Best Practices for Storytelling
Find the story by following this flow: Claim > proof points > benefit.
Traditional storytelling builds by giving your audience background information, then proof points, until you finally reach a conclusion. This approach is less effective in marketing copy.
Good marketing content—regardless of whether it’s a white paper, blog post, infographic, or video—finds the story by answering the questions "So what?" or "How do I …?" and tells readers up front what’s in it for them.
Answer these questions by offering readers valuable information about how Arm products can help them. Support this "claim" by using a proof point, which expands on the claim by providing evidence. Proof points can be features, customer testimonials, statistics, or other information. Then explain the benefit to the customer.
Claim: A statement on what the product/solution offers.
Proopoint: Evidence of a claim.
Feature: An attribute of the product/solution.
Benefit: A value statement on what the feature does for the audience.
Claim: The Arm Security Manifesto offers industry-leading insight into best security practices.
Proof point: It details security protocols and encryption devices that are both proven and work-in-progress.
Benefit: Companies that implement these processes gain confidence that they have adopted the best protection available for their assets.
Tip: Not sure where to start with your content? Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Use these questions to create a story that connects your readers’ information needs:
Why does it matter to me?
What can I learn from this?
How will this impact my job, my ability to perform a task, execute on a project?
How can I act on this?
The Arm legal team has created an excellent Legal Hub for all content created at Arm. It includes a legal checklist and supporting guidance for all major aspects of both technical and marketing content.
Access the Legal Hub for important resources to guide your writing.
Your headline and first sentence should capture the takeaway and core message so that the audience understands the main point—even if they don’t read any further. To help you focus on those key takeaways and messages, try to write your headline, subhead, and first sentence so that they could be used as tweets.
Think (and write) first about customer challenges and needs. Then write about how Arm products fulfill those needs. Be sure to support marketing claims by citing specific sources (see the entry on footnotes and endnotes) as this establishes audience credibility.
Tip: Check to see if your copy is too Arm-focused by counting how many headings and sentences begin with Arm or an Arm product name. If it’s more than 25 percent, your copy is probably too Arm-centric.
Writers sometimes use jargon and marketing speak to try to showcase their insider knowledge. Do not do this. Jargon alienates readers who don’t understand it, and "marketing speak" has become synonymous with "lack of clarity." Write with purpose and efficiency when creating Arm content. To do that:
Use facts, figures, and quotes to ground statements and communicate benefits and achievements.
Support claims with quantifiable data and other proof points.
Present the information in a conversational way, using simple, straightforward explanations and clear terminology.
Explain industry-specific terminology.
Don’t use clichés, such as "paradigm shift" or "think outside the box."
Actionable insights
Bang for the buck
Bleeding edge
Buy-in
Core competency
Due diligence
Empower
Enhanced
Low-hanging fruit
Open the kimono
Pass the smell test
Robust
Sweat equity
Swim lane
Synergize
Tiger team
Utilize
We tend to collaborate with companies we also compete with, so be cautious when writing about Arm competitors. Mentioning the competition is appropriate, for example, in benchmarking tests and copy. In these cases, it’s important to keep content professional, factual, and supported with objective third-party evidence.
Content should focus on Arm’s strengths and benefits rather than other companies’ weaknesses. Rather than using disparaging remarks, offensive language, or aggressive metaphors directed toward another company, highlight our positive features and benefits.
Correct: Benchmarking results show the Arm Cortex-XX processor is 50 percent smaller and 70 percent more power efficient than the closest competing solution while delivering equivalent performance.
Incorrect: The results illustrate the Arm solution blows Intel’s more expensive offering out of the water.
Tip: If you’re unsure whether mentioning Arm competitors is appropriate in the piece you’re writing, check with your manager or the content team.
Using the active voice results in a reduced word count, simpler sentence construction, and clearer meaning. In an active sentence, the subject is performing the action. In a passive sentence, the subject is the target or recipient of the action. To use the active voice, place the person or thing doing the action before the verb.
Active: Arm partners are designing technology for high-performance compute and network platforms.
Passive: Technology is designed by Arm partners for high-performance compute and network platforms.
Active: SoftBank acquired Arm.
Passive: Arm was acquired by SoftBank.
