Prompt 4 - Craft your voice

You are a world-class brand voice and messaging strategist. I need your help defining our complete brand voice system - how we speak, what we say, and how we show up consistently across all touchpoints.

CONTEXT:

Our Brand Purpose: [PASTE FROM STEP 1]

Our Target Customer: [PASTE NAME AND KEY INSIGHT FROM STEP 2]

Our Positioning: [PASTE POSITIONING STATEMENT FROM STEP 3]

Our Enemy (what we're fighting against): [PASTE ENEMY FROM STEP 3]

YOUR TASK:

Create our complete brand voice and messaging system. This will guide all communication - social media, website, packaging, customer service, everything.

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PART 1: BRAND PERSONALITY

Choose 3 personality traits that define how our brand behaves. For each trait, explain:

- What this trait means for us specifically

- How this shows up in our communication

- What this trait does NOT mean (to avoid misinterpretation)

Use this framework:

- Trait 1: [e.g., "Bold" or "Nurturing" or "Witty"]

  - Definition: [What this means for our brand]

  - Shows up as: [Specific behaviors/language]

  - Not to be confused with: [What this doesn't mean]

(Repeat for 3 traits)

Then, create a personality statement:

"If our brand was a person, they would be [description using the 3 traits]."

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PART 2: TONE SPECTRUM

Our voice (personality) stays consistent, but our tone adapts to context. Define our tone across these contexts:

1. SOCIAL MEDIA (Instagram/Twitter):

   - Tone: [e.g., Playful, Conversational, Provocative]

   - Language style: [Sentence length, emoji use, hashtag strategy]

   - Example caption: [Write a sample 2-3 line caption]

2. WEBSITE/PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS:

   - Tone: [e.g., Informative, Inspiring, Clear]

   - Language style: [Technical vs. simple, formal vs. casual]

   - Example headline + 2 sentences: [Write sample product description]

3. CUSTOMER SERVICE:

   - Tone: [e.g., Empathetic, Solution-focused, Warm]

   - Language style: [How we apologize, how we solve problems]

   - Example response: [Sample reply to a customer complaint]

4. BRAND MANIFESTO/ABOUT PAGE:

   - Tone: [e.g., Rallying, Authentic, Bold]

   - Language style: [Inspirational vs. matter-of-fact]

   - Example paragraph: [Write 3-4 sentences for About page]

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PART 3: LANGUAGE RULES

DO's (5 specific things we ALWAYS do):

1. [e.g., "Start sentences with verbs to create energy"]

2. [e.g., "Use 'we' and 'us' to build community"]

3. [e.g., "Ask questions to spark reflection"]

4. [e.g., "Reference real customer stories"]

5. [e.g., "Use sensory language (describe how things feel, smell, taste)"]

DON'Ts (5 things we NEVER do):

1. [e.g., "Use corporate jargon like 'leverage' or 'synergy'"]

2. [e.g., "Shame or guilt-trip our audience"]

3. [e.g., "Make exaggerated claims we can't back up"]

4. [e.g., "Use competitor names directly"]

5. [e.g., "Over-explain or talk down to our audience"]

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PART 4: MESSAGING HIERARCHY

Create our core messaging system:

1. BRAND TAGLINE (5-7 words that capture our positioning):

   - Option A: [Tagline]

   - Option B: [Tagline]

   - Option C: [Tagline]

   [Recommend one and explain why]

2. BRAND MANIFESTO (2-3 sentences that rally people to our cause):

   - This should connect to our Enemy and our Purpose

   - Make it emotional and rallying

   - [Write the manifesto]

3. ELEVATOR PITCH (30 seconds - explain who we are, what we do, why it matters):

   - [Write the pitch in conversational language]

4. THREE CORE MESSAGES (repeat these everywhere):

   - Message 1: [One key thing we want people to know]

   - Message 2: [Second key thing]

   - Message 3: [Third key thing]

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PART 5: SAMPLE CONTENT (Prove the voice works)

Write 3 Instagram captions in our voice:

CAPTION 1: Launching our hero product

[Product name and key benefit]

Write the caption (2-3 sentences + CTA + relevant hashtags)

CAPTION 2: Responding to a customer question

Customer asks: "Is this really better than [competitor]?"

Write our response (2-3 sentences, authentic and confident)

CAPTION 3: Taking a stand on a relevant cultural moment

Pick a topic related to our Enemy or Purpose

Write a caption that shows our brand POV (2-3 sentences)

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PART 6: VOICE GUARDRAILS

To ensure consistency, complete these tests:

OUR VOICE IS: [3 adjectives]

OUR VOICE IS NOT: [3 adjectives we avoid]

SOUNDS LIKE: [Name a person/brand with similar voice]

DOES NOT SOUND LIKE: [Name a person/brand with opposite voice]

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FORMAT YOUR RESPONSE:

✅ Brand Personality: [3 traits with definitions]

✅ Personality Statement: [One sentence]

✅ Tone Spectrum: [All 4 contexts with examples]

✅ Language DOs and DON'Ts: [5 each]

✅ Messaging Hierarchy: [Tagline, manifesto, pitch, 3 core messages]

✅ Sample Captions: [All 3 with hashtags]

✅ Voice Guardrails: [IS and IS NOT statements]

IMPORTANT GUIDELINES:

- Voice must reflect our positioning from Step 3

- Voice must resonate with our customer from Step 2

- Voice must be DISTINCTIVE (not generic brand-speak)

- Voice must be CONSISTENT (personality stays the same, tone adapts)

- Every sample should sound unmistakably like US

Example of GOOD voice: "Bold but not brash. We challenge conventions with data, not drama. We're the friend who tells you the truth and helps you act on it."

Example of BAD voice: "Professional, friendly, and customer-focused."

Now, craft our brand voice.