider,” “Coyote is one of,” “Coyote can help you”
• No: “Coyote ensures,” “Coyote is the,” “we have every,” “what no other provider can,” “we’re the best/most,” “we guarantee,” “Coyote will”

Stick to narratives and stats that have been pre-approved or that can be substantiated with proof.

If using external information, stick to publicly available government sources, or cite all external sources and obtain written permission.

We must secure formal written approval from shippers and carriers in our network before speaking publicly about our relationship.

Off-Limit Topic Guidelines

Confidential or proprietary company information must not be disclosed externally.
Off-limit topics include, but are not limited to:

• Company revenue and financial performance
• Information about our rates and margins and how they’re calculated
• Specifics on unreleased products, solutions or insights
• Internal initiatives and workforce information, such as employee numbers, recruiting efforts, diversity statistics and legal cases
• Competitors’ names and solutions should not be mentioned directly

Do not position our projections as facts or guarantees, especially as it relates to market dynamics, capacity, rates or industry trends.

• Yes: “Based on our projections, we anticipate truckload rates will rise next quarter by up to 5%.”
• No: “Truckload rates will go up by 5% next quarter.

When talking about the Coyote Curve or other market dynamic information, we must clarify and designate that we are only talking about the U.S. truckload market.

Guidelines for Legal Content

The way we write, review and publish legal content is different than how we do many other kinds of writing at Coyote. The most important difference is that all legal content either starts with or passes through the Legal team.

But that doesn’t mean legal content has to be difficult to read.

Goals for Coyote’s Legal Content:

• Accuracy: Our first and foremost concern is that we present the correct information in a truthful way.
• Clarity: We should try to avoid excessive legal jargon. Our users need to understand the agreement they are making with us.

Types of Legal Content

We publish several types of legal documents, each with their own writing processes and goals.

Public Legal Documents

We keep these on our website, accessible in the bottom footer:

• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Cookie settings
• Do not sell my personal information

These policies apply to all of Coyote’s users. When someone signs up to join the Coyote network or receive emails from us, they must agree to those terms.

All of our public legal documents, and any changes to those documents, are drafted by our in-house Legal team.

Crisis Communications

Occasionally we may have to publish crisis communications about security, tracking and other corporate issues.

While these instances are often handled internally or directly, public statements may be required. These states may come in the form of an email to users, a blog post, a public statement or a press release.

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Writing Emails

Basics

Our emails help empower and inform our network. Here are the most common types of content we send by email:

• Product and feature announcements
• Regular monthly newsletters
• Automated series (e.g., the Welcome Series)
• Event invitations and information about upcoming webinars
• Network alerts about changes to policies

Guidelines

Emails generally follow the style points outlined in the Voice and Tone and Grammar and Mechanics sections.

Here are some additional considerations.

Every email is made up of the following elements — make sure they’re all in place before clicking send.
Sender
This is usually the company or team’s name. It identifies the sender in the recipient’s inbox.
Subject Line
These are critical. Similar to writing a good headline, you should create many options, select your best, and then A/B test.

Subject lines should be descriptive, but depending on the content, try to be punchy too. You are competing against everything in their inbox — how can you be creative and descriptive?

These should not be longer than 50 characters, as they will get cut off by email readers. Frontload the important words in case they get clipped. Subject lines should be in title case.
Preview text
Provide the info readers need when they are deciding if they should open. This should work in continuity with the subject line.
Body copy
Keep your content concise. Use lots of line breaks and spacing. Add images when they are helpful.

Do not embed important content in an image in case the image breaks.

Call to Action (CTA)
Make the next step clear. Whether you are asking people to request a quote, read something, schedule something or respond to something, offer a clear direction to close your message so readers know what to do next.

As a guiding rule, one email = one CTA — keep your content focused.

Footer
All promotional emails adhere to CAN-SPAM laws (or GDPR, in the case of European emails). Include an unsubscribe link, mailing address and permission reminder in the footer of each newsletter.

Email Summary Checklist:

• The subject line, preview text, and any header text should lead naturally to the body copy.
• The body copy should naturally lead to answer the what’s-in-it-for-me? (WIIFM).
• The WIIFM should lead naturally to the CTA.
• The CTA should lead naturally to the marketing goal of the email.

Additional Considerations

Consider your perspective.
When sending an email from Coyote, use the 1st person “we.” When sending an email as an individual, use “I.”
Use a hierarchy.
Most readers will be scanning your emails or viewing them on a small screen. Put the most important information first.
Avoid unnecessary links.
More than 50 percent of emails are read on a mobile device. Limit links to the most important resources to focus your call to action and prevent errant taps on smaller screens.
Use alt text.
Some users disable images by default. Include an alt tag to describe the information in the image for people who are not able to see it.
Segment your audience.
It’s exciting to send to millions of users at once, but it is doubtful that every subscriber is interested in every topic.

