Writer’s Handbook

Writer’s Handbook

 

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Welcome to the TravelZap Writer’s Handbook! If you’re reading this, this means that you’re either interested in writing for us or currently working in a Content Creator role. Either way: welcome aboard!

Before you start putting the pen to the paper (or fingers to the keyboard, if you will), there are a few writing guidelines you must acknowledge and follow. Within every TravelZap article and resource, we maintain a strong sense of identity anchored by years of research and experience.

Our 4 Musts

  1. It’s about the couple, not us
  2. Be authentic
  3. Get to the point, be concise
  4. Think digitally

Messaging and tone of voice checklist

  • Is it written from the perspective of our audience?
  • Does it meet our target audience (Demo, Psycho, and/or Geo)
  • Have you used friendly, everyday language?
  • Has it been run through writing apps for grammar and readership checks?
  • Does it meet our SEO requirements?
  • Has the language been engaging and energetic?
  • Is the piece collaborative and positive?

Ask yourself:

  • Would I enjoy reading this?
  • Was it easy to understand?
  • Would I want to read more from this author?

Copywriting Guidelines

Use Destify source-sans pro for body copy, and raleway thin for headlines as a standard base. In unique occasions, other fonts are permitted for headlines, but only if approved as part of the design.

Main fonts:

Headlines: Raleway Thin

Body copy – Source Sans Pro – black or white

Line Height – Should be even and consistent on any deliverable

Messaging

Why is messaging important? As leaders in the destination wedding space we want to always appear confident and informed to our many audiences.

Every piece should:

  1. Get noticed
  2. Provide insight
  3. and/or position us as experts

We use statements and headlines to reveal truths and facts about the industry, promote our services, and relay information on the subject matter. Every statement needs to show we understand a couples’ needs while planning a wedding. Where appropriate it should help us drive the audience down funnel to generate qualified leads.

The Destify Tone

Our content is one of the first potential steps of our client’s wedding planning process. We create upbeat material that speaks to our clients as people, not just leads. Our primary tactic has been “provide the content + research, leads will follow.” Readers should be able to use Destify as a research resource. We achieve this level of rapport via a purposeful tone that is uniquely ours. Our content’s tone is:

  • Clever, but not pretentious.
  • Enthusiastic, but not excessive.
  • Informative, but not monotonous.
  • Engaging, but not overdone.
  • Conversational, but not too casual.

Writing Checklist

Website Content Creation Process – CM, CMM

The following review process should be utilized by the CM and CMM to craft, edit, and publish blogs.

  • First Draft – 5 hours, 5 minutes
    • Draft topics with LSI in Google Trends and Ahrefs – Keyword optimization – Rename task to Blog Title above with applicable Quarter and Week for publication – 1-2 hours
    • Draft in Google Docs (attach Google Doc Share link in field below) – focus and detail SEO Keyword goals at top of document – 3 hours
    • Tag CMM in Ready for Review doc for first review – 5 minutes
    • CMM will review Google Doc draft the same day of Ready for Review tag – 1 hour
  • 2nd Draft – 1 hours, 5 minutes
    • 2nd drafts in INK APP due after SPM or Thurs for CMM to review last changes individually – 2 hours
      • Make sure INK APP score is between 80%-90%
    • Tag in ready for review doc for final review – 5 minutes
  • Final Draft – 3 hours, 15 minutes
    • Resolve additional edits made by CMM, double-check INK APP score for 80%-90% results – 1 hour
    • Schedule into WordPress for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – 3 hours
    • Attach INK APP file in ClickUp Files field below so we can always track past content – 5 minutes
    • Add images into ZappyShare Server named correctly before publication – 10 minutes

Website Content – CM, CMM

Using the WordPress admin backend, create pages, posts, add images, and manage the look and messaging of the websites.

