Skill: leooooooow/brand-voice-guide (version 1.1.0)

--- name: Brand Voice Guide description: Define and document a consistent brand voice with tone guidelines, vocabulary lists, do/don't examples, and channel-specific adaptations so every touchpoint sounds unmistakably like the brand — whether written by founders, freelancers, or AI. --- # Brand Voice Guide This skill produces a concrete, example-driven brand voice document that any writer — internal, freelance, or AI — can follow to match the brand's sound on the first try, without needing brand-team sign-off for every sentence. It covers voice attributes, tone spectrum, vocabulary rules, do/don't examples across channels, and a self-audit checklist. ## Quick Reference | Decision | Strong | Acceptable | Weak | |---|---|---|---| | Voice attributes | 3-4 defined with spectrum scales, each with do/don't examples | 3-4 attributes listed with brief descriptions | Vague terms like "professional" with no examples | | Vocabulary list | 50+ terms with approved/banned alternatives and context notes | 20-30 approved/banned terms | No vocabulary guidance or just a few random words | | Tone spectrum | 5+ scenarios mapped on a casual-to-formal scale with examples | General guidance on when to be formal vs. casual | Single tone for all contexts | | Channel adaptation | Separate guidelines per channel (email, social, ads, CX, product) with examples | General channel notes without examples | One voice doc applied identically everywhere | | Do/don't examples | 10+ paired examples per channel showing exact rewrites | 5-10 generic do/don't pairs | Abstract rules with no concrete examples | | Audience awareness | Voice adjusted by segment (new vs. loyal, B2B vs. B2C) | Single audience definition | No audience consideration | | Testing method | Before/after audit of real brand copy with scoring rubric | Informal review by brand team | No validation process | | AI prompt integration | Voice attributes formatted as system prompt instructions | General AI usage notes | No AI guidance | ## Solves 1. **Inconsistent brand voice across writers** — five freelancers, three agencies, and two internal teams all writing in different voices because no concrete reference exists beyond "be authentic." 2. **Brand voice that only lives in the founder's head** — the founder approves every piece of copy because no one else can match the tone, creating a bottleneck that limits content velocity. 3. **Tone-deaf channel adaptations** — the same formal product-page voice used in Instagram captions and customer support replies, making the brand feel robotic on casual channels. 4. **AI-generated content that sounds generic** — ChatGPT or Claude outputs that are technically correct but sound like every other brand because the prompts lack specific voice constraints. 5. **New hire ramp-up time** — copywriters and CX reps taking months to internalize brand voice because training is tribal knowledge, not documented. 6. **Brand drift over time** — voice evolving randomly as new people join and old ones leave, with no anchor document to course-correct against. 7. **Vocabulary inconsistencies** — using "clients" in one email and "customers" in the next, or mixing "we" and "the company" within the same page. ## Workflow ### Step 1 — Audit Existing Voice Collect and analyze the brand's current voice across channels: - Gather 20-30 samples of existing brand copy: website pages, emails, social posts, ads, CX replies, product descriptions - Identify what sounds "most like the brand" vs. what sounds off-brand (ask the founder or brand lead to rank them) - Note recurring patterns: sentence length, punctuation habits, emoji usage, contractions, jargon, humor level - Document any existing brand guidelines, style guides, or voice notes - Review competitor voices to identify differentiation opportunities Deliverable: Voice audit summary with ranked copy samples and pattern analysis. ### Step 2 — Define Voice Attributes Establish 3-4 core voice attributes that define the brand's personality: **Structure for each attribute:** - Attribute name (e.g., "Confident," "Warm," "Direct," "Playful") - Spectrum scale showing where the brand sits (e.g., Confident: 7/10 — assertive but never arrogant) - "This means..." statement explaining the attribute in practice - "This doesn't mean..." statement clarifying the boundary - 3 do/don't pairs showing the attribute in action **Attribute selection principles:** - Choose attributes that differentiate — "professional" is too generic - Each attribute should create tension with at least one other (e.g., "confident" vs. "humble" forces intentional choices) - Attributes should be testable — you can look at a sentence and judge whether it embodies the attribute - Avoid aspirational attributes that don't match current brand reality Deliverable: Voice