# Brand Voice

> When to activate: brand voice, tone of voice, messaging framework, brand personality, voice guidelines, consistent messaging, brand copy standards

- Skill: `mattakushi432/brand-voice` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mattakushi432/brand-voice`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mattakushi432/brand-voice/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: Mattakushi432 (https://skillmd.com/u/mattakushi432)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mattakushi432/brand-voice

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# Brand Voice

## Brand Voice Development Process

### Step 1 — Audit Current Voice
- Collect 20+ pieces of existing copy (emails, website, social, support)
- Tag each with 3 adjectives
- Find the most common 5 adjectives → current (unintentional) voice
- Decide: keep, amplify, or shift each dimension

### Step 2 — Define Voice Pillars
Choose 3–4 non-contradictory adjectives. Each needs an antonym to show what you're NOT:

| Pillar | We Are | We Are Not |
|--------|--------|------------|
| Direct | Clear, no fluff | Blunt, rude |
| Human | Warm, relatable | Unprofessional, sloppy |
| Expert | Knowledgeable, confident | Jargon-heavy, elitist |
| Playful | Light, fun | Silly, undignified |

### Step 3 — Write Voice Definitions
For each pillar, produce:
1. **Definition** (2 sentences)
2. **Example — right way**
3. **Example — wrong way**
4. **3 words that activate this pillar**

**Template:**
```
PILLAR: [Name]
We [definition]. This means [implication for copy].

✅ DO: "[example sentence]"
❌ DON'T: "[example sentence]"

Activation words: [word1], [word2], [word3]
```

## Tone Spectrum

Voice is constant. Tone shifts by context:

```
CONTEXT                    TONE SHIFT
──────────────────────────────────────
Marketing / Launch         → More excited, aspirational
Onboarding / Education     → Warm, encouraging, patient
Support / Error states     → Calm, empathetic, solution-focused
Legal / Privacy            → Precise, neutral, clear
Executive communication    → Confident, data-driven
Social / Community         → Relaxed, conversational
```

### Tone Calibration Matrix
| Situation | Formality | Energy | Empathy |
|-----------|-----------|--------|---------|
| Error message | Low | Low | High |
| Product launch | Med | High | Med |
| Pricing page | Med | Med | Low |
| Cancellation flow | Low | Low | High |
| Feature announcement | Med | High | Low |

## Messaging Hierarchy

### 3-Layer Model
```
Layer 1 — BRAND PROMISE (never changes)
  The single overarching claim your brand makes to the world.
  Usually 5–10 words. Aspirational but credible.

Layer 2 — VALUE PROPOSITIONS (3–5 pillars)
  Specific dimensions of value you deliver.
  Each maps to a customer pain/desire.

Layer 3 — PROOF POINTS
  Concrete evidence for each value prop.
  Stats, customer quotes, case studies, features.
```

### Messaging Matrix Template
| Segment | Pain | Value Prop | Proof Point | CTA |
|---------|------|-----------|-------------|-----|
| SMB | Manual reporting | Save 5h/week | 2,000+ teams | Free trial |
| Enterprise | Compliance risk | Audit-ready exports | SOC 2 Type II | Talk to sales |
| Developers | Slow integrations | 1-line SDK | 50+ connectors | Read docs |

## Do/Don't Examples

### Language Patterns

| Don't | Do |
|-------|-----|
| Leverage synergies | Work better together |
| Utilize our platform | Use Acme |
| Best-in-class solution | Faster than [competitor] |
| We are excited to announce | Now you can… |
| Please feel free to | Just [action] |
| In order to | To |
| At this point in time | Now |
| Moving forward | Next |

### Punctuation & Formatting
- **Exclamation marks:** Max 1 per page. Reserve for genuine wins.
- **Ellipsis (…):** Only for genuine trailing thought. Not for drama.
- **ALL CAPS:** Never for emphasis. Use bold instead.
- **Em dash (—):** Use freely for parenthetical asides.
- **Parentheses:** Use sparingly — prefer dashes.

## Voice Consistency at Scale

### Content Checklist (per piece)
- [ ] Would our target customer recognize this as "us"?
- [ ] Does it use the vocabulary our customers use?
- [ ] Is it free of jargon our customers don't use?
- [ ] Does it sound like a smart human wrote it?
- [ ] Does it pass the "would we say this out loud?" test?

### Scaling Voice Across Teams
1. **Voice doc** — Single source of truth (1–2 pages)
2. **Before/after examples** — 10+ real rewrites
3. **Reviewer checklist** — 5 questions every editor answers
4. **Onboarding exercise** — New writers rewrite 3 existing pieces
5. **Quarterly audit** — Sample 20 pieces from each channel

### AI Copy Guardrails
Prompt template for AI-assisted copy:
```
Write [copy type] for [product] targeting [audience].
Voice: [pillar 1], [pillar 2], [pillar 3].
NOT: [anti-pillar 1], [anti-pillar 2].
Vocabulary: use words like [word1, word2, word3].
Avoid: [banned word 1], [banned word 2], corporate jargon.
Length: [target length].
CTA: [desired action].
```

## Brand Voice Document Structure

```
1. Our Voice (overview + 3–4 pillars)
2. Tone by Context (matrix)
3. Messaging Hierarchy (brand promise → value props → proof)
4. Do/Don't Examples (language, punctuation, formatting)
5. Vocabulary Guide (preferred terms, banned terms)
6. Channel-Specific Notes (email, social, support, sales)
7. Review Checklist
```

## Vocabulary Guide Template

| Preferred | Avoid | Why |
|-----------|-------|-----|
| team | users, clients | More human |
| build | leverage | Concrete verb |
| works with | integrates | Plain language |
| simple | easy | "Easy" feels dismissive |
| powerful | robust | Overused |
| [product name] | the solution | Specific, confident |