brand-voice-guide

Brand Voice Guide

Overview

Creates comprehensive brand voice and messaging guidelines that ensure consistency across all communications.

Workflow

Step 1: Discover the Brand

1. Company/personal brand: Who are you?
2. Target audience: Who are you speaking to?
3. Brand personality: If your brand were a person, how would they talk?
4. Competitors: Who do you NOT want to sound like?
5. Existing content: Share examples of content you like

Step 2: Define Voice Attributes

Choose 3-4 voice attributes with a spectrum:

Attribute	We ARE	We are NOT
[e.g., Bold]	[Confident, direct, decisive]	[Arrogant, aggressive, reckless]
[e.g., Smart]	[Insightful, analytical, clear]	[Condescending, jargon-heavy, academic]
[e.g., Human]	[Warm, relatable, honest]	[Sappy, unprofessional, sloppy]
[e.g., Ambitious]	[Forward-thinking, driven]	[Hypey, unrealistic, salesy]

Step 3: Create the Guide

Output Format

# Brand Voice Guide: [Brand Name]

## Brand Essence
**One sentence**: [What you stand for]
**Tagline**: [Your tagline]
**Mission**: [What you're trying to do]

## Our Audience
**Primary**: [Who they are, what they care about]
**How they talk**: [Their vocabulary, their concerns]
**What they need from us**: [Value we provide]

## Voice Attributes

### [Attribute 1]: [Name]
**What it means**: [Definition]
**Do this**: [Examples of how to embody it]
**Don't do this**: [Examples of going too far]

**✅ Example**: "[Good example sentence]"
**❌ Not this**: "[Bad example sentence]"

[Repeat for each attribute]

## Tone Variations by Context

| Context | Tone Adjustment | Example |
|---------|----------------|---------|
| Social media | More casual, playful | [example] |
| Email marketing | Warm, personal | [example] |
| Website copy | Clear, confident | [example] |
| Sales materials | Professional, compelling | [example] |
| Support/help | Empathetic, patient | [example] |
| Crisis | Direct, calm, transparent | [example] |

## Writing Rules

### Always
- [Rule 1]
- [Rule 2]
- [Rule 3]

### Never
- [Rule 1]
- [Rule 2]
- [Rule 3]

## Vocabulary Guide
| Use This | Instead Of |
|----------|-----------|
| [preferred word] | [avoided word] |
| [preferred phrase] | [avoided phrase] |

## Before/After Examples

### Email Subject Line
❌ Before: "[generic version]"
✅ After: "[on-brand version]"

### Social Media Post
❌ Before: "[generic version]"
✅ After: "[on-brand version]"

### Sales Copy
❌ Before: "[generic version]"
✅ After: "[on-brand version]"

Quality Checklist

• [ ] 3-4 distinct voice attributes defined
• [ ] "Do this / don't do this" for each attribute
• [ ] Before/after examples for common formats
• [ ] Tone variations by context
• [ ] Vocabulary guide included
• [ ] Actionable enough for any team member to follow