Our guiding principles

It’s not just what we say, it’s how we say it. The way we speak and the words we choose define us. Our tone of voice shows people who we are, what we believe in and what it’s like to do business with us. To be recognized as a trusted brand, we need to express ourselves consistently across all communications.

BRIMMING WITH ENERGY

We’re full of optimism for the future and our writing reflects that. It zips along with punchy phrases and simple sentences that exude confidence.

How to bring it to life:

  • Emphasize the positive: our words capture the excitement of having your whole life ahead of you and a whole world of opportunities to explore.

  • We aim to make our words effortless to read or listen to, no matter how complex the topic. Because we know that confidence is all about simplicity.

  • Choose simple words over complex phrases. For example, we say ‘start your studies’ instead of ‘commence your educational experience’. This also makes our copy easier to translate.

  • Use short, simple sentences. If your sentence is longer than 25 words, ask – can it be broken up? It’s fine to start a sentence with ‘and’ or ‘but’, if that helps. For larger blocks of copy, use bullet points to make it easier and quicker to read.

  • Use contractions to make our writing less formal and give it a snappier pace. Choose ‘you’re’ instead of ‘you a re’, or ‘can’t’ instead of ‘cannot’.

  • Use the active voice to give our writing impact and immediacy. Say ‘Thousands of international students choose INTO each year’ instead of ‘INTO is chosen by thousands of international students each year’.

  • Avoid industry jargon. Especially for our student audience. Stop and think – will a student know what this means? How would they say it? For example, when talking about a CAS program, explain what it is (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) and the benefits of choosing this type of program. We try not to say ‘direct entry’ when describing courses that prepare students for entry to university. Try to avoid overusing ‘progression’ - think of more student-friendly ways to express the process of moving from INTO to university, such as ‘when you start your university degree’ rather than ‘when you progress to university’.

ALWAYS AUTHENTIC

We use words to build connections and start conversations. To our audience, our voice sounds familiar, relatable and welcoming.

How to bring it to life:

  • We write as if we’re having a conversation with our audience. That means speaking one-to-one, not one-to-many. We use ‘you’ to speak directly to our audience and talk in the firs t person as ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘I’.

  • We ask questions to engage our audience. ‘What could you become?’ or ‘How could you transform your enrolment process?’

  • We use natural language that sounds as if it’s spoken. We avoid sounding too formal.

  • Although we’re friendly we’re never insincere. We acknowledge and empathize with our audience’s challenges or fears. We know the world isn’t perfect, but we can help to make it a little better.

  • We never forget what’s important to our customers, whether we’re writing for students, agents or universities. We focus on what matters most to them, for example, we use ‘Get career ready’ as a title rather than ‘Employment services’.

  • We use confident statements but we’re never boastful or arrogant . Everything we say is truthful, believable and provable.

BEAT OF THE ACTIVIST

Our copy is as bold as our mission. It grabs attention with powerful statements that are direct and compelling.

How to bring it to life:

  • We’re here for the high achievers and the future leaders. We champion student and university success stories in our copy. We describe our students as future change-makers, innovators and leaders.

  • We know that student voices are powerful. Wherever possible, we provide a platform for our students to speak directly to our audience, by using testimonials, case studies and user generated content.

  • We embrace change and difference. We don’t want to sound like anyone else. We avoid clichés and industry ‘buzz’ words.

  • We celebrate diversity and reflect this in our writing by representing a variety of genders and ethnicities within our testimonials or case studies. We use a mix of gender pronouns w hen talking about students.

  • We inspire our audience with original insights. For our B2B audience, we’re their go-to partners to keep them ahead of industry trends and innovations. Use stats from our latest research within your copy to show our expertise and reinforce your point.

POLISHED AND PROFESSIONAL

We write in a way that lets the quality, expertise and dedication of INTO shine through.

How to bring it to life:

  • Quality starts with our writing. We always check spelling, punctuation and grammar to make sure that it’s accurate and consistent with our house style. See our Style Guide. 

  • We build trust through consistency. We don’t make lots of different promises or send too many messages. Instead, we focus on what’s most meaningful to our audience and what differentiates us from our competitors. 

  • We understand that we’re writing for a global audience. This means we create content based on our audience’s needs and language capabilities. It’s clear and precise but never patronizing. We avoid using non-literal phrases such as metaphors or idioms (sayings), e.g. ‘miss the boat’ or ‘spill the beans’, as they can be difficult to translate. 

  • We’re sensitive to the context we’re communicating in and adjust our messaging to reflect changing situations, as well as political, social or cultural contexts around the globe. 

  • Reliability and honesty are important to our audience and our brand. We establish credibility by avoiding exaggeration and focusing on the facts. We use stats to reinforce our point, citing our own original research when possible.