Segment your list to find a particular audience that is likely to react. Work with the digital team to understand who your audience is and how they’re segmented.

Once you have selected an audience, adjust the language to fit their needs. For example, users who developed custom integrations are more likely to understand and appreciate direct, technical terms.
Test your campaigns.
Read your campaign out loud to yourself, then send a test to a coworker for a second look.

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Writing for Social Media

We use social media to build relationships with our Coyote network and share the insightful content we are creating for them.

But it also creates opportunities to become publicly susceptible to negative reviews and feedback. For this reason, we are careful and deliberate in what we post to our social channels.

This section lays out how we strike that delicate balance.

Coyote takes a LinkedIn-first approach to social media but has a presence on most major platforms.

Here are our most active accounts and what we usually post on each.

LinkedIn

Audience:

• Global shippers (all sizes)
• Global carriers (midsize+)
• Current and prospective employees
• Industry analysts, press and other

Post Content:

• “How to” industry blog posts
• Thought-leadership / contributor articles, white papers, case studies and research studies
• Company awards/recognitions
• Job postings and MVP achievements
• Company press releases and news pickups
• Targeted brand and lead gen ads

Frequency:

• 4-5 posts / week

Facebook

Audience:

• Current employees
• Current and prospective N.A. carriers
• Community influencers / partners

Post Content:

• Community service
• National and industry holidays
• “How to” blog posts
• Reshare videos

Frequency:

• 1-3 posts / week

Instagram:

Audience:

• Current employees
• Community influencers / partners

Post Content:

• Community service
• CIT and other employee posts (more diverse the better)
• National and industry holidays
• Employee-submitted content (little to no editing)

Frequency:

• 1-3 posts / week or as content is available

Twitter

Audience:

• Global shippers (all sizes)
• Industry, press and other
• Prospective employees (@CoyoteCareers handle)

Post Content:

• Industry or Coyote-owned events
• Company news
• Product launches
• Retweets of news pickups or influencers/partners

Frequency:

• As content is available

YouTube:

Audience:

• Global shippers (SMB and MM)
• Global carriers (all sizes)
• Prospective employees
• Targeted awareness ads

Post Content:

• Professional promo videos
• Product launch or company videos
• Recruitment / culture videos (editing done)

Frequency:

• As content is available

SlideShare:

Audience:

• Shippers (midsize+)

Post Content:

• Thought-leadership / webinar presentations
• Coyote sales presentations (with non-sensitive information)

Frequency:

• As content is available

Writing Guidelines

These channels are all managed by the Marketing team, with the exception of Instagram and the Twitter careers handle.

The guidelines in this section apply to all of Coyote’s channels.

Our writing for social media should generally follow the style points outlined in the Voice and Tone and Grammar and Mechanics sections.

Here are some additional pointers.

Write short, but smart.

Some social media platforms have a character limit; others do not. But for the most part, we keep our social media copy short.

• LinkedIn: No limit, but aim for 1-3 short sentences and always try to include the link as early as possible (to avoid …see more)
• Twitter: 280 characters.
• Facebook: No limit but aim for 1-2 short sentences.
• Instagram: No limit but try to keep it to one sentence or a short phrase. Feel free to throw in an emoji.

To write short, simplify your ideas or reduce the amount of information you are sharing—but not by altering the spelling or punctuation of the words themselves.

It is fine to use contractions and the shorter version of some words, like “info” for “information.” But do not use numbers and letters in place of words, like “4” instead of “for” or “u” instead of “you.”

Speak directly to your audience when possible and always include links within posts to drive an action. Lead with questions or attention-grabbing facts or quotes. Always be timely and convey urgency.

Engagement

Do your best to adhere to Coyote style guidelines when you are using our social media channels to correspond with users.

Use correct grammar and punctuation—and although allowed on social media, avoid excessive exclamation points.

Community Guidelines

Coyote’s social accounts are meant to be an authentic representation of the company, our values and our solutions.

While we aim to create a positive environment, we understand and accept that customers, carriers and employees may voice their frustrations or negative experiences on our pages.

We are open to honest feedback and criticism, but if comments or posts from followers cross the line in one of the following ways, we defer to our community guidelines, which are posted publicly on each of our platforms.

