Editorial style
Administrative Style and Usage
Email Best Practices
SUBJECT HEADERS
Keep the subject short, around three to five words.
Use words that spark curiosity. Emojis can help readers notice the email in their inbox, but don’t overuse them.
Don’t use words such as free or sale in subject headers; they can get flagged as spam by the recipient’s email client.
PREHEADER TEXT
This short text can either expand upon the subject line or summarize your email. It shows up in the email preview window.
Subject: Chancellor Lyons’ Berkeley Brief
Preheader Text: A week of wows
If you don’t include custom preheader text, readers will see part of the first sentence. For example: Every October, six Nobel Prizes are awar
The full sentence is, “Every October, six Nobel Prizes are awarded to an individual or group for their groundbreaking contributions to a specific field,” but it got cut off in the space allowed. You may need to adjust the length of the first sentence. In addition, the screen size, web browser, and other factors can also affect what shows up as preheader text. Consider including preheader text to avoid repetition, cutoff sentences, or confusion.
Make sure the subject line and preheader text align with the email’s content to help avoid being flagged as spam.
BODY TEXT
When appropriate, include at least one link or call to action at the top of the email.
Try to keep emails focused on one subject or call to action.
Use short sentences and paragraphs of three to four sentences max.
Use subheadings or bullet points to break up longer text.
ALT TEXT
Alt text (alternative text) is text that describes an image or graphic so that it is accessible to all users. Some browsers display alt text if an image fails to load. Use precise terms such as “photo of…,” “painting of…,” or “13th-century woodcut of…” to provide helpful context. Most screen readers stop reading alt text after 125 characters, so keep it as descriptive as possible, but not too long.
Address Formats
EMAIL
Lowercase email addresses. Do not omit the period when it falls at the end of a sentence.
WEB ADDRESSES
Do not omit the period when a web address falls at the end of a sentence. When linking text to a URL in a digital publication, such as an email or web page:
- Do not include: http:// or www.
- BigGive.berkeley.edu
- berkeley.edu/campus-life
- Do not link text such as: click here or here.
- Make link texts descriptive: Purchase your guests’ tickets on the commencement website.
Do not capitalize the b in berkeley.edu.
MAIL
Use the standard format as defined by the university’s mail services department.
Optional name and title: Jane Doe, Director
Optional subunit name: Office of Gift Planning
Department name: University Development and Alumni Relations
University name: UC Berkeley (or spell out in formal instances)
Address: 1995 University Ave., Suite 401
City/State/ZIP+4: Berkeley, CA 94704-1058
In some cases, an event name may replace a person’s name
Event name: Big Give
Department name: University Development and Alumni Relations
University name: UC Berkeley (or spell out in formal instances)
Address: 1995 University Ave., Suite 401
City/State/ZIP+4: Berkeley, CA 94704-1058
In most cases, collateral from Cal Athletics requires a different address. See Athletics Style Guidelines.
Copyright and Trademark Information
All printed and electronic materials produced at the university are copyrighted by the UC Regents. While it is not required by law, a copyright notice is always good to include.
- Copyright 2025 UC Regents (or © 2025 UC Regents) | All rights reserved
The university seal and other symbols such as the Cal script and some images of Oski are trademarked.
Licensing questions? Email brand@berkeley.edu.