• Module 2 · Build Your Brand Profile
  • 1 min read · about 20 min lab
  • Builds: Your Brand Profile and voice guide in Ace

How to Write a Brand Voice Guide AI Can Follow, with Examples

Turn "our tone is friendly" into concrete do's, don'ts, signature phrases, and banned words.

Key takeaway & what you'll build

Adjectives like "friendly" and "professional" aren't a voice. A one-page voice guide shows what your writing looks like: three "this, not that" traits, do's and don'ts with example sentences, signature phrases, words to avoid, and two samples. The short version goes in your Brand Profile and the full page goes in your vault.

You'll build: Your Brand Profile and voice guide in Ace

Adjectives aren't a voice

"Friendly, professional, approachable" describes every brand on Earth. A voice guide is useful when it shows a model (or a new team member) what your writing actually looks like.

A one-page voice guide

Use this structure:

1. Three voice traits, each with a "this, not that"

  • Direct, not blunt: we say what we think, and we say why.
  • Playful, not silly: one joke per post, maximum; never at the reader's expense.
  • Expert, not academic: short words, real examples, no citations in captions.

2. Do's with examples

  • Open with the reader's situation: "You finished the client work at 11pm. Again."
  • Use numbers over adjectives: "3 posts a week", not "consistent posting."

3. Don'ts with examples

  • No hype openers: never "Big news!" or "Exciting update!"
  • No rhetorical-question hooks: never "Ever wondered why…?"

4. Signature phrases you actually use, the way people would recognize you.

5. Words and phrases to avoid, including the AI tells: delve, unlock, elevate, seamless, game-changer, in today's fast-paced world.

6. Two short samples of your writing that you're proud of.

Where it goes

Your voice guide lives in two places:

  1. Brand Profile (short version). Put your three traits in Brand Voice Adjectives, your signature phrases in Keywords to Include, and your banned list in Words/Phrases to Avoid. These apply to every message.
  2. Knowledge vault (full version). The whole page, samples included, goes into Global Knowledge in Module 3, where Ace can draw on it when it's relevant.

Try it

Draft your one-page voice guide in any editor. Then copy the short version into your Brand Profile fields and save. The lab is next.

Hands-on lab

Your Brand Profile & Voice Guide

Pick the Brand Profile you saved in Ace (its target audience, pitch, marketing goal, voice adjectives and words to avoid are read exactly as saved), and write your one-page voice guide: at least three "this, not that" traits, do's and don'ts with examples, and a words-to-avoid list.

What the AI grader checks for

  • Audience specificity (30%): The target audience names a specific kind of person and situation, not a broad category like "small businesses".
  • Concrete voice guidance (40%): Traits are expressed as "this, not that" and the do's and don'ts include real example sentences rather than more adjectives.
  • Consistency (30%): The Brand Profile fields and the voice guide agree with each other, and the words-to-avoid list is carried into the profile.

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