• Swearing/profanity
• Derogatory/offensive slang
• Slander/baseless accusations
• Inappropriate commentary
• Mentioning employee(s) by name

Official Community Guidelines Statement
Coyote reserves the right to hide or delete comments and direct messages that it deems violate their social media guidelines. Upon multiple occurrences of guidelines violation, Coyote reserves the right to revoke a users’ access to our page and content. For information, email us at TalkToUs@Coyote.com.

Community Management

• Like all positive comments and shares, unless person/account is controversial (politics, religion, racist, sexist, homophobic, etc.)
• Respond to all appropriate comments, both negative and positive
• Monitor platforms regularly, checking at least 3-4x/day
• Delete any comments that violate our guidelines (be sure to take/save a screengrab)
• When posting links to Coyote-owned channels, be sure to work with Dave to get a trackable UTM link
• When posting links, be sure scrape image is correct for the piece of content

Response Library

If we receive criticism or feedback that does not violate our guidelines, we would like to begin responding in order to show we are an active participant on social media and that we’re always striving to improve through this direct feedback.
Below is our current response library for either comments or direct messages.

(We are open to making changes if needed.)

I’m a carrier. How can I sign up with Coyote?

Response: Hi NAME – Thanks for your interest in working with Coyote. You can learn more and sign up here: https://www.coyote.com/book-loads/.

While I usually don’t have problems working with Coyote, my experience today was unacceptable. You did not meet my expectations.

Response A: Hi NAME – I’m sorry to hear you had a negative experience. We’d like to learn more. Please email talktous@coyote.com with additional details so we may follow up directly. Thank you.

Response B: Hi NAME – We strive to provide outstanding service to our network of shippers and carriers. We would like to hear more about your experience. Please email talktous@coyote.com with more information so we may follow up directly. Thank you.

I love working with Coyote.

Response: Great to hear! Thank you for being part of our network, NAME.

I have some questions about shipping my freight with Coyote. What’s your email address?

Response: Hi NAME – Thanks for reaching out. The best way to get in touch with us is to call 877-6-COYOTE. You can also visit https://coyote.com/contact-us/.

If we receive direct messages or comments regarding employee misconduct, the claim will be reviewed by our Legal team.

If necessary, statements are crafted by our team in collaboration with Legal and shared with the submitter to reiterate that appropriate action was taken.

Tagging

When appropriate, you can tag the subject of your post on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. But avoid directly tweeting at or otherwise publicly tagging a post subject with messages like, “Hey, we wrote about you!” Never ask for retweets, likes or favorites.

• Always @tag relevant parties, brands, organizations, etc.
• Add relevant, owned and/or trending hashtags to each post, especially on Twitter
• Do not use hashtags in private or direct-response messages

Hashtags

Limit the use and creation of unique/owned hashtags. Acceptable ones include:

• For resource blogs: #CoyoteInsights
• For news: #CoyoteNews
• For Coyote Curve: #CoyoteCurve
• For CoyoteGO: #CoyoteGO

We employ industry (unowned) hashtags deliberately. We may use them to promote an event or connect with users at a conference.

We leverage higher trending, relevant industry hashtags to facilitate broader exposure and conversation.

Acceptable hashtags include:

• #logistics
• #supplychain
• #LTL
• #truckload

Trending Topics

Do not use social media to comment on trending topics or current events that are unrelated to Coyote unless discussed and approved by Legal and company leadership.

However, be aware of what is going on in the news when you are publishing social content for Coyote. During major breaking news events, we hold off on all promoted and scheduled social posts.

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Writing for Accessibility

We are always working to make our content more accessible and usable to the widest possible audience.

Writing for accessibility goes way beyond making everything on the page available as text.

It also affects the way you organize content and guide readers through a page. Depending on the audience and country, there may be laws governing the level of accessibility required.

Basics

We write for a diverse audience of readers who all interact with our content in different ways.

We aim to make our content accessible to anyone using a screen reader, keyboard navigation or Braille interface, and to users of all cognitive capabilities, language fluencies and levels of professional experience.

As you write, consider the following:

• Would this language make sense to someone who does not work here or in the industry?
• Could someone quickly scan this document and understand the material?
• If someone cannot see the colors, images or video, is the message still clear?
• Is the markup clean and structured?
• Mobile devices with accessibility features are increasingly becoming core communication tools — does this work well on them?

Many of the best practices for writing for accessibility echo those for writing content in general, with the added complexity of markup, syntax and structure.

Acessability Guidelines

Avoid directional language.

Avoid directional instructions and any language that requires the reader to see the layout or design of the page. This is helpful for many reasons, including layout changes on mobile.

• Yes: “Select from these options,” (with the steps listed after the title)
• No: “Select from the options in the right sidebar.”

