> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://university.obvious.in/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://university.obvious.in/product-design/microcopy/how-to-write-phrases.md).
# How to write phrases
## 👋 Introduction
Titles, buttons and placeholders are short strings of text that help the user navigate, take actions and enter information.
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## 1️⃣ Title copy
A title is often the first and ***only*** thing a user reads. It tells the user where they are in the journey or what action they might need to take. You can write different kinds of titles:
> **Brand as title**—When you want to reinforce the brand image, use the brand name as the page title.
> **Content as title**—When the screen is based on content like an FAQ or a blog post, use the title of the content.
> **Task as title**—When the user has to take an action, describe the task. Always use a verb phrase.
> **Summarise actions**—When there are many actions for a user to take, the title should summarise all actions. These titles are often ambiguous. They can be a noun phrase or a verb phrase.
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## 2️⃣ Button copy
Buttons allows the user to commit to an action or navigate to elsewhere. It should be unambiguous.
> **Make it specific**—Use 1-3 words to describe the action.
> **Make it simple**—Use words that users would say in a conversation. You can sit in on research calls with users, read support tickets by users to learn about the words users are most familiar with.
> **Make it consistent**—When you’re using single task titles, use the same verb in the button and the title.
> **Make it reassuring**—A click trigger is a short reminder next to the button. Think about what the user would be concerned about when taking this action and address it in the click trigger.
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## 3️⃣ Placeholder copy
Input fields appear when the user has to enter information or run a search. The placeholder text appears inside the input field and helps the user enter accurate information. You can write different kinds of placeholder text:
> **Questions**—Ask your users a question to guide the entry. This works well for search and open-ended questions.
> **Categories**—If the user can search for a range of things, define the categories to help the user.
> **Examples**—An example or sample text can show your user the best way of using the field.
> **Prompts**—For text fields where the answer is long and the user will have to think, a guiding sentence can give them a starting point.
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