Although use of the passive voice is sometimes unavoidable (see what we did there?), it’s best to use active voice whenever possible. Microsoft Word has a setting that flags passive voice:
On a PC, go to File>Options>Proofing>Settings>Passive Voice Or Passive Voice with Unknown Actor.
On a Mac, go to Word>Preferences>Spelling & Grammar>Settings (under Grammar)>Check Passive Voice AND Passive Voice with Unknown Actor.
Tip: Not sure if a sentence is active or passive? Try adding "by Pepper" (the SoftBank robot) to the end of your sentence. If it makes sense, it’s probably passive: A mistake was made by Pepper.
Use the present tense whenever possible. Customers use Arm content to find information or perform tasks. Usually these actions take place in the present, and so should the content.
Present: Arm offers an array of SRAM, Register File, and ROM memory compilers.
Future: Arm will offer an array of SRAM, Register File, and ROM memory compilers.
Past: Arm has offered an array of SRAM, Register File, and ROM memory compilers.
Make every word and every pixel count!
Arm products are complex, but our marketing content should not be. Keep your writing simple, concise, and clear, regardless of the subject matter. Streamline sentence construction and keep paragraphs short. This is particularly important when writing for the web.
Long sentences do not make us sound more intellectual or serious. They can bury key messages and distract from important information. Shorter sentences move readers along and make your writing more accessible, easier to scan, and memorable.
Correct: It’s unfair to compare continuous speech recognition with the current crop of personal assistant voice systems. That would be like comparing a native speaker with a non-native speaker.
Talking to the non-native speaker (or personal assistant) the native speaker must speak slowly, use common words or phrases, and repeat key ideas.
However, devices featuring continuous speech recognition have an expanded vocabulary. This enables a much broader and more natural interaction.
Incorrect: Comparing continuous speech recognition with existing intelligent personal assistant voice systems is like speaking with a native speaker versus a non-native speaker. In order to have the highest probability of success when speaking with a non-native speaker, it is often necessary to speak more slowly, use common words or phrases and repeat often. This process is similar to existing consumer grade intelligent personal assistant voice systems. Continuous speech recognition, on the other hand, is similar to speaking with a native speaker in that it allows for a much broader and more natural interaction between both the user and the system. By expanding the vocabulary, the user in this system is free to converse as if having a conversation with a native speaker.
Don’t assume your audience has in-depth knowledge about Arm products and our industry. When introducing an unfamiliar topic, term, or industry standard, offer a clear, concise explanation. This is especially important when introducing a new product or product upgrade.
Correct: 5G is driving aggressive goals for latency and throughput. The infrastructure requires right-sized compute with common, scalable architecture and distributed intelligence—from network core to edge to access—to deliver performance objectives.
Incorrect: Use Arm intelligent flexible cloud to deploy 5G. The Arm ecosystem delivers a range of solutions that scale from core to edge to access, from optimized silicon to flexible systems.
An interesting narrative is much more appealing than a list of facts and figures. Demonstrate the quality and potential of Arm technology through real-life use cases, anecdotes, quotes, and visuals. When describing microprocessor technology, don’t just talk about speeds and feeds. Tell our audience about how this technology can improve their day-to-day lives.
Example: There will be 8.4 billion connected devices by the end of 2017, according to IDC. Analysts expect that number to rise to more than 20 billion in three years—a 150 percent increase. So, while cybercrime-related costs of over $400 billion might look terrible now, they may be pocket change compared to the risk we’ll face in a world with a trillion devices.
Proofread your content. And, whenever possible, have someone else proofread your content. If you can’t find someone else to proof it, try reading it out loud. This method often uncovers "hidden" typos and missing words.
It’s important to check all your content—including headlines, captions, chart labels, and other display type. Misspellings, typos, and missing or outdated content can undermine your credibility and damage our brand reputation. (Did you catch the typos in this sentence?)
Use visual elements (charts, graphs, videos, infographics, pull quotes, and screenshots) to highlight or illustrate a point in your content. Visuals have the power to:
Turn a passive reader into an active participant, requiring them to engage with your content.
Enable you to leverage content in other channels.
Inspire social sharing.
A note about adding visual elements to content: Pictures, cartoons, infographics, icons, and other types of visual content are subject to copyright law. Just because you see picture in a Google image search doesn’t mean you can copy and paste it into your content.