Use headings.

Headings should always be nested and consecutive.

To help group sections, be sure the page title is H1, main sections are H2s and subsections under those are H5.
Employ a hierarchy.

Put the most important information first. Place similar topics in the same paragraph and clearly separate different topics with headings.

Starting with a simple outline that includes key messages can help you create a hierarchy and organize your ideas in a logical way.

This improves scannability and encourages better understanding.

Make true lists instead of using a paragraph or line breaks.
Label forms.

Label inputs with clear names and use appropriate tags. Think carefully about what fields are necessary, especially the ones you mark as required. Label required fields clearly. The shorter the form, the better.
Use descriptive links.

Links should provide information on the associated action or destination. Try to avoid “click here” or “learn more.”
Use plain language.

Write short sentences and use familiar words. Avoid jargon, buzzwords and slang. If you need to use an abbreviation or acronym that people may not understand, explain what it means on first reference.
Use alt text.

The alt tag is the most basic form of image description and it should be included on all images.

The language will depend on the purpose of the image:

• If it is a creative photo or supports a story, describe the image in detail in a brief caption.
• If the image is serving a specific function, describe what is inside the image in detail. People who do not see the image should come away with the same information as if they had.
• If you are sharing a chart or graph, include the data in the alt text so people have all the important information.

Each browser handles alt tags differently. Supplement images with standard captions when possible.
Make sure closed captioning is available.

Closed captioning or transcripts should be available for all videos. The information presented in videos should also be available in other formats. Including the transcript also has added SEO benefits.
Be mindful of visual elements.

Aim for high contrast between your font and background colors. Tools in the resources section should help with picking accessible colors.

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Writing for Translation

Coyote Logistics provides services to thousands of shippers and carriers in  countries and territories worldwide. As our network grows, it becomes more and more important that our content is accessible to people around the world.

We call the process of writing copy for translation “localization.” This section will address things you can do to help international audiences, including translators, better comprehend your text.

Basics

We strive to make our key content available to our network in English, Spanish (Mexico and Spain), French (France and Canada), German and Polish. Sometimes other pieces of content will be translated as well.

We try to write all of our content in standard, straightforward English that can be understood by users who speak English as a second language.

It is much easier for a translator to clearly communicate ideas written in straightforward, uncomplicated sentences.
Here are some guiding principles for writing for international audiences:

• Use active voice.
  We always aim for this, but it is especially important when writing for translation.
• Use the subject-verb-object sentence structure.
  It is not used by all languages, but it is widely recognized.
• Use positive words when talking about positive situations.
  For example, because a question like “Don’t you think she did a great job?” begins with a negative word, a non-native English speaker may interpret its implication as negative. A better version would be “She did a good job, right?”
• Use language that says what you mean.
  Avoid American colloquialisms that do not translate well, such as “piece of cake,” “knock on wood,” “break a leg,” “not a big fan,” “break a bill,” “let’s table this,” “behind the eight ball,” “up your alley,” “under the weather,” etc.

Guidelines

When writing for international audiences, we generally follow what is outlined in the Voice and Tone and Grammar and Mechanics sections.

But in this section more than others, some style points contradict what is stated elsewhere in the guide. If you are writing something to be translated, the guidelines in this section should take precedence.
Consider Cultural Differences

Coyote’s voice is smart, yet friendly. In some cultures, too formal or too informal text may be considered offensive.

Check with the Field Marketing team or translator to see if this is the case for the particular language(s) you are writing for.

The translation company should give the option to translate in a formal or informal tone, if the language allows for it. (For example, in Spanish, it is possible to write informally where tú = you or formally where usted = you.)

When writing text that will be translated, be careful about making references to things of local or regional importance. These may not be recognizable to readers outside the U.S.

Note: it is up to the Field Marketing team to provide guidance, as well as proofreading, to help localize content and industry terms appropriately. For example, in the UK they call carriers “hauliers.”
Prioritize Clarity

Keep your copy brief, but do not sacrifice clarity for brevity. You may need to repeat or add words to make the meaning of your sentences clear to a translator.
Repeat Verbs with Multiple Subjects

• Yes: Shippers who have CoyoteGO access can quote and book loads instantly. Shippers who prefer to work through a representative can also quote and book loads with the assistance of their representative.
• No: Shippers who have CoyoteGO access or who prefer to work through a representative can quote and book loads instantly or with the assistance of their representative.

Repeat Helping Verbs Belonging to Multiple Verbs

• Yes: Coyote can help expedite your shipment or can schedule your shipment to deliver at a set time.
• No: Coyote can help expedite your shipment or schedule your shipment to deliver at a set time.

