Brand Voice Guidelines: A Template With Examples
Brand voice guidelines are a short document that tells anyone (you, a freelancer, or an AI model) exactly how your brand sounds in writing. A useful one fits on one page and has five parts: who you are talking to, three voice traits with “this, not that” pairs, sentence rules, a word list, and approved example posts. The template and examples below give you all five.
Why do brand voice guidelines matter for a small brand?
Because without them, every post is a fresh guess. On a faceless account, the voice is the face: it is the only thing that makes post 40 feel like it came from the same brand as post 1.
Written guidelines also make AI output usable. A model that reads your voice rules and three real samples writes much closer to your brand than one told to “sound friendly”. That is the same reason a single brand file sits at the center of running a faceless brand without a content team.
What goes into brand voice guidelines?
Five sections. Skip any of them and the gaps show up in the writing.
| Section | What it answers | Example entry |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Who reads this, and what do they already know? | Solo operators who have posted for months and are tired of generic advice |
| Voice traits | Which three adjectives describe us, and what do they rule out? | Direct, not blunt. Practical, not dry. Calm, not flat. |
| Sentence rules | How long, how formal, which person? | Short declaratives. Speak to “you”. Outcome first. |
| Word list | Which words do we use and which do we never use? | Use: system, draft, test. Avoid: hack, crush, guru. |
| Examples | What does it look like when done right? | Three approved posts, with a note on why each works |
How do you write the voice traits?
Pick three adjectives, then pin each one down with a “not” that stops it drifting. “Friendly” alone becomes exclamation marks. “Friendly, not bubbly” stays useful.
A quick way to find them:
- Collect ten posts or emails you wish you had written, from any brand.
- Write one word for how each makes you feel.
- Group the words. The three biggest groups are your traits.
- For each trait, write the failure mode next to it.
Then add one sentence per trait describing what it means in practice: “Direct: we state the answer in the first line and cut the warm-up.”
What does a brand voice guidelines template look like?
Copy this and fill in the brackets. Keep it to one page; long guidelines go unread.
BRAND VOICE GUIDELINES: [brand name]
Audience
We write for [who], who already know [what they know]
and are frustrated by [their main frustration].
Voice traits
1. [Trait], not [failure mode]. In practice: [one sentence].
2. [Trait], not [failure mode]. In practice: [one sentence].
3. [Trait], not [failure mode]. In practice: [one sentence].
Sentence rules
- Person: [we / I] to [you]
- Length: [short / mixed], max [n] lines per paragraph
- Formality: [contractions yes/no], [slang yes/no]
- Punctuation: [emoji yes/no], [exclamation marks yes/no]
Words we use: [5–10 words]
Words we never use: [5–10 words]
Claims: we never invent numbers, results or testimonials.
Approved examples
1. [post] Why it works: [note]
2. [post] Why it works: [note]
3. [post] Why it works: [note]
What do good brand voice examples look like?
The fastest way to teach a voice is a before and after. Here is one draft rewritten under the rules “direct, not blunt”, “practical, not dry” and “outcome first”.
Before: “Are you struggling to stay consistent on social media? You’re not alone! In today’s fast-paced world, it can be really hard to keep up. Here are some tips that might help!”
After: “Consistency is a planning problem, not a willpower problem. Pick one idea a week, write it once, and cut every post from it.”
The rewrite drops the rhetorical question, the filler and the exclamation marks, and leads with the claim. Two more pairs, for different channels:
- Threads, before: “Just a quick reminder that rest is important too!” After: “You don’t need a posting streak. You need a backlog.” For more starting points like this, see these Threads post ideas.
- Instagram caption, before: “Check out our new freebie, link in bio!” After: “The checklist I use before every launch is free. Link in bio.” If you draft captions with AI, pair the rules with these ChatGPT prompts for Instagram.
How do you adapt one voice across channels?
The voice stays fixed; the tone shifts with the platform. Think of tone as volume, not personality.
| Channel | Tone adjustment | What stays the same |
|---|---|---|
| Blog | Fuller explanations, more structure | Traits, word list, claim rules |
| Tighter, first line carries the hook | Traits, word list | |
| Threads and X | Shortest, most conversational | Traits, sentence rules |
| Warmer, one reader at a time | Traits, claim rules | |
| Keyword-led titles, plain descriptions | Word list |
This is what makes content repurposing work: one thesis, adapted per platform, recognisably the same brand. Your voice rules and your content pillars together decide what you say and how you say it.
How do you get AI to follow your brand voice guidelines?
Give it the document and the examples every time, not a summary. Models copy examples more reliably than they follow adjectives.
- Paste the full guidelines at the start of the conversation, or store them in a project or skill so they load automatically. If you are new to that, read what Claude Skills are.
- Ask the model to check its draft against the word list before it shows you.
- When a draft is good, add it to the approved examples. The guidelines get better every week.
How often should you update them?
Review them once a quarter, or whenever you notice yourself correcting the same thing twice. Most updates are additions to the word list or a new approved example. A full rewrite usually means the audience changed, which is a positioning question rather than a voice one.
FAQ
How long should brand voice guidelines be?
One page is enough for a solo brand. If it runs longer, people (and models) skim it and miss the rules that matter.
What is the difference between brand voice and tone?
Voice is the fixed personality: your traits, words and rules. Tone is how loudly or softly that personality speaks on a given channel or in a given moment.
Do faceless brands need brand voice guidelines?
They need them more than most. With no face or personal story to anchor the account, the writing is the only consistent signal the audience gets, and examples like these faceless Instagram ideas only work when the voice holds.
How many example posts should I include?
Three is a good start: one for reach, one for trust and one that sells, such as a post promoting one of your lead magnet ideas. Add more as you approve them.
Can I use the same guidelines for my email list?
Yes. Keep the traits, word list and claim rules, and let the tone warm up slightly, because email is read one person at a time.
Write your voice down once, and let every module read it. Nexin Core interviews you about your brand and writes a brand file, including voice rules and approved examples, that every Nexin channel module reads before it drafts anything. It is not for you if you want an agency to write for you or you don’t use Claude or ChatGPT. See the Core module or see pricing.