Brand Voice and Style Guide SKILL.md

This is the exact file agents read, including the credit header and licence notice. Save it as brand-voice-guide/SKILL.md.

---
name: brand-voice-guide
description: "Create and maintain brand voice and style guides: brand character, three or four voice attributes with boundaries and examples, tone by context from marketing to incidents, vocabulary and banned phrases, grammar and formatting rules, inclusive language, before-and-after rewrites, an AI instruction block for writing tools and a review process. Use whenever someone asks for a brand voice, tone of voice guide, style guide, writing guidelines, consistent copy across teams, voice rules for AI writing tools or why the brand sounds different everywhere."
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  author: Afeez Adebayo
  author_url: https://afeezadebayo.com
  author_linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/
  author_x: https://x.com/za_icon
  source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/marketing/content-copy-pr/brand-voice-guide/
  category: marketing
  subcategory: content-copy-pr
  version: "1.0.0"
  created: "2026-10-10"
  updated: "2026-10-10"
---

# Brand Voice and Style Guide

A brand voice is how a company sounds when it writes and speaks: the words it chooses, how formal it is, how it explains, jokes or disagrees. When voice is clear, every writer, agency and AI tool can produce copy that feels like the same company. When it isn't, the website sounds corporate, the newsletter chatty, sales emails pushy and AI-assisted content generic. Readers notice, and trust suffers.

This skill creates and maintains brand voice and style guides: voice attributes with examples, tone shifts by context, vocabulary rules, grammar and formatting standards, inclusive language, AI prompting instructions and a review process.

## Operating principles
1. **Voice comes from the brand's character and audience,** not from adjectives everyone uses ("friendly, professional, innovative").
2. **Show, don't just tell.** Each attribute needs do and don't examples.
3. **Voice stays; tone flexes.** The same voice sounds different in an error message, a launch post and a support reply.
4. **Specific rules beat general advice.** "Use 'customers', not 'users'" is more useful than "be clear".
5. **Make it usable by AI tools.** A condensed version should work as instructions for writing assistants.

## Guide components
| Component | Content |
|---|---|
| Brand character | Who the brand is, in a paragraph |
| Voice attributes (three to four) | Each with "this, not that" and examples |
| Tone by context | How voice shifts for sales, support, errors, social, crises |
| Vocabulary | Preferred terms, banned words, product names, capitalisation |
| Grammar and mechanics | Spelling variant (British or American), punctuation, numbers, dates, headings |
| Formatting | Paragraph length, lists, headings, links, emphasis |
| Inclusive language | Respectful, accessible wording |
| Examples | Before and after rewrites |
| AI instructions | A short prompt block for writing tools |
| Review process | Who checks voice, how feedback is given |

## Voice attribute format
| Attribute | We are | We are not | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct | Clear, short sentences, the point first | Blunt or cold | "Your export failed because the file is over 50 MB." |
| Expert | Specific, evidence-based | Jargon-heavy or condescending | "Most teams close in five days; ours average two." |
| Warm | Human, encouraging | Overly casual or jokey in serious moments | "Nice work, your first report is ready." |

## When to use, and when not to
Use it when writing sounds inconsistent across teams or channels, when onboarding writers or agencies, when adopting AI writing tools, after rebrands and when entering new markets.

Don't use it to design visual identity (logos, colours) or to set positioning (the Product Marketing skills).

## Inputs to ask for, in one message
1. Brand values, positioning and audience.
2. Examples of writing the team loves and hates (own and others').
3. Existing style rules or guides.
4. Channels and content types written.
5. Spelling preference and markets served.
6. AI tools used for writing.

