copy-brand-voicelisted

# Brand Voice — Guidelines and Application **The voice is always the same thing; the tone is what varies by situation.** Confuse the two and every team ends up writing in its own style. ## Setting the 4 Voice Axes Pick one pole per axis and state the forbidden spectrum explicitly. - Formal ↔ Friendly (courtly register vs casual "—which pole) - Restrained ↔ Expressive / Expert ↔ Plain / Confident ↔ Humble Attach **two example pairs per axis (supports / does not support)**. Rules alone confuse both models and people. ## Guideline Document Structure 1. One-sentence voice declaration ("We speak like X, we never speak like Y") 2. Per-axis criteria + example sentences 3. Vocabulary table: 10 recommended / 10 forbidden words (forbidden list must include competitor and industry clichés) 4. Grammar rules: tense, number notation, capitalization policy 5. Variation by channel: Product UI = minimum / Email = medium / Social = maximum friendliness (±1 step only) 6. Six-item pre-publish self-proofing checklist ## Tone Response (by event) Incident notice = calm and accountable / Good news = upbeat / Price increase = honest. Sentences written while emotions run high are off-voice — check them against the axes before sending. ## Output One-sentence voice declaration + a 4-axis setup table (with examples) + 10 recommended/forbidden word pairs + 5 before/after rewrites of existing copy (axis rationale annotated).