attribute cards with spectrum scales, definitions, and example pairs. ### Step 3 — Build Vocabulary Lists Create approved and banned word lists organized by category: **Categories to cover:** - Brand-specific terms (product names, feature names, brand values) - Customer references ("customers" vs. "clients" vs. "members" vs. "community") - Self-references ("we" vs. company name vs. "our team" vs. "I") - Action words (preferred verbs for CTAs, feature descriptions, benefits) - Banned words (competitor names, outdated terms, jargon to avoid, words that contradict voice attributes) - Sensitive terms (inclusive language preferences, accessibility-first language) - Industry jargon (which technical terms to use vs. simplify) **Format for each entry:** - Approved term → context where it's used → example sentence - Banned term → why it's banned → approved alternative Deliverable: Vocabulary reference with 50+ entries across all categories. ### Step 4 — Map Tone Spectrum Define how voice tone shifts across different contexts while maintaining the same underlying personality: | Context | Tone Shift | Example | |---|---|---| | Product launch announcement | Peak excitement, confident | | | Error message / outage notification | Calm, direct, empathetic | | | Customer complaint response | Warm, accountable, solution-focused | | | Sales email | Enthusiastic but not pushy | | | Legal / compliance | Clear, formal, still human | | | Social media comment reply | Casual, quick, personality-forward | | | Onboarding sequence | Encouraging, helpful, patient | | | Win-back / re-engagement | Personal, low-pressure, value-focused | | For each context, provide a before (wrong tone) and after (right tone) rewrite of a realistic example. Deliverable: Tone spectrum matrix with scenario-specific guidelines and example rewrites. ### Step 5 — Write Channel-Specific Guidelines Create detailed voice adaptations for each brand channel: **For each channel, document:** - Tone adjustments from the base voice (what dials up, what dials down) - Formatting conventions (emoji policy, hashtag usage, capitalization, punctuation) - Length guidelines (sentence length, paragraph length, total length) - 5+ do/don't example pairs using real or realistic copy - Common templates with voice guidelines applied (subject lines, CTAs, openings, closings) **Channels to cover:** - Website (homepage, product pages, about page, blog) - Email (marketing, transactional, CX) - Social media (platform-specific: Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, TikTok) - Advertising (paid social, search ads, display) - Customer support (live chat, email, knowledge base) - Product UI (microcopy, tooltips, error messages, success states) Deliverable: Channel guideline cards with examples, templates, and formatting rules. ### Step 6 — Create AI Prompt Instructions Translate voice attributes into structured instructions for AI writing tools: - System prompt block that captures voice attributes, tone, and vocabulary - Channel-specific prompt modifiers - Example few-shot pairs showing input → desired output - Negative examples showing what to reject - Quality check prompts for self-review Deliverable: AI prompt template library with system prompts and few-shot examples. ### Step 7 — Build Audit and Scoring Rubric Create a scoring system to evaluate whether content matches brand voice: - Score each voice attribute on a 1-5 scale - Include vocabulary compliance check - Include tone-appropriateness check for the specific channel/context - Define minimum passing score - Create a quick 30-second self-audit checklist for writers Deliverable: Voice scoring rubric with minimum thresholds and self-audit checklist. ## Examples ### Example 1 — DTC Wellness Brand (Warm, Confident, Playful) **Input:** "We're a wellness brand selling supplements and self-care products DTC. Our founder writes all the copy and it sounds great, but we're hiring two freelancers and need to hand off the voice. We want to sound like a knowledgeable friend, not a clinical brand." **Voice attributes defined:** - Warm (8/10): Speak like a friend who happens to know a lot about wellness. Use contractions, ask questions, share openly. - Do: "Your skin's telling you something — here's what we'd try first." - Don't: "Our dermatologically tested formula addresses multiple skin concerns." - Confident (7/10): State benefits directly without hedging. Back claims with specifics, not superlatives. - Do: "This serum delivers visible results in 14 days — 89% of testers agreed." - Don't: "This might be the best serum you've probably ever tried!" - Playful (6/10): Use light humor and personality, especially in headers and social. Never force it. - Do: "SPF that doesn't leave you looking like a ghost. You're welcome." - Don't: "LOL this sunscreen is literally THE BEST OMG." **Vocabulary