The key idea
A voice guide should explain what good writing does, with examples and boundaries, rather than relying on vague adjectives.
Our method
Collect approved samples and identify recurring choices: vocabulary, sentence length, evidence, humour and prohibited claims. Build paired examples of acceptable and unacceptable copy. Test the guide on different channels and capture the reviewer’s reasons for changes.
How to assess progress
Track recurring corrections and agreement between reviewers. Keep the guide versioned. A model following a style prompt still needs factual and contextual review.
Decision
Decide which editorial choices express your brand under pressure, especially when explaining limitations, declining a request or correcting an error. These moments reveal more useful boundaries than a list of aspirational adjectives. Choose examples from different channels so the guide does not become a single writing template.
Exercise
Select six approved passages and six passages that required substantial edits. Hide their status and ask two reviewers to explain what they would retain or change. Convert recurring reasons into observable rules, then test those rules on an announcement, a support reply and a technical explanation the reviewers have not seen.
Deliverable
Deliver a compact voice kit containing principles, paired examples, preferred terminology and a review rubric. Give each rule a reason and a boundary: when brevity helps, when context is necessary and where humour creates confusion. Attach one annotated revision showing how the rules affect an actual draft.
Pitfall
Do not mistake recurring phrases for a distinctive voice. If every draft uses the same opening and rhythm, test whether the guide is suppressing useful variety. Assess clarity, judgement and evidence as well as stylistic resemblance to the reference samples.
Demos
A fictional reusable aluminium bottle provides a complete brief for a small campaign.
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