What This Guide Does

Our AI Style Guide helps marketers maintain a consistent, authentic brand voice when using AI writing tools. It bridges the gap between efficient content production and distinctive brand communication.

How to Use This Guide in Your Marketing Workflow

1. Pre-Writing: Setting AI Parameters

Before generating content with AI tools, use specific sections of the style guide to establish parameters:

• Voice & Tone section (p.12-14): Define your brand personality traits for AI prompts
• Word Choice guidance (p.26): Create lists of preferred terms and phrases to include/avoid
• Beginnings section (p.15-17): Reference when crafting hooks and introductions

Example implementation: When creating social media copy, first review the Voice & Tone section to remind yourself of your "warm, witty, slightly weird" brand personality, then craft prompts that explicitly request these qualities.

2. During Content Generation: Quality Control

While working with AI tools, use these sections as quality checkpoints:

• Humanity Litmus Test (p.10): Apply these questions to evaluate AI outputs
• AI Language Patterns to Avoid (p.9): Check for and eliminate these common tells
• Words & Paragraphs guidance (p.19-20): Ensure content meets readability standards

Example implementation: After generating a first draft with AI, scan it for the formulaic transitions listed on page 9, and replace or remove them.

3. Post-Generation: Humanizing & Customizing

After initial content creation, these sections help refine and personalize:

• Show Your Work principle (p.8): Add your reasoning process where appropriate
• Include Genuine Observations (p.7): Incorporate specific insights from your experience
• Editing Process guidelines (p.24): Follow these steps for final polishing

Example implementation: After generating blog content, add a paragraph with a specific client story or personal observation that reinforces the main point.

Areas That Require Customization

1. Brand Voice Definition

The current guide provides a specific voice ("warm, witty, slightly weird"). You'll need to:

• Define your specific brand personality traits and tone
• Create examples of your voice in action for different content types
• Develop before/after examples showing generic content transformed into your voice

2. Industry-Specific Language

You'll need to customize:

• Industry terminology that's acceptable vs. jargon to avoid
• Sector-specific metaphors and examples that resonate with your audience
• Technical concepts that require particular treatment

3. Content Type Specifications

Different marketing formats need specific guidelines:

• Social Media: Character counts, hashtag usage, platform-specific voice adjustments
• Email Marketing: Subject line formulas, CTA approaches, segmentation considerations
• Long-form Content: Structure, pacing, and depth requirements

4. AI Prompting Templates

Develop customized prompting templates for your common content needs:

• Product description generator prompts
• Social media post templates for different campaigns
• Email sequence frameworks for specific funnel stages

Implementation Steps

1. Audit Current Content: Identify where your existing materials already align with or diverge from these guidelines
2. Prioritize Sections: Based on your most common content types, determine which parts of the guide to implement first
3. Create Custom Examples: Develop before/after samples using your actual marketing materials
4. Train Your Team: Schedule sessions to introduce the guide and practice applying it
5. Establish Review Process: Create a quality control system using the guide as evaluation criteria

Measuring Success

Monitor these indicators to gauge the effectiveness of your implementation:

• Engagement metrics: Are readers spending more time with your content?
• Brand recognition: Can audiences identify your content without seeing your logo?
• Production efficiency: Are you maintaining quality while increasing output?
• Team adoption: Is your marketing team consistently applying the guidelines?

Next Steps

1. Define your specific brand voice characteristics
2. Identify the top three content types that need immediate style guidance
3. Create a shared repository of successful examples that exemplify your implementation
4. Develop a simple checklist for reviewing AI-generated content against your style guide

By systematically implementing this guide, your marketing team can harness AI efficiency while maintaining the distinctive voice that sets your brand apart.Too busy to develop your own AI style guide?

Hire us to do it for you. We'll even throw it into a PDF file that shows off your brand voice and tone to the world.