excerpt:** | Approved | Banned | Context | |---|---|---| | "ritual" | "routine" | Elevates daily habits | | "your body" | "the body" | Personal, not clinical | | "ingredients you recognize" | "clean ingredients" | Specific over buzzwords | | "community" | "customers" | Relationship over transaction | **Tone spectrum applied:** - Product page: Confident + Warm (lead with benefits, back with ingredients) - Instagram caption: Playful + Warm (personality first, education second) - CX reply to complaint: Warm + Confident (empathize first, solve fast) - Email subject line: Playful + Confident (curiosity-driven, specific) ### Example 2 — B2B SaaS Platform (Direct, Smart, Human) **Input:** "We sell project management software to mid-market teams. Our voice has drifted — marketing sounds like a startup, sales decks sound corporate, and support sounds robotic. We need one voice that works across all three." **Voice attributes defined:** - Direct (9/10): Get to the point. Lead with the answer, not the context. Respect the reader's time. - Do: "Import your Jira board in 3 clicks. Here's how." - Don't: "We understand that migrating from one project management tool to another can be a complex and time-consuming process." - Smart (7/10): Show expertise through specificity, not jargon. Assume the reader is intelligent. - Do: "Reduce sprint planning from 2 hours to 20 minutes." - Don't: "Leverage our AI-powered agile methodology optimization engine." - Human (6/10): Sound like a person, not a press release. Use contractions, occasional humor, conversational asides. - Do: "Yes, it integrates with Slack. No, it won't spam your channels." - Don't: "Our platform offers seamless integration capabilities with leading communication tools." **AI prompt template created:** ``` You are writing as [Brand]. Follow these voice rules: - Be direct: lead with the answer, then explain. No throat-clearing. - Be specific: use numbers, timeframes, and concrete outcomes. - Sound human: use contractions, occasional dry humor, and conversational tone. - Never use: leverage, synergy, best-in-class, cutting-edge, seamless. - Always use: you/your (not "users"), we (not "the platform"). - Sentence length: average 12-18 words. Max 25. ``` ## Common Mistakes 1. **Choosing aspirational over accurate attributes** — Picking voice attributes the brand wants to have rather than ones that match its current best copy. Start from what already works and refine, don't invent a new personality. 2. **Too many voice attributes** — More than 4 attributes dilute focus. Writers can't hold 7 attributes in mind while writing a tweet. Choose 3-4 that matter most and let the rest emerge naturally. 3. **Generic do/don't examples** — Writing abstract examples like "Be friendly, not formal" instead of showing actual sentences. Every rule needs a before/after pair using realistic brand copy. 4. **Ignoring channel differences** — A voice guide that treats Instagram captions and legal disclaimers the same way. The underlying personality stays constant, but tone and format must adapt to channel norms. 5. **No vocabulary enforcement** — Defining voice attributes without a word list. Writers will interpret "confident" differently; a vocabulary list makes it concrete and auditable. 6. **Forgetting AI writers** — Modern voice guides must include prompt-ready instructions, since a growing percentage of first drafts come from AI tools that need explicit voice constraints. 7. **One-time document, never updated** — Voice guides that get created during a rebrand and never touched again. Schedule quarterly reviews as the brand, audience, and channels evolve. 8. **No scoring rubric** — Without a way to measure voice compliance, feedback becomes subjective ("this doesn't feel right") rather than actionable ("this scores 2/5 on directness — here's why"). 9. **Skipping the audit step** — Jumping straight to defining attributes without analyzing what the brand already sounds like. The audit reveals the voice that customers already recognize. 10. **Making the guide too long to use** — A 50-page brand bible that nobody reads. The best voice guides have a 1-page quick reference that writers pin to their wall, backed by deeper reference docs they consult when needed. ## Resources - [Output Template](references/output-template.md) — Structured template for the complete brand voice guide deliverable - [Voice Attribute Framework](references/voice-attribute-framework.md) — Deep-dive into selecting, scaling, and documenting voice attributes - [Channel Adaptation Guide](references/channel-adaptation-guide.md) — Framework for adapting voice across marketing, CX, product, and social channels - [Quality Checklist](assets/quality-checklist.md) — Pre-delivery checklist covering completeness, consistency, and usability


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)