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Start an assessmentHow do I get AI to write in my brand voice?
A four-part method for briefing AI tools to draft in your voice, with copy-paste prompt templates.
How To
How To
Build a reusable brand voice brief from a description, real examples and a rules list, then test it on three short pieces of writing.
Three to five examples of your best existing writing
A list of words and phrases you want to avoid
An AI writing tool your business has approved, such as ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini
Describe your business in one sentence, who you write for and how you want readers to feel, then give three voice descriptors, each with a 'sounds like' example.
Find three to five real pieces of your best writing: the ones you would show a new writer as a model. Note why each one works.
List banned words and phrases, structural patterns to avoid, tone traps and your preferred sentence length.
Put all three parts into a single text document. This is your reusable brief: paste it at the start of an AI writing session or save it as standing instructions.
Test the block on a short email, a social post and a paragraph of website copy. Adjust it until all three read like your own writing.
The core problem
Intro
Generic AI output often comes from a thin brief. A brief with real examples, explicit rules and specific instructions gives the tool more to work from. This guide sets out a method for building that brief once and reusing it. The drafts it produces still need editing by someone who knows your voice.
A common starting point is to describe a voice in adjectives: professional, warm, clear, conversational. Those words may be accurate, but many businesses describe themselves the same way, so they give the tool little to go on and it falls back on familiar phrasing.
Specific material gives the tool more to work with: real examples of your writing, explicit rules about what to avoid, and sentence-level instructions it can follow. The four-part method below gives you a structure for building this once and reusing it for later writing tasks.
Where attempts go wrong
Five common reasons AI drafts miss your voice
These are common first attempts at getting AI to write in a brand voice. Each has a cause you can fix in the brief.
| Heading | What | Why It Fails | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective-only briefing | "Write in a warm, professional, conversational tone." | Many service businesses would describe their voice with the same adjectives. The words give the tool no detail about your writing, so it produces the familiar tone you are trying to move away from. | Pair every adjective with a 'sounds like' example. 'Conversational means short sentences and plain English, like this: [paste a real sentence from your writing].' Examples tie an abstract word to something the tool can copy. |
| No negative examples or banned list | Telling AI what you want without saying what you don't want. | AI fills gaps with phrasing that is common in your sector. In professional services, that means words such as 'solutions' and 'synergy', and scene-setting openings about the state of the market. | Write a banned list: specific phrases, structural patterns such as bullet points everywhere or a header on every paragraph, and tone traps. For example: 'Do not open with a question aimed at the reader. Do not use the word solutions. Do not open with a sentence about the business landscape.' Rules like these are as useful as the positive examples. |
| Starting from scratch every session | Describing your voice requirements in the first message of each new chat. | Re-briefing takes time in every session, and the description changes slightly each time, which makes the output inconsistent. When you are in a hurry, the brief gets shorter and the drafts get more generic. | Build one reusable brand voice block and keep it as a text file. Paste it at the start of a writing session, or set it as custom instructions or project instructions so it applies to each conversation. |
| Accepting or rejecting without specific feedback | 'This isn't right, try again.' | A bare 'try again' tends to produce a similar draft, because the tool has not been told what was wrong with the first one. | Name the specific problem. 'That opening is too formal and reads like a press release. Start with the problem the reader has, then describe what we offer. Use a shorter first sentence.' A precise correction gives the next draft a clear target. |
| Inconsistent examples in the briefing | Including old writing alongside recent writing when your voice has changed. | The tool blends the examples you give it. If half of them come from a time when you wrote more formally, the output mixes the old voice with the new one. | Choose your three to five most recent, most representative examples. If your tone, audience or service focus has changed, retire older examples even if they are well written. |
The four-part method
Build a reusable brand voice block
Each part does a different job. The description gives context, the examples give a model, the rules rule out common defaults, and the test loop checks the block on real tasks before you rely on it.
- 01Voice description
A structured brief that tells the AI who you are, who you write for and how the writing should feel. Each descriptor is backed by an example from your own writing.
- 02Positive examples
Three to five real pieces of your best writing, the ones you would show a new writer as a model. A few consistent examples give a clearer model than a larger mixed set.
- 03Rules (what to avoid)
Explicit rules about what to avoid stop the tool falling back on common phrasing in your sector. Be specific, because general rules such as 'keep it simple' tend to have little effect.
- 04The test loop
Once you have built your brand voice block, test it on three formats before using it for anything client-facing. Change the block wherever a test shows a specific problem.
Prompt templates
Four copy-paste templates
These templates are plain text, so you can use them in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or similar tools. Fill in the bracketed sections with your own details. More detail gives the tool more to work from. Use the copy button to take each one.