## Workflow

### Step 1. Gather examples
Collect 20 to 30 pieces across channels; mark what sounds right and wrong.

### Step 2. Define character
Describe the brand as a person: what they know, how they talk, what they'd never say.

### Step 3. Choose three or four voice attributes
Each with a boundary ("direct, not blunt").

### Step 4. Write examples
Do and don't examples for each attribute; before-and-after rewrites from real copy.

### Step 5. Define tone shifts
A table of contexts and how tone changes.

### Step 6. Set vocabulary and mechanics
Terms, banned phrases, spelling, numbers, dates, capitalisation, punctuation.

### Step 7. Write the AI instruction block
A condensed, testable version for writing assistants.

### Step 8. Roll out and maintain
Train writers, add to briefs, review samples monthly, update yearly.

## Tone by context
| Context | Tone |
|---|---|
| Marketing pages | Confident, specific, benefit-led |
| Product UI and errors | Calm, short, helpful |
| Support replies | Patient, clear, human |
| Social posts | Lighter, conversational, still accurate |
| Bad news or incidents | Serious, transparent, accountable |
| Thought leadership | Opinionated, evidence-based |

## AI instruction block (example)
```
Write in our brand voice: direct, expert and warm.
Use British English spelling.
Short sentences; lead with the point.
Use specific numbers and examples instead of adjectives.
Say "customers", not "users"; never call the product "the platform".
Avoid hype words and stock phrases from the banned list.
No exclamation marks except in celebratory product messages.
```

## Before and after rewrites
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| We are excited to announce our innovative new feature. | You can now export reports to Excel in one click. |
| Your request could not be processed at this time. | We could not save your changes. Check your connection and try again. |
| Leading provider of best-in-class solutions | Payroll software for UK businesses with 10 to 500 staff |
Rewrites taken from the company's own copy teach writers faster than abstract rules.

## Banned phrase list (starter)
Keep a short list of hype words and stock phrases the brand never uses, with plain alternatives, and update it whenever reviewers spot new patterns. Include phrases that make copy sound machine-written, so writers and AI tools avoid them.

## Rolling out the guide
- One-page summary plus the full guide.
- Walkthrough session for writers, designers, support and agencies.
- Guide linked in every brief and template.
- Monthly sample review with voice scores and examples.
- Yearly update after reviewing what changed in products, audiences and markets.

## Voice scoring for reviews
Score samples from 1 to 5 on each voice attribute and note one example of what to change. Tracking average scores by channel and writer shows where training or rewrites are needed most.

## Edge cases and judgement calls
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Several brands or products | Shared core rules plus product-level notes |
| Regulated industries | Add compliance phrases and disclaimers to the guide |
| International markets | Local adaptation notes; avoid idioms that don't travel |
| Founder voice differs from brand voice | Separate guide for executive content |
| Agencies resist the guide | Include it in briefs and acceptance criteria |

## Handoffs to related skills
- Editing: `editing-proofreading`
- AI-sounding text: `ai-writing-cleanup`
- Copywriting: `marketing-copywriting`
- Thought leadership voice: `thought-leadership`
- Messaging content: the Product Marketing `messaging-framework` skill

## Worked example
A fintech company's website promised `seamless, innovative financial solutions`, support replies were stiff and the newsletter used memes. The new guide defined the brand as a calm, expert friend who explains money clearly, with attributes direct, expert and reassuring, banned a list of hype words, set British spelling and wrote tone rules for errors and incidents. An AI instruction block went into every writing tool. Review scores for voice consistency rose, and agency drafts needed fewer rewrites.

## Output format
```
# Brand voice and style guide: <brand>, <date>
## Brand character
## Voice attributes with examples
## Tone by context
## Vocabulary and banned phrases
## Grammar, mechanics and formatting
## Inclusive language
## Before and after examples
## AI instruction block
## Review process
```

## Common mistakes
- Generic attributes with no examples.
- No tone guidance for difficult moments.
- Guides too long for anyone to use.
- Forgetting AI tools.
- No review or update process.

## Questions to ask before you write the guide
- How should the brand sound at its best, and what should it never sound like?
- Which channels and writers need the guide most?
- Which AI tools need instructions?

## Self-check before you answer
- Does each attribute have boundaries and examples?
- Are tone shifts defined for key contexts?
- Are vocabulary and mechanics specific?
- Is there an AI-ready version?

## Further reading
- Mailchimp Content Style Guide: https://styleguide.mailchimp.com/
- GOV.UK style guide: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/style-guide

---
Created by Afeez Adebayo, Marketing, SEO & Growth Expert
Website: https://afeezadebayo.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/
X: https://x.com/za_icon
Source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/marketing/content-copy-pr/brand-voice-guide/

Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share and adapt this skill, including for commercial use, as long as you credit Afeez Adebayo and link to the source URL above. Keep this notice in any copy or adapted version.