Check the image from the original source to look for a copyright notice. The creative team can help you obtain permission or find an acceptable alternative.
Write to be found. What terms do people type into a search engine to find Arm content? Use those keywords in relevant page description, subheads, and body copy. Remember not to add so many, however, that the text sounds clunky. (See Section 5, SEO: How to Write for Humans and Machines for additional information.)
Arm content is created to inform, educate, and ultimately drive customers and prospects toward a purchase. Therefore, it’s important to always give them the opportunity to do something next. Do you want them to read more information? Contact the sales team? Avoid giving them too many choices; don’t provide more than two calls to action.
Avoid Double Negatives
Double negatives are formed when the word not is placed in front of a negative word (nobody, nowhere, unwelcome, without, or exclude). This language is challenging for international readers to translate, and for audiences reading quickly, it can communicate the opposite meaning. In English, two negatives usually make a positive (not unknown = known). But in other languages, two negatives may emphasize the negative.
Correct: Technical glitches are common in low-quality products. Incorrect: Technical glitches are not uncommon in low- quality products.
Avoid words like "could," "should," "might," "committed to," and "aim to" wherever possible. (It’s amazing how often they creep into our language unnecessarily.) Even if you’re describing something positive, these words create the impression that Arm has made a specific statement or assertion, when instead we’ve only communicated a vague or ambiguous claim.
Correct: The upgrades move the perception of wearables from nice-to-have devices to life-saving products that work in any environment.
Incorrect: The upgrades move the perception of wearables from nice-to-have devices to life-saving products that could work in any environment.
Avoid using words such as "never," "unique," "always," "completely," "everyone," and "no one." Though these words are often used for emphasis in conversation, their use in marketing copy communicates their literal meaning. In addition, absolutes can distract the reader (particularly engineering or other technical audiences) from the point you’re making and generalize your topic to the point where readers cast doubt on an otherwise sound argument.
Don’t Yell
Absolute
Substitutions
all
most
always
almost, consistently, frequently, routinely, with few exceptions, usually
anytime
most of the time
better
Avoid unless you’re stating what it’s better than. Instead use improved, increased, reduced, superior, and others that don’t require a comparative
best
Avoid unless verifiable and cited by a neutral, approved source
every
usually
everybody/everyone
some, many, many people, most, multiple segments, the majority
first, last
Avoid unless verifiable by a neutral, approved source
everything
never
rarely, infrequently, under few conditions
none
a small number, few, hardly any, little, rare
nobody, no one
a small number, very few
nothing
rarely, with few exceptions
worst
Don’t use exclamation marks or ALL CAPS for emphasis. Italics are preferable, but still more likely to be distracting than useful.
Italics can also be confusing because they’re often used when citing names and sources.
Use words to make your point, not typography. This is particularly relevant in web copy.
Evergreen vs. Time-Sensitive Content
Before you create your content, determine if it's evergreen or time sensitive.
Evergreen content is interesting to Arm audiences long past its publication date. It may reference specific events, ideas, or products, but the content remains relevant for up to three years.
Time-sensitive content is relevant for a specific period of time. Content that includes time-sensitive statistics, short-term trend reports, or news obviously has a limited window of usefulness.
Content type
Evergreen or time sensitive?
Review and refresh at…
Analyst reports
Time sensitive
6 months
Blog post
Either, depends on the topic
Case studies
Data sheet
Evergreen
3 years or product update
How-to tutorials
Infographic
Pre-sales web pages
Product demos
Technical whitepaper
3 years
Thought leadership article
3 years or strategy shift
Lead with the most important information.
Put yourself in the audience’s place: Why should they care?
Clarity is key. Eliminate jargon, colloquialisms, and slang.
Use American English.
Don’t use big words where smaller ones will do.
Read it aloud—do you sound like a human? Do you sound like you? Now edit. Shorten it.
Check spelling and punctuation (consistency is important).
Be friendly.
Represent Arm.
Remember...The Future is Built on Arm.
Tell your story by answering the questions 'So what?' or 'How do I ...?' and let your audience know upfront what's in it for them.
Web pages
Blogs
Emails
Ads
White Papers
Other
