Spell out acronyms on first mention unless the acronym is common knowledge such as ATM or PIN. After the first reference, using only the acronym is acceptable.In areas with limited copy space, such as headlines, acronyms may be used with an asterisk and the definition in the footer. For abbreviations like HELOC, consider the reader’s level of knowledge to decide if it’s necessary to define the abbreviation.

Where applicable in short-form messaging (e.g., Twitter, receipt messaging, or mobile headlines), use “&” in place of “and” to save space.

Never

First Entertainment products and services require capitalization or punctuation in every instance.

Use an introductory statement to set up what the bullets are about, and always end the introduction with a colon.

Capitalize the first word of each bullet.

Punctuate sentences but not phrases.

Avoid bullet points with multiple sentences.

Use consistent language. For example, if the first bullet begins with a verb, they should all start with a verb.

Try to use different words to start each bullet to keep it interesting.

Colons introduce bulleted lists or link thoughts that have a cause-and-effect relationship. If a full sentence follows the colon, capitalize the first word. If a list follows the colon, use lowercase.

In any list that includes three or more items, use a comma (or semicolon, if any item includes a comma) before the “and” or “or.”

Use one of the following structures:Month Year;Day, Month Date, Year;Month Date, Year

Never

Don't abbreviate months, except where space is especially limited.

Don't use ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd) in dates (e.g., use June 4 instead of June 4th).

Use the em dash (—) to create a strong break in the structure of a sentence (particularly when long and complex). Em dashes can be used in pairs like parentheses—that is, to enclose a word, or a phrase, or a clause—or they can be used alone to separate one end of a sentence from the main body.

Never

Use an en dash (–) in ranges.

In general, try to avoid too much hyperbole to convey excitement, and use exclamation points sparingly. Let the copy speak for itself.

Hyphens can be tricky, but in general, hyphens are required when forming compound words.

Spell out words for the numbers one through nine (exception: page numbers). For the number 10 and above, use digits.Use digits only for money when it appears with a dollar sign or percentages.

Use the percent sign (%) following a specific number—always to two decimal points.

Never

Use a period after headlines or subheads, unless the headline is a title, product name, single word, or incomplete sentence.

Semicolons are used to link two related sentences into one larger sentence.

Use a single space between sentences.

Don’t include a space before and after a slash.

Never

Use periods between the sections of a telephone number.

Always lowercase a.m. and p.m., and use periods. If referencing a time on the hour, do not include “:00.” For a time range, use only a.m. or p.m. once within the same time of day. Use both a.m. and p.m. if it is not the same time of day .Technically speaking, Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) is the period from mid-March to November, and Pacific Standard Time (PST) is from November to mid-March. To keep things uncomplicated, we just use “PT,” to represent Pacific Time, across the board. References of other time zones should follow suit.