WhenPaste this at the start of an AI writing session, or save it as custom instructions
TemplateBRAND VOICE BRIEF Business: [One-sentence description of what you do and for whom] Reader: [Who you are writing for. Be specific.] Voice: [3 adjectives, each with a 'sounds like' example sentence] • [Adjective 1]: sounds like "[real sentence from your writing]" • [Adjective 2]: sounds like "[real sentence from your writing]" • [Adjective 3]: sounds like "[real sentence from your writing]" Sentence length: [short / medium / mixed] Examples of writing that represents our voice well: [Paste 2 or 3 real examples with a one-sentence note on each] Rules. Do not do any of the following: • Use these words or phrases: [list banned words and phrases] • Open with a question aimed at the reader • Use bullet points where prose would read better • [Add your own patterns to avoid] When in doubt, write shorter and plainer.
WhenUse after your brand voice block to brief a specific piece of writing
TemplateUsing the brand voice brief above: Write [content type: email / LinkedIn post / website paragraph / etc.] Purpose: [What this piece needs to achieve] Reader: [Who will read this, if more specific than the reader in the brief] Key message: [The one thing they should take away] Call to action: [What you want them to do next, if anything] Length: [Approximate word count or format, e.g. '3 paragraphs', '150 words max'] Do not start with: [Any openings you want to avoid for this piece]
WhenUse when the first output is close but wrong in a specific way
TemplateThis is almost right, but [specific problem]. Rewrite it with these changes: • [Change 1, e.g. 'Shorten the opening sentence to under 10 words'] • [Change 2, e.g. 'Remove the phrase "one-stop shop" and describe what we do in plain words'] • [Change 3, e.g. 'The third paragraph is too cautious. Make it more direct.'] Keep: [What worked in the first draft] Change: [What needs to change] Leave the parts I have not asked you to change as they are.
WhenUse this to get AI to help you build your voice examples from existing writing
TemplateI am going to paste three pieces of writing that represent my brand voice at its best. For each one, please: 1. Identify the 3 or 4 most distinctive voice characteristics 2. Note any word choices or sentence patterns that are particularly representative 3. Flag any phrases or structural choices I should use as positive examples After analysing all three, write a short voice summary I could use to brief other AI tools. Include the key descriptors, 2 or 3 sentence-level examples, and 3 to 5 things this voice avoids. [Paste your first example here] [Paste your second example here] [Paste your third example here]
Common questions
FAQs
Why does AI writing sound generic even when I describe my brand?
Adjective descriptions such as 'professional but warm' or 'clear and conversational' fit a great many businesses, so they tell the tool little about yours and it falls back on familiar phrasing. Real examples of your writing, explicit rules about what to avoid and sentence-level instructions ('write short sentences', 'do not open with a question', 'use plain words') give it more to work from. A specific, example-led brief tends to produce more distinctive drafts, and a person still edits them.
Do I need a different setup for Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini?
The brand voice block is plain text, so the same block works in each of them. The difference is where you store it. ChatGPT has custom instructions and custom GPTs. Claude has Projects with instructions. Gemini has Gems, which are similar to custom GPTs. Feature names change, so check each tool's current settings. If you use several tools, keep the block in a text file you can paste quickly. The prompt templates in this guide work in all three.
How many examples do I need in my brand voice block?
Three to five is a sensible range. With too few, the tool has little to copy. With too many, inconsistencies creep in, especially if your writing has changed over time and older examples reflect an earlier voice. Choose the pieces you would show a new writer as a model. Annotate them if you can, because a note on why each one works tells the tool which features matter.
Should I create one brand voice document or different ones for each channel?
Start with one core brand voice block covering your voice, rules and examples. Then add short channel notes: one for LinkedIn (more personal, slightly more direct), one for email newsletters (warmer, shorter paragraphs) and one for website copy (clearer calls to action, benefits first). The core block stays the same and each note adjusts for format and audience. One core block with short notes is easier to keep up to date than several complete voice guides.
What do I do when the AI output is close but not quite right?
Name the specific problem. A bare 'try again' usually produces a similar result. For example: 'That is too formal, and the opening line sounds like a press release. Start with the problem the reader has, then describe what we offer.' A precise correction gives the next draft a clear target. If a phrase or pattern you do not want keeps appearing, add it to your banned list.
Can AI match my voice in short social posts?
Yes, with more explicit format instructions. Short posts leave less room to show a voice, so it comes through in word choice, sentence rhythm and what you leave out. Include two or three good example posts in your brand voice block, and add a format note: maximum number of sentences, whether you use emoji, whether you use bullet points or prose, and how you end posts. Test it with real post briefs.
Talk to us
We can help your team set up a shared brand voice brief and writing workflow
Our AI Workshops and AI Consultancy cover brand voice setup, custom GPT configuration and the writing workflow around them, including who reviews drafts before they go out. Send us two or three pieces of writing you are happy with and tell us where AI drafts currently fall short.