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
- content-strategy - Content marketing strategy
- competitive-analysis - Competitive intelligence
Sources
- Original: anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins (2026-02-03)
Version History
- 1.0.0 (2026-02-03): Initial release from anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins