Punctuation rules

Punctuation in product copy follows specific patterns that differ from traditional writing. Create punctuation guidelines that align with your content types: headers (no periods), buttons (no punctuation), body text (standard punctuation, including the Oxford comma), and microcopy (context-dependent). This eliminates guesswork and speeds up content creation across teams.

Document punctuation patterns for content combinations. For example, when a header introduces a list, skip the colon. When error messages contain multiple sentences, use periods between them but consider breaking into bullets instead. For progressive disclosure patterns, the "Learn more" link never gets punctuation, but the expanded content follows standard punctuation rules.

Build punctuation rules into your content templates and review checklists. Create fill-in-the-blank templates like "Can't [action] because [reason]." that embed correct punctuation. Include punctuation checks in your content QA process. It's easier to spot missing periods in a systematic review than during rushed production.