Writing

We write to make Slack feel delightful. That’s our copy team’s philosophy. And these are the guidelines for our practice.

view copy principles

Highlights

The Slack voice is clear, concise and human, like a friendly, intelligent coworker
Sentence case—please use it. But don’t use the Oxford comma or ampersands unless it’s dire.
No periods after headlines; go light on exclamation points!

Voice and tone

The Slack voice is the heart of our brand—it shines through our words, design, sound and overall experience with Slack. It sounds like your friendly, intelligent coworker: clear, concise and human.

Clear

Clarity is a courtesy to our readers. We respect their time and their intelligence, answer questions before they’re asked, and don’t get in the way of their actions. We recognize the weight of the written word. Saying what you mean is the best way to say something meaningful.

Concise

We give every word purpose. We’re thoughtful and intentional with our words. We don’t get carried away with ourselves.

Human

We are characterful. But we never let character overwhelm content. What we have to say is infinitely more important than being admired for the way we say it. We like the people we’re talking to, so we keep things warm and conversational. We add delight when the moment is right, and we reward the curious with pleasant surprises.

EXAMPLE

What’s new?
How’s everybody doing out there? Are you getting enough sleep? Drinking enough water? Eating some vegetables here and there? We don’t have any big updates this time around, so we wanted to use this space to remind you to be kind to yourself and those around you. That’s all. Love ya.

For guidance on shifting tonality, please see the 24 voice and tone spectrum.

For guidance on shifting tonality, please see the voice and tone spectrum.

Copy principles

These help us uphold the unique Slack voice and tone, and to align our copy across partners and functions. This ultimately leads to better—and more efficient—reviews and decisions. Our copy principles are:

Don’t make me think

Be approachable

Make it memorable

Respect our readers

Be compelling

View the full 24 Slack copy principles deck for more details and examples.

View the full Slack copy principles deck for more details and examples.

Language

It should go without saying, but it’s still worth stating: Never use exclusionary terms, cultural appropriation, ableist or misgendering language, or anything that could be interpreted as a slur. This includes references to pop culture, the use of slang, most abbreviations or anything else that might resonate with only a few people, but not most people.

Emoji

We encourage using emoji in the right place and time, such as when they can add meaning or delight to what we say. However, never use emoji in place of words in a sentence. 💜

The Slack name

Since the Slack brand name is trademarked, we don’t use Slack as a verb, or create words that include our brand name. Sorry, no “Slackers” here. For more notes on the proper usage of Slack, visit About Slack page.

Stylization

We follow AP style, with any exceptions noted in the Slack editorial style guide. For spelling, use the first entry for a word in Merriam-Webster unless otherwise noted.

We follow AP style, with any exceptions noted in the 24 Slack editorial style guide. For spelling, use the first entry for a word in Merriam-Webster unless otherwise noted.

We follow AP style, with any exceptions noted in the Slack editorial style guide. For spelling, use the first entry for a word in Merriam-Webster unless otherwise noted.

Capitalization

Sentence case is the default capitalization style for most Slack copy.

Sentence case

Use sentence case for headlines, subheads, body copy and links

Caps case

Caps case is reserved for buttons, eyebrows, and jump links

Title and lowercase

Use title case for proper nouns, including the Slack name itself (even if our logo suggests otherwise) and organizational departments in headlines. Capitalization of product terms varies; please consult the . We always lowercase slack.com unless it is used to start a sentence, which we kindly suggest you avoid.

Use title case for proper nouns, including the Slack name itself (even if our logo suggests otherwise) and organizational departments in headlines. Capitalization of product terms varies; please consult the 24 product glossary. We always lowercase slack.com unless it is used to start a sentence, which we kindly suggest you avoid.

Use title case for proper nouns, including the Slack name itself (even if our logo suggests otherwise) and organizational departments in headlines. Capitalization of product terms varies; please consult the product glossary. We always lowercase slack.com unless it is used to start a sentence, which we kindly suggest you avoid.

EXAMPLE

Folks who like Workflow Builder are sure to love channels in Slack.

Times and attributions

Times

Use numerals, a space and periods: 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
For display copy, capitalize and remove periods: 8 AM PDT | 12 PM EDT
Drop the :00 for times at the top of the hour: 10 a.m., 1 p.m.
In a span, use an en dash: 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
In running text, use words: Taking place on October 7 and 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Attributions

Here are a few handy things to remember about job titles:

Capitalize job titles in pull quotes and display copy, but not in running text
Abbreviate CEO, CFO, COO, CTO, VP, Sr.
Don’t abbreviate uncommon acronyms, like Chief Technical Operations Officer
Co-founder, not Co-Founder

Capitalize and remove periods on time conventions in display copy

Use title case for proper nouns and job titles in attributions

Punctuation

Use standard punctuation in body copy (err on the side of no exclamation points!). Headlines, buttons, links and eyebrows should not have any punctuation, outside of commas and question marks. Keep headlines short enough that they don’t feel like they need punctuation—a complete sentence can look out of place without a period.

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