Repeat Subjects and Verbs

• Yes: Coyote Transportation Management customers receive robust reporting, but standard spot shippers do not.
• No: Coyote Transportation Management customers receive robust reporting, but not standard spot shippers.

Repeat Markers in a List or Series

• Yes: Use CoyoteGO to book carriers, to track your shipments and to process payments.
• No: Use CoyoteGO to book carriers, track your shipments and process payments.

Leave in Small Words
You should not omit words such as “then,” “a,” “the,” “to” and “that,” even if you think they could be cut.

• Yes: If there is not a facility set up in your CoyoteGO account, then you will need to create a facility before booking your first shipment.
• No: If there is not a facility set up in your CoyoteGO account, you will need to create a facility before booking your first shipment.
• Yes: When booking a shipment, it is necessary to have a “Facility” name, a “Facility” address and hours of receiving information.
• No: When booking a shipment, it is necessary to have a “Facility” name, “Facility” address and hours of receiving information.
• Yes: Be sure that you are truly ready to ship your load before clicking the “Book” button.
• No: Be sure you are truly ready to ship your load before clicking the “Book” button.

Avoid Ambiguity and Confusion

Many words, parts of speech and grammar mechanics we do not think twice about have the potential to cause confusion for translators and non-native English speakers. Here are some of the big trouble spots to avoid.
Avoid Unclear Pronoun References

• Yes: Many shippers believe that less than truckload shipping is just as fast as full truckload shipping. Booking less than truckload can take longer due to the complexity and number of terminals involved in the process.
• No: Many shippers believe that less than truckload shipping is just as fast as full truckload shipping. This can actually take longer due to the complexity and number of terminals involved in the process.

Avoid -ing words

In English, many different types of words end in -ing: nouns, adjectives, progressive verbs, etc. But a translator who is a non-native English speaker may not be able to recognize the distinctions and may try to translate them all in the same way.

Because of this, we want to avoid -ing words when possible. One exception to this rule is words like “graphing calculator” and “riding lawnmower,” where the -ing word is part of a noun’s name and cannot be worked around.

Here are some other cases where you might see -ing words, and suggestions for how to edit around them.

Gerunds

• Yes: In this article we will talk about network carriers’ growth.
• No: In this article we will talk about getting network carriers.

Adjectives

• Yes: At the top of the page, there is Freddie with a smile on his face.
• No: At the top of the page, there is a smiling Freddie.

Parts of Verbs

• Yes: Several CoyoteGO developers are currently working on that feature.
• No: Several CoyoteGO developers are working on that feature. (When you cannot easily avoid the -ing word, it may help to add an adverb to clarify the meaning.)

Parts of Phrases Modifying Nouns

• Yes: From our headquarters, we can see our network carriers that drive their routes.
• No: From our headquarters, we can see our network carriers driving their routes.

Other Words and Mechanics to Avoid

• Slang, idioms and clichés
• Shortened words, even if they are common in English (use “application,” not “app”)
• Uncommon foreign words (use “genuine,” not “bona fide”)
• Unnecessary abbreviations (use “for example,” not “e.g.”, use “that is” not “i.e.”)
• Converting one part of speech into another if it is not already commonly used (use “Send us an email” instead of “message us”)
• Non-standard or indirect verb usage (use “he says,” not “he’s like” or “he was all”)
• Double negatives
• Synonyms, generally. Do not use a lot of different words for the same thing in a single piece of writing. Instead of mixing it up with “carrier,” “haulier,” “trucker,” etc., pick one term and stick with it.

Beware Words with Multiple Meanings

• “Once” (could mean “one time,” “after,” “in the past,” or “when”)
  • Yes: After you log in, you will see your account’s Dashboard.
  • No: Once you log in, you will see your account’s Dashboard.
• “Right” (could mean “correct,” “the opposite of left,” “politically conservative,” etc.)
  • Yes: In the File Manager, click the correct image and drag it to the pane at right.
  • No: In the File Manager, click the right image and drag it to the right pane.
• “Since” (could refer to a point in time, or a synonym of “because”)
  • Yes: Because you already have a final quote, you can ship your freight now.
  • No: Since you already have a final quote, you can ship your freight now.
• “Require” plus an infinitive (could confuse the relationship between subject and object)
  • Yes: Tracking notifications can be configured and sent from CoyoteGO accounts.
  • No: A CoyoteGO is required to send tracking notifications. (This could imply that users with CoyoteGO accounts are required to send tracking notifications.)
• “Has” or “have” plus past participle (could confuse the relationship between subject and object)
  • Yes: The dashboard contains completed loads.
  • No: The dashboard has completed loads.

