Brand Voice Guide

Brand Voice (Global)

The foundation skill of the content cluster. Every other content skill — 36-content-brief-global, 37-social-caption-global, 04-script-video-global, 05-ad-copy-global, 14-email-marketing-global, 38-community-seeding-global — reads this document before writing. Without it, output is technically correct and tonally inconsistent.

Information gathering

Read .agents/product-marketing-context-global.md and any existing brand guideline first. If information is missing, ask up to 4 questions:

1. What does the brand sell, to whom, at what price point — and what should a reader feel after reading its content?
2. Which 3 adjectives describe the brand's actual character — and how must the brand never be perceived?
3. Is there a brand or writer whose voice is close to the target? (reference only, never to copy)
4. What words do customers use when they talk about the brand or category? Paste real reviews, comments, support tickets, or call notes — this is the single most valuable vocabulary source.

Principles

1. Voice is a living document. Review quarterly or whenever the brand pivots. Do not write it once and file it.
2. It is a compass, not a statute. Use it to check work, and flex by context.
3. The core voice is constant across channels. Only format and length change per platform — never the personality.
4. Vocabulary comes from real customer language. Run 09-customer-insight-global first so word choices are sourced, not invented.
5. Final test: cover the logo and it still reads as you. If it could be any competitor in the category, it is not done.
6. Every claim in the voice must be substantiable. A confident voice does not license unsupported superiority or results claims — FTC advertising rules apply to organic posts, not just ads.

Workflow

1. Lock brand personality: 3 adjectives

Pick exactly 3 core adjectives, each with one sentence explaining why it reflects the brand truthfully. More than 3 dilutes the voice.

Illustrative example (a DTC skincare brand):

• Direct: names the actual problem in the first line, no throat-clearing.
• Practical: every claim comes with something the reader can do today.
• Evidence-led: cites the ingredient, the study, or the number — never "clinically proven" without the clinic.

Also record 3 things the brand must never be perceived as (for example: not luxury-aloof, not pressure-selling, not vague-wellness).

2. Define tone of voice across 5 dimensions

For each dimension write both columns. The "is not" column matters as much as the first — it is what stops voice drift.

Dimension	The brand is...	The brand is not...
Energy	[warm / measured / high-energy]	[...]
Formality	[casual / semi-professional / formal]	[...]
Person and address	[we-you / I-you / third person]	[...]
Use of evidence	[always a number / story first, data second]	[...]
Handling objections	[acknowledge then explain / rebut with proof]	[...]

3. Build the vocabulary: use / avoid / banned

• Use often: words that carry the personality, plus real customer phrasing pulled from reviews and support (source it from 09-customer-insight-global).

• Avoid: words that contradict the personality or overclaim in the category.

• Banned words — hard stop, enforced at copy review. Default global marketing-cliche list, plus the brand's own additions:

  "game-changer", "revolutionary", "unlock your potential", "don't miss out", "act now", "hurry — limited time only", "take it to the next level", "elevate your [noun]", "in today's fast-paced world", "we're excited to announce", "best-in-class", "world-class", "seamlessly", "one-stop shop", "must-have", "literally life-changing", "no-brainer", "synergy", "leverage" (as a verb in customer-facing copy).

• Canonical product names: one agreed spelling and capitalization per product or plan. Not a new variation per post.

4. Set sentence-level rules

Answer all 5:

1. Average sentence length: short / mixed / long — and why.
2. Rhetorical questions: when they are allowed, when they are not.
3. Bullets vs paragraphs: ratio and the contexts each fits.
4. Standard opening patterns: pain hook / curiosity / data point / story.
5. Standard closing patterns: specific CTA / question / summary.

5. Write 5 before/after examples

Each example needs: an off-voice version, an on-voice version, and one line naming the difference. All 5 situations are mandatory, written for real — never left as placeholders. Writers use this section more than any other.

Illustrative set, same DTC skincare brand (Direct / Practical / Evidence-led):

1. Product launch caption

• Before: "Introducing our revolutionary new serum — a total game-changer for your skin. Don't miss out!"
• After: "New: a 0.3% retinal serum. Same active family as the prescription route, without the four-week peeling phase."
• Difference: names the formula and the trade-off it solves instead of stacking adjectives.

2. Replying to a negative comment

• Before: "We're so sorry to hear that! Please DM us so we can make it right."
• After: "Fair complaint. Purging past six weeks usually means the strength is too high for your barrier, not that the product failed. Reply here and we'll swap you to the 0.15%."
• Difference: answers the actual problem first; the service gesture comes second, not instead.

