Brand Voice Skill
Frameworks for documenting, applying, and enforcing brand voice and style guidelines across marketing content.
Brand Voice Documentation Framework
1. Brand Personality
Define the brand as if it were a person. What are its defining traits?
2. Voice Attributes
Select 3-5 attributes that define how the brand communicates. Each attribute should be defined with:
- What it means in practice
- What it does NOT mean
- An example demonstrating the attribute
3. Audience Awareness
- Who the brand is speaking to
- What the audience cares about
- What level of expertise the audience has
- How the audience expects to be addressed
4. Core Messaging Pillars
- 3-5 key themes the brand consistently communicates
- The hierarchy of these messages
- How each pillar connects to audience needs
5. Tone Spectrum
How the voice adapts across contexts while remaining recognizably the same brand.
6. Style Rules
Specific grammar, formatting, and language rules.
7. Terminology
Preferred and avoided terms.
Voice Attributes
Common Voice Attribute Pairs
| Spectrum |
One End |
Other End |
| Formality |
Formal, institutional |
Casual, conversational |
| Authority |
Expert, authoritative |
Peer-level, collaborative |
| Emotion |
Warm, empathetic |
Direct, matter-of-fact |
| Complexity |
Technical, precise |
Simple, accessible |
| Energy |
Bold, energetic |
Calm, measured |
| Humor |
Playful, witty |
Serious, earnest |
| Innovation |
Cutting-edge, forward-looking |
Established, proven |
Defining an Attribute
[Attribute name]
- We are: [what this means in practice]
- We are not: [common misinterpretation to avoid]
- This sounds like: [example sentence demonstrating the attribute]
- This does NOT sound like: [example sentence violating the attribute]
Tone Adaptation Across Channels and Contexts
The brand voice stays consistent, but tone adapts to context.
Tone by Channel
| Channel |
Tone Adaptation |
| Blog |
Informative, conversational, educational |
| Social media (LinkedIn) |
Professional, thought-provoking, concise |
| Social media (Twitter/X) |
Punchy, direct, sometimes witty |
| Email marketing |
Personal, helpful, action-oriented |
| Sales collateral |
Confident, benefit-driven, specific |
| Support/Help docs |
Clear, patient, step-by-step |
| Press release |
Formal, factual, newsworthy |
| Error messages |
Empathetic, helpful, blame-free |
Tone by Situation
| Situation |
Tone Adaptation |
| Product launch |
Excited, confident, forward-looking |
| Incident or outage |
Transparent, empathetic, accountable |
| Customer success story |
Celebratory, specific, crediting the customer |
| Thought leadership |
Authoritative, nuanced, evidence-based |
| Bad news |
Honest, respectful, solution-oriented |
Tone Adaptation Rule
The voice attributes remain fixed. Tone dials them up or down based on context.
Style Guide Enforcement
Grammar and Mechanics
| Rule |
Options |
Example |
| Oxford comma |
Yes / No |
"fast, reliable, and secure" |
| Headings |
Sentence / Title case |
"How to get started" vs. "How to Get Started" |
| Contractions |
Use / Avoid |
"we're" vs. "we are" |
| Numbers |
Spell out 1-9, numerals 10+ |
"five features" vs. "5 features" |
| Percent |
% / percent |
"50%" vs. "50 percent" |
Formatting Conventions
- Heading hierarchy (when to use H1, H2, H3)
- Bold and italic usage
- Link text (always descriptive, never "click here")
- Exclamation mark policy (limited use)
- ALL CAPS policy (avoid; use bold instead)
- Emoji usage by channel
Terminology Management
Preferred Terms
| Use This |
Not This |
Notes |
| sign up (verb) |
signup (verb) |
"signup" is the noun form |
| log in (verb) |
login (verb) |
"login" is the noun/adjective form |
| set up (verb) |
setup (verb) |
"setup" is the noun/adjective form |
| email |
e-mail |
No hyphen |
| website |
web site |
One word |
Product and Feature Names
- Official capitalization for product names
- When to use full product name vs. shorthand
- How to handle versioning in copy
- Trademark and registration symbols
Inclusive Language
- Use gender-neutral language
- Avoid ableist language
- Use person-first language where appropriate
- Avoid culturally specific idioms that may not translate
- Use "simple" or "straightforward" instead of "easy"
Industry Jargon Management
- Define which technical terms the audience understands without explanation
- List jargon that should always be defined or replaced
- Specify which acronyms need to be spelled out on first use
Competitor and Category Terms
- How to refer to your product category
- How to refer to competitors
- Terms competitors have coined that you should avoid
- Your preferred differentiation language
Related Skills
Sources
Version History
- 1.0.0 (2026-02-03): Initial release from anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