Numbers

Measurements

When writing for an international audience, use the metric system. Spell out all units and avoid abbreviation.
Currency

Many countries call their currency “the dollar,” but the value is going to differ between countries. The U.S. dollar is not the same as the Canadian dollar, for example. Therefore, it is important to specify.

Indicate currency by using its 3-letter abbreviation, such as USD or CAD.

Avoid colloquial phrases that relate to money, like “five-and-dime,” “greenbacks” or “c-notes.” These will not translate well.

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Copyright and Trademarks

Copyright is a bundle of exclusive legal rights that vary depending on the type of work. A copyright owner can grant some or all of those rights to others through a license.

This section will lay out our approach to copyrights, trademarks and Creative Commons licenses.

Basics

Copyright protection applies to any original works that are fixed in a tangible medium. This includes works like drawings, recordings of a song, short stories or paintings, but not something like a garden, since it will grow and change by nature.

Copyright does not cover facts, ideas, names or characters.

Copyright protection begins when the work is first created and it doesn’t require any formal filings. However, to enforce a copyright in the U.S., you need to register the work with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Copyright notice on the work is not required but it is recommended, since it cuts off a defense of innocent infringement.

Copyright at Coyote Logistics

Copyright law applies to nearly every piece of content we create at Coyote, from our website to our blog posts to the gifts we make for our customers. We display proper—and prominent—copyright notice on our website site and any other content we produce.

At minimum, these copyright notices read, “© [YEAR] Coyote”

Other Creators’ Copyrights

We respect the copyright of other creators. If we want to use someone else’s copyrighted work, we have to obtain written permission from the owners.

A copyright permission spells out these terms:

• Where we can use the work
• How long we can use it for
• How much we will pay them for the use
• Whether or not we are the only ones who can use the work
• What we can do with the work
• Any restrictions on our use (for example, that we can use it online but not on a billboard)

If you need to get a copyright license for work at Coyote or if someone outside of Coyote asks to use our copyrighted work, please contact the Legal team.

Social Media and Copyright

This is an area where the letter of the law and common practice sometimes differ.

Social media posts often include copyrighted elements like pictures, GIFs, or pieces of writing. If you are using a copyrighted element in a commercial manner on social media, you should request permission from the copyright holder.

Since Coyote is a company, we defer to the position that our use will be perceived as commercial. But if you are using it in a more informative or commentary way, like sharing a meme to indicate how you feel about a news story, you may not need to request permission.

Regardless, you should always link to the source of the copyrighted element you are using, and never make it look like you created work that belongs to someone else.

Image Use and Copyright

Coyote almost always uses original or licensed stock images in our blog posts. If you use an image, photo or other design element made by someone outside Coyote, get permission first.

Once you have permission, always give the copyright owner credit and link back to the original source.

Images retrieved via Google image search are not licensed for fair use, but many images are available under license through stock photo websites, or open for use under a Creative Commons license.

Flickr has a great search feature for images available under Creative Commons licenses.

Creative Commons Licenses

Instead of the standard “all rights reserved,” some creators choose to make their work available for public use with different levels of attribution required.

That is what Mailchimp, who we modeled this style guide off of, has done. Find a breakdown of licenses on the Creative Commons website.

Please check with Coyote’s Legal team before making something you create available under a Creative Commons license. We love to share our work, but we have to protect our intellectual property and trade secrets.

Trademarks

A trademark, often called a mark, can be a word, name, sign, design, or a combination of those. It is used to identify the provider of a particular product or service.

They are usually words and images, but in some cases, they can even be a color.

To be protectable, a trademark needs a distinctive element. There is a “spectrum of distinctiveness” that spans from inherently protectable marks to ones that require additional proof to ones that may never be protected.

• Fanciful marks
  These are made up words like Kodak or Xerox, are the most easily registered and protected.
• Arbitrary marks
  These are words which are used out of context like Apple or Sprite, are also easy to protect.
• Suggestive marks
  These suggest at some element of the goods or services like Greyhound, follow.
• Descriptive marks
  Where the word’s dictionary meaning aligns with the goods or services offered, like Mr. Plumber or Lektronic, are not protectable unless they develop a secondary meaning. That means a consumer would immediately associate the mark with only that good or service. This can be hard to prove, so it’s best to avoid descriptive marks when possible.
• Generic terms
  Or the common name for a product or service, are not protectable.

We would classify Coyote as a fanciful mark.

A trademark is only valid for as long as it indicates the source of that good or service, so we have to be very careful about how our marks are used.