  • Step 1: Google Trends — LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) Keywords are conceptually related terms that search engines use to understand content relationships on a webpage. This resource is used to view how often a requested query is searched for, as well as other queries related to the phrase. This will construct blog titles as which then builds the structure for content articles (1st node = H1, 2nd node = H2, etc.) – 1-2 hours
  • Step 2: Verify keyword viability in Ahrefs – 1 hour
    • Enter keyword phrase into this resource to discover precise positioning and traffic. Keywords Explorer runs on a database with more than 7 billion keywords, analyzing Keyword Difficulty Score, Search Volume, Global Volume, and automatically generated Keyword Ideas
    • Keyword Difficulty: gives an estimate of how hard it is to rank in the top 10 organic search results for a keyword on a 100-point scale
      • Ideally, pursue keywords with Easy-Medium difficulty
    • Search Volume: An estimation of the average monthly number of searches for a keyword.
    • Global Volume: shows how many times per month, on average, people search for the target keyword across all countries in our database.
    • Keyword Ideas
      • Terms Match: This list of keyword ideas shows you all keywords that contain all of the terms of a target keyword in them (in any order).
      • Questions: The list of keyword ideas that show you search queries that are phrased as a question.
      • Also Rank For: This list of keyword ideas shows you all keywords that the top 10 ranking pages for your target keyword also rank for.
      • Also Talk About: See which other keywords and phrases the top ranking pages for your target keyword frequently mention. You can view keywords based on the top 10 or top 100 ranking pages.
  • Step 3: With pinpointed H1 and H2s, draft article in Google Drive – 3 hours
    • Craft hook that pulls the reader in; make it concise but eye-catching (no more than 100-150 words)
    • Aim for 3-4 H2s between 100-200 words each using conversational language and precise keywords
    • Conclude article with short wrap-up with call to action that leads to hyperlinked Destify article
  • Step 4: Grammarly — Check for basic grammar errors (commas, spelling, passive vs. active voice), etc., used to answer the questions ‘is this technically correct?’ ‘is this using the correct phrasing?’ (webpage, or Chrome extension available) – 1 hour
  • Disclaimer: Keep keyword objectives without breaking them (example: “wedding destinations” ignore it and replace with “destination weddings”)
  • Disclaimer: ‘Reading time’ is another feature to focus on, the shorter the better for the reader.
  • Step 5: Quillbolt — Rephraser / AI writing tool — writing partner. Paste Hemingway Editor’s draft into Quillbolt’s paraphrasing software to make things fluid, concise, and clear. Easy to duplicate content without sounding the same when posting to different SM channels. – 1 hour
    • Disclaimer: Make sure to set “Word Flipper” at minimum level so words stay in the correct order.
    • Disclaimer: ‘Fluency’ + ‘Concision’ settings are most related to easier language for readers.
  • Step 6: INK App: Have 1st drafts imported into INK App for WED. review, and INK App doc files attached to Clickup before review. Review drafts verbally as a team. – 2 hours
  • Step 7: Complete all edits by Thursday for 2nd INK App files, covering SEO edits, grammar, reading level, seo-keyword optimization and image names and alt tags. 3 files needed for INK App (1st draft, 2nd draft, final) needed before moving into WordPress. – 1 hour
  • Step 8: Log into WordPress using Last Pass information. – 5 minutes
    • Open “Posts” in the left menu bar (where you’ll find previous blogs listed)
  • Step 9: Click “Add New” Page draft. – 5 minutes
    • Tip: Copy/paste previous blog’s text to new page to mirror blog structure and save appropriate WordPress code
    • Tip: Refer to WordPress Code Guide below for correct formatting
  • Step 10: Copy/paste article into new page – 30 minutes
    • Disclaimer: Periodically save your draft by clicking “Save Draft” towards the right side of the page
    • Insert hyperlink code wherever necessary (resorts, Destify articles, Destify resources)
    • Hyperlink code:

    https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/8071f0bd-4164-47c1-b65b-948227fb1bb6/code.jpg