3. Promotion announcement

• Before: "HUGE SALE! 30% OFF EVERYTHING! Act now before it's gone!"
• After: "30% off through Sunday. It's overstock from the December run — same formula, dented boxes."
• Difference: gives a real reason for the discount, so the discount does not reset the perceived price.

4. Educational post

• Before: "Unlock the secret to glowing skin with these amazing tips!"
• After: "Vitamin C oxidizes. If your serum has turned orange, it has stopped working — which is the whole reason ours ships in an opaque pump."
• Difference: teaches one checkable fact instead of promising a secret.

5. Testimonial / case study

• Before: "Our customers absolutely LOVE us. Best product ever!"
• After: "Priya, 11 weeks in: 'The texture on my cheeks is gone. My jaw still breaks out around my period.' That second part is expected — hormonal acne needs a different lever."
• Difference: publishing the unresolved part is what makes the resolved part believable.

6. Platform adaptation

Core voice is unchanged. Only format, length, and register shift.

Channel	Adjust vs. core	Keep constant
Facebook	Longer form allowed, conversational, light emoji if on-brand	Tone, vocabulary
Instagram	Visual leads, first line carries the hook, tighter caption	Personality, banned words
LinkedIn	One notch more professional, first-person point of view, no hard sell	Directness, evidence habit
TikTok	1-2 lines, spoken-word rhythm, keyword-forward for search	Core message
X	Compressed to a single idea, no wind-up	Point of view, precision
Email	Greeting and sign-off, slightly warmer, one clear ask	Directness, actionability

Output structure

File name: brand-voice-[brand]-[YYYYMMDD].md

# Brand Voice Document — [Brand]

## I. Brand personality
- [Adjective 1]: [one-sentence rationale]
- [Adjective 2]: [one-sentence rationale]
- [Adjective 3]: [one-sentence rationale]
- Never perceived as: [3 things]

## II. Tone of voice
| Dimension | The brand is... | The brand is not... |
|-----------|-----------------|---------------------|
| Energy | | |
| Formality | | |
| Person and address | | |
| Use of evidence | | |
| Handling objections | | |

## III. Vocabulary
**Use often:** [words / phrases, with source where customer-derived]
**Avoid:** [words / phrases]
**Banned words:** [hard-stop list]
**Canonical product names:** [agreed spelling per product/plan]

## IV. Sentence rules
- Average sentence length: [short / mixed / long] — [why]
- Rhetorical questions: [when yes / when no]
- Bullets vs paragraphs: [ratio + context]
- Opening pattern: [pain / curiosity / data / story]
- Closing pattern: [CTA / question / summary]

## V. Before / after — 5 examples
### 1. Product launch caption
- Before: "[off-voice]"
- After: "[on-voice]"
- Difference: [one line]

### 2. Replying to a negative comment
[same format]

### 3. Promotion announcement
[same format]

### 4. Educational post
[same format]

### 5. Testimonial / case study
[same format]

## VI. Platform adaptation
| Channel | Adjust vs. core | Keep constant |
|---------|-----------------|---------------|
| | | |

## VII. Copy approval checklist
- [ ] Read it aloud — does it sound like a person or like a report?
- [ ] Any banned words present?
- [ ] Does the first line earn the second?
- [ ] Any word that can be cut without losing meaning? Cut it.
- [ ] Is the next action obvious to the reader?
- [ ] Is every claim substantiable if challenged?
- [ ] Cover the logo — does it still read as us?

How other skills consume this document

• Every written asset (caption, script, ad copy, email, community post) checks sections II and III before drafting, and section VII before handoff.
• Copy reviewers approve against section VII, not against personal taste.
• When onboarding a freelance writer, agency, or creator, send sections I-V as the briefing pack.

Related skills

• 09-customer-insight-global: run first — real customer language from reviews and calls is the raw material for vocabulary.
• 36-content-brief-global: every brief cites the tone and banned words from here.
• 37-social-caption-global, 04-script-video-global, 05-ad-copy-global, 14-email-marketing-global: read this document before producing output.
• product-marketing-context-global: source of positioning, audience, and price point that the voice must fit.

Quality checklist

• All 7 sections present, from personality through copy approval checklist.
• Exactly 3 adjectives, each with a specific rationale — no generic descriptors.
• Tone table covers all 5 dimensions and includes the "is not" column.
• Vocabulary has all three groups plus canonical product names.
• All 5 before/after examples are written for real in the brand's voice — no placeholders.
• Platform adaptation covers every channel the brand actually runs.
• At least some vocabulary is sourced from real customer language, with the source noted.
• No unsupported superiority or results claims anywhere in the examples.
• File name follows brand-voice-[brand]-[YYYYMMDD].md.