Wordlist.
The following words and phrases can be quite slippery. Here’s how we write them. (If what you’re looking for isn’t on this list, refer 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
- click through rate (CTR)
- conversion rate (CVR)
- conversion rate optimization (CRO)
- cost per click (CPC)
- coworker
- double-click
- drop-down (noun, adjective), drop down (verb)
- ecommerce (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
- high-quality
- 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)
- paid social
- pay-per-click (PPC)
- pop-up (noun, adjective), pop up (verb)
- presale
- product market fit
- post-click
- signup (noun, adjective), sign up (verb)
- sync
- template-free
- third party (noun), third-party (adjective)
- tweet, retweet
- username
- URL
- US-based
- website
- WiFi
Words to use carefully.
We pride ourselves on using language that is clear, concise, and convincing. This means we try to avoid industry jargon at all costs. But sometimes jargon-adjacent words can be beneficial, especially in an educational context. Only use these words and phrases if you’re writing about marketing education and have enough space to define them briefly.
- buyer journey
- conversion
- customer lifecycle
- integrated marketing
- lead generation
- marketing funnel
- multichannel marketing
- omnichannel marketing
- product-market fit
- value proposition
Words to avoid.
- funnel, incentivize, leverage, disruption, thought leader, learnings, or other fluffy corporate terms
- internets, interwebs, or any other variation of the word “internet”
- young, old, elderly, or any other word describing a person's age
- crazy, insane, or similar words to describe people
- best-in-breed
- Silicon Valley cliches like rise and grind, or disruptor/disruption.