  • Step 11: Insert images between H2 title and paragraph text. – 5 minutes
    • Click “Add Media”
    • Drag and drop correctly sized images into the “Add Media” window. WordPress will upload images to the Media Library.
    • Once uploaded, select the desired image from the Media Library to input into the WordPress page.
      • Media Library will list “Attachments Details”: data size, image size, and date
    • You will be able to further edit Image Size (if so desired) by clicking “Edit Image”
      • Scroll down Attachment Details menu to “Attachment Display Settings” where you’ll find Alignment, Link To, and Size options.
      • Click “Size.” You’ll be presented with three options: Thumbnail – 150 x 150, Medium – 300 x 200, Full Size – (Image’s Original Size)
  • Step 12: Insert header image – 5 minutes
    • Scroll down to “Featured Image,” click “Set featured image”
    • Insert high-resolution images from resort media vaults or created for blog (Recommended Size:1140×512 for headers)
  • Step 13: Insert article Tags – 5 minutes
    • Scroll down to “Tags,” click “Choose from the most used tags”
    • WordPress will display most used tags
    • 3-4 Tags that group the article with similar content (i.e. Destination Wedding Resource, destination spotlight, informative wedding article)
  • Step 14: Create article’s SEO – 5 minutes
    • Craft article’s meta description; must be at least 150 characters
    • Double-check that Slug’s title matches article’s title
    • Fit SEO keyword within description, use YOAST gauge to hit ‘green’
  • Step 15: Preview WordPress article – 5 minutes
    • Click “Preview” towards the right side of the page, WordPress will generate a preview of your completed article
    • Check for any typos or grammatical errors, as well as image display
  • Step 16: Publish WordPress article – 5 minutes
    • Once you’ve edited the article and are satisfied with the quality, you’re ready to publish
    • Do one more scan for errors, then click “Publish” towards the top right of the page

Every content piece should be entered into WordPress, with either our customized Destify templates or created as blogs. Leverage WordPress’ assets to make our content pop. Each Destify blog should include the following:

  • Hyperlinks to other Destify material and/or partnered content
  • High-resolution images from resort media vaults or created for blog (Recommended Size:1140×512 for headers)
  • 3-4 Tags that group the article with similar content (i.e. Destination Wedding Resource, destination spotlight, informative wedding article)
  • Yoast SEO
    • Craft article’s meta description; must be at least 150 characters
    • Double-check that Slug’s title matches article’s title
    • Fit SEO keyword within description, use YOAST gauge to hit ‘green’

WordPress HTML Code Guide

  • <b>Text</b> = Bold text
  • <em>Text</em> = Italicized text
  • <center>Text</center>= Centered text
  • <title>Text</title> = Article subheaders
  • <>Text</> = Italicized titles
  • <a href=”../.” target=”_self” rel=”noopener”>Text</a> = Hyperlink

Blog SOP

The following review process should be utilized by the CM and CMM to craft, edit, and publish blogs.

  • First Draft – 5 hours, 5 minutes
    • Draft topics with LSI in Google Trends and Ahrefs – Keyword optimization – Rename task to Blog Title above with applicable Quarter and Week for publication – 1-2 hours
    • Draft in Google Docs (attach Google Doc Share link in field below) – focus and detail SEO Keyword goals at top of document – 3 hours
    • Tag CMM in Ready for Review doc for first review – 5 minutes
    • CMM will review Google Doc draft the same day of Ready for Review tag – 1 hour
  • 2nd Draft – 1 hours, 5 minutes
    • 2nd drafts in INK APP due after SPM or Thurs for CMM to review last changes individually – 2 hours
      • Make sure INK APP score is between 80%-90%
    • Tag in ready for review doc for final review – 5 minutes
  • Final Draft – 3 hours, 15 minutes
    • Resolve additional edits made by CMM, double-check INK APP score for 80%-90% results – 1 hour
    • Schedule into WordPress for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – 3 hours
    • Attach INK APP file in ClickUp Files field below so we can always track past content – 5 minutes
    • Add images into ZappyShare Server named correctly before publication – 10 minutes

Gender and Inclusivity

Times have changed for the better in regards to gender identity and acceptance of people of all genders, races, ethnicities, and sexual orientation. Destify’s writing mirrors this progression, right down to pronouns and staying aware of who we feature in our blog images.