1---2name: brand-voice3description: Apply and enforce brand voice, style guide, and messaging pillars across content. Use for brand consistency, tone guidance, and terminology management.4---56# Brand Voice Skill78Frameworks for documenting, applying, and enforcing brand voice and style guidelines across marketing content.910## Brand Voice Documentation Framework1112### 1. Brand Personality13Define the brand as if it were a person. What are its defining traits?1415### 2. Voice Attributes16Select 3-5 attributes that define how the brand communicates. Each attribute should be defined with:17- What it means in practice18- What it does NOT mean19- An example demonstrating the attribute2021### 3. Audience Awareness22- Who the brand is speaking to23- What the audience cares about24- What level of expertise the audience has25- How the audience expects to be addressed2627### 4. Core Messaging Pillars28- 3-5 key themes the brand consistently communicates29- The hierarchy of these messages30- How each pillar connects to audience needs3132### 5. Tone Spectrum33How the voice adapts across contexts while remaining recognizably the same brand.3435### 6. Style Rules36Specific grammar, formatting, and language rules.3738### 7. Terminology39Preferred and avoided terms.4041## Voice Attributes4243### Common Voice Attribute Pairs4445| Spectrum | One End | Other End |46|----------|---------|-----------|47| Formality | Formal, institutional | Casual, conversational |48| Authority | Expert, authoritative | Peer-level, collaborative |49| Emotion | Warm, empathetic | Direct, matter-of-fact |50| Complexity | Technical, precise | Simple, accessible |51| Energy | Bold, energetic | Calm, measured |52| Humor | Playful, witty | Serious, earnest |53| Innovation | Cutting-edge, forward-looking | Established, proven |5455### Defining an Attribute5657**[Attribute name]**58- **We are**: [what this means in practice]59- **We are not**: [common misinterpretation to avoid]60- **This sounds like**: [example sentence demonstrating the attribute]61- **This does NOT sound like**: [example sentence violating the attribute]6263## Tone Adaptation Across Channels and Contexts6465The brand voice stays consistent, but tone adapts to context.6667### Tone by Channel6869| Channel | Tone Adaptation |70|---------|----------------|71| Blog | Informative, conversational, educational |72| Social media (LinkedIn) | Professional, thought-provoking, concise |73| Social media (Twitter/X) | Punchy, direct, sometimes witty |74| Email marketing | Personal, helpful, action-oriented |75| Sales collateral | Confident, benefit-driven, specific |76| Support/Help docs | Clear, patient, step-by-step |77| Press release | Formal, factual, newsworthy |78| Error messages | Empathetic, helpful, blame-free |7980### Tone by Situation8182| Situation | Tone Adaptation |83|-----------|----------------|84| Product launch | Excited, confident, forward-looking |85| Incident or outage | Transparent, empathetic, accountable |86| Customer success story | Celebratory, specific, crediting the customer |87| Thought leadership | Authoritative, nuanced, evidence-based |88| Bad news | Honest, respectful, solution-oriented |8990### Tone Adaptation Rule91The voice attributes remain fixed. Tone dials them up or down based on context.9293## Style Guide Enforcement9495### Grammar and Mechanics9697| Rule | Options | Example |98|------|---------|---------|99| Oxford comma | Yes / No | "fast, reliable, and secure" |100| Headings | Sentence / Title case | "How to get started" vs. "How to Get Started" |101| Contractions | Use / Avoid | "we're" vs. "we are" |102| Numbers | Spell out 1-9, numerals 10+ | "five features" vs. "5 features" |103| Percent | % / percent | "50%" vs. "50 percent" |104105### Formatting Conventions106- Heading hierarchy (when to use H1, H2, H3)107- Bold and italic usage108- Link text (always descriptive, never "click here")109- Exclamation mark policy (limited use)110- ALL CAPS policy (avoid; use bold instead)111- Emoji usage by channel112113## Terminology Management114115### Preferred Terms116117| Use This | Not This | Notes |118|----------|----------|-------|119| sign up (verb) | signup (verb) | "signup" is the noun form |120| log in (verb) | login (verb) | "login" is the noun/adjective form |121| set up (verb) | setup (verb) | "setup" is the noun/adjective form |122| email | e-mail | No hyphen |123| website | web site | One word |124125### Product and Feature Names126- Official capitalization for product names127- When to use full product name vs. shorthand128- How to handle versioning in copy129- Trademark and registration symbols130131### Inclusive Language132- Use gender-neutral language133- Avoid ableist language134- Use person-first language where appropriate135- Avoid culturally specific idioms that may not translate136- Use "simple" or "straightforward" instead of "easy"137138### Industry Jargon Management139- Define which technical terms the audience understands without explanation140- List jargon that should always be defined or replaced141- Specify which acronyms need to be spelled out on first use142143### Competitor and Category Terms144- How to refer to your product category145- How to refer to competitors146- Terms competitors have coined that you should avoid147- Your preferred differentiation language148149## Related Skills150151- [content-strategy](../content-strategy/SKILL.md) - Content marketing strategy152- [competitive-analysis](../competitive-analysis/SKILL.md) - Competitive intelligence153154## Sources155156- Original: [anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins](https://github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins) (2026-02-03)157158---159160## Version History161162- **1.0.0** (2026-02-03): Initial release from anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
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