We send out cease and desist letters sometimes to protect our trademarks. If a trademark is properly protected, it can last forever and may be a company’s most valuable asset.

Displaying Trademark Notices

To note that something is a trademark, and in the case of registered marks in order to collect damages, the trademark has to be displayed with an appropriate symbol.

Here are the various trademark symbols and when to use them:

• For unregistered trademarks of goods, use ™
• For unregistered trademarks of services, use ℠
• For trademarks granted registration by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, use ®

Note that using ® on marks that haven’t been registered by the USPTO can be considered fraud, so if you are not sure if a trademark is registered, don’t use ®.

The trademark symbol should appear as close to the mark as possible.

Here’s how to indicate Coyote’s trademark:

• Include the ® symbol in the upper right-hand corner, above the word: Coyote Logistics^®, Coyote^®, CoyoteGO^® or Coyote Curve^® are preferable.
• Do not include the ® symbol in the lower right-hand corner, below the word: CoyoteGO_®

Marks are also sometimes indicated by using all caps: COYOTE

Our trademarks should be properly noted the first time they are used in a press release or article, or anywhere else our trademark and copyright notice does not appear.

Registering Trademarks at Coyote

We register all of our trademarks. Before we decide to use a name for a product, we perform a trademark search to make sure there are not any confusingly similar trademarks already in use.

If you’re working on a new product at Coyote, submit name possibilities to the Legal team so they can get a head start on the trademark search. Even if you have not used the name yet, we can go ahead and file an Intent to Use application.

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Word List

These words can be confusing. Here is how we write them.

(If it is not on this list, defer to the AP Style Guide.)

• add-on (noun, adjective), add on (verb)
• back end (noun), back-end (adjective)
• best seller (noun), best-selling (adjective)
• beta
• brick-and-mortar
• checkbox
• coworker
• click-through rate (CTR)
• cost per click
• double-click
• drop-down (noun, adjective), drop down (verb)
• e-commerce (the industry)
• ePub
• email (never hyphenate, never capitalize unless it begins a sentence)
  • To name
  • From name
  • Reply-to name
  • Subject line
  • Cc, Bcc
• emoji (singular and plural)
• front end (noun), front-end (adjective)
• geolocation
• hashtag
• homepage
• integrate
• internet (never capitalize unless it begins a sentence)
• login (noun, adjective), log in (verb)
• Like (the social media activity)
• multichannel
• nonprofit
• okay
• omnichannel (use sparingly)
• online (never capitalize unless it begins a sentence)
• opt-in (noun, adjective), opt in (verb)
• pay-per-click (PPC)
• pop-up (noun, adjective), pop up (verb)
• pre-sale
• product-market fit
• signup (noun, adjective), sign up (verb)
• sync
• third party (noun), third-party (adjective)
• tweet, retweet
• username
• URL
• website
• WiFi

Words to Use Carefully

We use plain language, which means avoiding industry jargon.

But some jargon-adjacent words can be appropriate in educational contexts. Only use these if you’re writing about logistics or supply chain education and have room to briefly define them.

• Accessorial
• API integration
• B1 driver
• Backhaul
• Blocking and bracing
• Carrier scorecard
• Contract freight
• CTPAT
• Deadheading
• Dedicated fleet
• Dedicated freight
• Detention

Electronic logging device (ELD)

• Empty miles
• Hours of Service (HOS)
• Inflationary/deflationary market
• Peak season
• Private fleet
• Procurement
• Reefer freight
• Routing guide
• Spot rates
• Transportation management system (TMS)

Words to Avoid

• funnel, incentivize, leverage, disruption, thought leader, learnings, or other fluffy corporate terms
• ninja, rockstar, wizard, unicorn (unless referring to a literal ninja, rockstar, wizard, or unicorn)
• young, old, elderly, or any other word describing a person’s age
• crushing it, killing it
• crazy, insane, or similar words to describe people
• Silicon Valley clichés like rise and grind, or disruptor/disruption.
• blacklist, whitelist, grandfathered, slave, master, deaf, blind and any other racist or ableist terms

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Proofreading

Proofreading is the process of reviewing written material to ensure it aligns with Coyote brand standards and copywriting best practices.

While we typically use a contract proofreader to review more formal or highly visible content, we expect that all copy is thoroughly proofread by the writer before it is submitted for review.

After writing something, follow these simple steps to ensure clear, professional communication.