Approaching Gender Pronouns

Destify Blog

When it comes to writing about our Destify clients and hypothetical wedding personnel in our blog, we strive to avoid gendered copy. Throughout our articles, rarely will you find a blog that directly mentions an individual’s pronouns, unless previously stated by said individual.

Gendered vs. Gender Neutral Writing

Gendered writing exclusively uses heteronormative language such as “ladies and gentlemen,” “he,” “she,” “his,” “hers.” While seemingly harmless on the surface, such language can actually exclude more people than you think. Within our global community, gender is a social construct that shouldn’t be restricted to binary guidelines. The same should apply to Destify’s writing. Follow the guide bellow to discover which pronouns to utilize instead of heteronormative pronouns:

  • He, She —> They
  • His, Hers —> Theirs
  • Ladies, Gentlemen —> Guests, Friends, Folks

Gendered Writing:

Spoil your bride by booking her a Hyatt Ziva Cancun honeymoon suite.

Gender Neutral Writing:

Spoil your bride by booking them a Hyatt Ziva Cancun honeymoon suite.

Another essential factor of non-gendered blog writing is referring to the reader as “you” or “your.” Utilizing “you” or “your” doesn’t assume the reader’s gender and adds a more active/engaging tone.

Destify Couples

When interviewing couples, ask to list gender pronouns they would prefer to have included in the article. We want to make sure they feel both included and respected as individuals.

Race and Ethnicity

While our writing doesn’t directly mention race or ethnicity, or blog images can still reflect our inclusivity as a company. How do we achieve this level of diversity? Always include POC/interracial couples in our articles. Every picture doesn’t have to feature POC, but articles shouldn’t exclusively include predominantly-white couples.

The LGBTQ+ Community

Advocating for the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t stop at Pride Month. Similar to Race and Ethnicity, include LGBTQ+ couples in imagery and language while building articles.

Writing About COVID

The Elephant in the Room

COVID, ever heard of it? As we approach our blog topics, it’s always important to remain up-to-date with recent developments in the wedding industry. This also means addressing the big C-word. COVID is a delicate yet consistently trending topic to write about, but that doesn’t mean we should avoid discussing its relevance to our services.

Positive Tones and Spins

When writing about COVID, it’s essential to avoid phrasing and vocabulary that cast negative undertones. In this case, you can use the “we all went through it together” trope, but only if framed in a positive light. Yes, we all went through something terrible together, but we don’t need to lean into those traumatic experiences.

Couples will always wonder what the next step is for COVID weddings. While writing about COVID, always write in an optimistic yet realistic tone. Remember, we’re still planning weddings for 2022 and beyond.

Preferred Writing Topics & SERP Strategy

Preferred Writing Topics

  • Destination wedding material pertaining to either our top destinations (Mexico, Dominican Republic, or Jamaica) or our Destify Top Resorts
  • Destination wedding trends from the following categories:
    • Catering
    • Flowers
    • All-Inclusive Wedding Packages
    • Activities
    • Excursions
    • Music
    • Fashion

SERP Strategy

  • Heavy focus on seed keyword (e.g. “destination weddings”) – using LSI to build out all supporting content.
  • Secondary objective focusing on seed keyword + destination variable to build supporting content (every destination, every sub-destination – all the permutations).

  1. Start with the content outline.
  2. Target keyword – primary keyword you want to rank for. This keyword should be around 0.5% of the total word count in the article. Google doesn’t look at keyword density as much over the past few years, but it’s still a good practice.
  3. Secondary keywords – keywords associated with your main keyword. E.g. if your main keyword is “SEO content,” the secondary keyword could be “SEO content tips.” It’s a good idea to sprinkle these keywords around the article (mention each once or twice tops)
  4. Target word count – I recommend going for the same word count as your best competitor or 50% longer. Keep in mind, though, that longer content doesn’t mean it’s better. If the topic is simple (e.g. how to tie a tie), it’s OK for the article to be 300 – 500 words.
  5. Headers to be used in the article – how should the article be structured? What headers come first? Second?
  6. Article headline – what should the article title be? You can come up with this yourself (I’ll teach you how in a bit), or get the writer to do it.
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