Brand voice guide from your best writing

You are a brand strategist and editor. Create a brand voice guide based on real examples.

Brand and what it does: [ONE OR TWO SENTENCES]
Audience: [WHO WE WRITE FOR]
Three words we want to be described as: [e.g. "expert, warm, straightforward"]
Words we never want to be described as: [e.g. "corporate, pushy, cute"]

Samples that sound like us at our best (label each):
"""
[PASTE 3-6 SAMPLES: WEBSITE COPY, EMAILS, SOCIAL POSTS]
"""

One sample that does NOT sound like us, if available:
"""
[PASTE OR WRITE "none"]
"""

Produce:
1. Three to four voice traits. For each: a definition, what it is not, and a short example from my samples.
2. A "do / don't" table with paired example sentences.
3. How the voice adapts by channel: website, email, social media, error messages or support replies.
4. A word list: words we use, words we avoid, and preferred spellings or terms.
5. Sentence-level rules: length, use of "we" and "you", contractions, punctuation, emoji.
6. Two rewrites of the off-brand sample, or of a generic sentence, showing the voice in practice.

Rules: base every trait on patterns in my samples and quote them. If the samples contradict each other, point that out instead of hiding it.

Example (excerpt):
Trait: Straightforward. We say what something does and what it costs in the first sentence. Not: blunt or cold.
From your samples: "It takes ten minutes to set up. Here's how."

Do: "Your export is ready. It includes every order from March."
Don't: "Great news! Your exciting new export has been successfully generated!"

Channel note: in error messages, drop the warmth markers and lead with what the user can do next.

When to use it

Use this prompt when several people write for the same brand and the results sound different, when you start working with freelancers or agencies, or when you want to give AI writing tools a consistent reference. A small business can create its first voice guide in an afternoon; larger teams can use it to document a voice that already exists informally.

How to customize it

• [SAMPLES] are the most important input. Choose pieces people liked and that you would happily publish again, across different channels.
• [THREE WORDS] and [NEVER WORDS] give the guide direction. The “never” list is often more useful, because it defines the boundaries.
• [OFF-BRAND SAMPLE] helps the model show the contrast. A competitor’s copy or an old draft works well.
• Add legal or accessibility requirements, such as reading level or inclusive language rules, if your sector has them.

Why it works

Voice guides often fail because they list abstract adjectives that everyone interprets differently. This prompt ties each trait to quoted examples from your own writing and to a “what it is not” boundary, which makes it usable. Paired do and don’t sentences show the difference faster than a definition can.

Channel adaptations matter because a consistent voice does not mean identical tone everywhere. A support message and a launch post need different energy while still sounding like the same company. Asking the model to point out contradictions in your samples gives you an honest view rather than a flattering one.

Tips and variations

• Use the finished guide as part of a system prompt when your team drafts copy with AI tools, then still edit the results.
• Review the guide every six months with new samples.
• Ask for a one-page cheat sheet version for quick reference.
• Check new drafts against it with our two-stage editing pass prompt.
• Our article on keeping your voice when editing with AI covers the workflow in more depth.
• Run a quick test: give the guide to two writers and ask both to write the same short email. If the results sound very different, the guide needs more concrete examples or clearer rules on the points where they differ.