Most brand voice exercises start by asking you to describe yourself. The problem is that people are not accurate narrators of their own communication style. AI takes a different approach: it shows you the patterns in what you have already written. That is more honest and gets you to something usable faster.
In This Article
Step 1: Gather Your Best Existing Writing
Before you open any AI tool, collect examples of writing you are proud of:
- Emails to clients that got a strong response
- Proposals or pitches that landed
- Social posts that sparked conversations
- Any writing where you read it back and thought “yes, that sounds like me”
Also collect examples you cringe at. The contrast between what you like and what you do not is often more revealing than either set alone.
Step 2: Feed It to the AI and Ask the Right Questions
For Analysis
- “Based on these examples, describe how this person communicates. What do they consistently do? What do they consistently avoid?”
- “What are three words that describe this writing style, and three words that describe the opposite of it?”
- “If this person were at a dinner party, how would they talk? What would they never say?”
For Testing
- “Write a version of this [email / post / paragraph] that matches this voice exactly. Then explain what choices you made.”
- “Here is a piece of writing I do not like. What is different about it compared to the examples I shared?”
Step 3: Build the Reference Document
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Voice in three words | Direct, specific, no-fluff (or whatever is true) |
| We do this | Short sentences. Specific examples. Active verbs. |
| We never do this | No jargon. No hedging. No “we believe” or “we strive.” |
| Real examples | Two or three sentences that clearly demonstrate the voice |
How to Use This With Clients
This same process works as a billable deliverable. Ask the client to share three pieces they are proud of and three they cringe at. Run the analysis. Present the findings as a brand voice audit. Two things happen:
- You have a reference for all copy and content work that follows
- The client feels understood, because you reflected their own patterns back to them
Maintenance: Catch Drift Early
Every six months, feed a sample of recent content into the AI and ask whether it matches your original voice description. Catching drift at six months is much easier than correcting a year of inconsistency.