• Read it out loud.
  Does it sound natural? Would you talk this way?
• Look for areas to cut.
  Are you repeating any points? Is anything redundant?
• Identify a narrative.
  Your communications should follow a logical structure: introduction > point > data and details to support the point > conclusion.
• Check it against Coyote’s brand tone and voice.
  Are you being direct and authentic? Do you sound confident and experienced? Will the reader find you approachable?
• Check for reader-friendly formatting.
  Stand a few paces back from your screen and look at your writing. Does it have big blocks of text, or does it use spacing, subheadings, lists and graphics?
• Get another opinion.
  Have someone other than yourself, either a colleague or a professional proofreader, review and edit your work.
• Read it one more time.

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Content Style Guide Summary

The Coyote Logistics Content Style Guide goes into depth on many subjects. It may be more information than you need.

Here are the most important things to know.

Principles

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All content — regardless of type or medium — should:

• Prioritize clarity over style
• Provide value to the reader
• Follow a logical narrative
• Have plenty of spacing
• Adhere to brand voice and tone
• End with a logical next step

Voice and Tone

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Coyote’s voice is:

• Authentic
• Confident
• Direct
• Experienced
• Approachable

Our tone changes depending on the situation, but it is generally smart yet friendly.

Our priorities are to educate our network about our services, without patronizing or confusing them, so they can better perform their jobs.

Writing about People

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We write and build solutions with a person-first perspective.

Being aware of the impact of your language will help make Coyote a better place to work and a better steward of our values in the world.

• Don’t reference age or disability unless it’s relevant to what you’re writing.
• Avoid gendered language and use the singular “they.”
• When writing about a person, use their preferred pronouns; if you don’t know those, just use their name.

Grammar and Mechanics

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• Some people will read every word you write. Others will just scan. Help everyone by grouping related ideas together and using descriptive headings and subheadings.
• Focus your message and create a hierarchy of information. Lead with the main point or the most important content.
• Use active voice and positive language.
• Use short words and sentences.
• Use specific examples.
• Avoid vague language.
• Be consistent. Adhere to the copy patterns and style points outlined in this guide.
• Use contractions in more informal pieces, while avoiding contractions in formal content.
• Do not use the serial comma unless it is necessary for clarity.
• Do not underline text unless it is a formatted hyperlink.
• Do not use any combination of italics, boldface, capitalization, and underlining.
• Limit your use of exclamation points. Never use more than one.
• When in doubt, read your writing out loud.

Web Elements

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• Every page should have a target key phrase. Organize it around this central topic.
• Titles should be descriptive, include the key phrase, and frontload the important content. Titles are not afterthoughts — you should take the time, effort and strategy to craft the best one.
• Use headings and subheadings to guide readers through a post. A reader should be able to get the gist of any page simply by skimming the headings and subheadings.
• Formatting hierarchy in the Resource Center is as follows: H1>H2>H5>Bold
• Use title case for headings and subheadings. Do not punctuate unless it is a question. List items should be sentence case.
• Avoid big blocks of copy. Use sections, lists, images and callout boxes to break up copy blocks.
• Use lists to present steps, groups, or sets of info. Set up your list with a brief introduction. Number lists when the order of information is important.
• Link to related content. Make sure it provides value to the reader and is relevant to the content.
• Create a linking strategy prior to publishing.
• Do not say things like “Click here!” or “Click for more information” or “Read this.” Instead, link relevant keywords.
• Buttons should always contain actions. Use clear, concise language. Capitalize every word, including articles.
• Keep forms and surveys as short as possible. Only ask for information if you are going to use it. Prioritize clarity. Titles should be title case, form fields should be sentence case.
• Follow basic SEO best practices every time.
• Use alt text in every image.

Writing for Accessibility

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• Create a hierarchy, with the most important information first.
• Place similar topics in the same paragraph and clearly separate different topics with headings.
• Use plain language. Write short sentences and familiar words.
• Links should provide information on the associated action or destination. Avoid saying “click here” or “learn more.”
• Avoid using images when descriptive text will do.
• Avoid directional instructions or language that requires the reader to see the layout or design of the page.
• Label inputs on forms with clear names and use appropriate tags. Think carefully about what fields are necessary, especially the ones you mark as required.

Writing for Translation

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• Use active voice.
• Avoid double negatives.
• Use contractions with caution.
• Avoid American colloquialisms.
• Avoid using synonyms for the same word in a single piece of writing.
• Write briefly, but do not sacrifice clarity for brevity. You may need to repeat or add words to make the meaning of your sentences clear to a translator.
• Avoid slang, idioms and clichés.
• Avoid unnecessary abbreviations.

Proofreading

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• Read it out loud.
• Look for areas to cut.
• Identify a narrative.
• Check it against Coyote’s brand tone and voice.
• Check for reader-friendly formatting.
• Get a proofreader or colleague to review and edit.
• Read it one more time.

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