Brand voice guide template: what to write down first

A brand voice guide does not need to be long. It needs to answer the questions a new writer, a freelancer, or a drafting step would otherwise have to guess at. Write these answers down in plain language, and keep the document where the people writing posts can find it.

The template below covers the basics. Copy it, fill in what you know, and leave a line open where you don’t.

Start with the template

Copy this block into a new document:

• Brand: [name, and one sentence on what it does]
• Voice, in 3 to 5 adjectives:
  • [adjective], not [adjective]
  • [adjective], not [adjective]
  • [adjective], not [adjective]
• Words and phrases we use: [list]
• Words and phrases we avoid: [list, with a reason for each]
• How we address the reader: [you or we, first names or formal, any rule for group terms]
• Sentence length: [default, and when a longer sentence is fine]
• Formatting: [line breaks, lists, bold, captions]
• Emoji policy: [never, sparingly, or only on these networks; the emoji we use]
• Hashtag policy: [how many, where they go, which ones are always included]
• Facts we may state: [products, prices, hours, offers, and the date each was last checked]
• Fact owner: [name or role who keeps the facts current, and how often they review them]
• Three posts we love: [link, and one sentence on why each works]
• Network notes:
  • [network]: [length, tone, what works]
  • [network]: [length, tone, what works]
• Never say: [claims we cannot support, topics we stay away from]
• Approver: [who signs off on the voice and on the facts]

Voice in three to five adjectives

An adjective helps only when it rules something out. “Friendly” on its own tells a writer nothing. “Warm, not gushing” shows where the line is.

For each adjective, write the opposite you do not want. Some pairs that work:

• Plain, not jargon-heavy
• Direct, not pushy
• Warm, not chummy
• Confident, not boastful

Pick three to five. With more than five, the list stops being a guide.

Words to use and words to avoid

Keep two short lists. The “use” list holds the words your customers already use to describe what you do. The “avoid” list holds buzzwords, filler, and anything a writer might reach for out of habit. Add a reason beside each avoided word, because a bare list invites argument. “Avoid ‘seamless’: we cannot show that it is seamless” gives a writer something to act on.

How you address the reader

Decide whether you say “you” or “we,” whether you use first names, and whether the posts sound like a company or a person. Write one rule and apply it everywhere, including captions and replies. Mixed address is one of the most common reasons a feed sounds like several different people wrote it.

Sentence length and formatting

Write down your default. Most brands do better with short sentences and one idea per sentence. Say when a longer sentence is allowed. Then decide how posts are laid out: line breaks, numbered points, bold text, or plain paragraphs. Give one example of each layout you accept.

Emoji and hashtags

Set a policy you can check: never, sparingly, or only on certain networks. If you allow emoji, list the ones that fit the brand. For hashtags, write how many you use, where they go, and which ones are always included. “Use as many as fit” is not a policy.

Facts you may state

This section prevents the most damaging errors. List what the brand is allowed to say as fact: products, prices, opening hours, current offers, and dates. For each item, record the date it was last checked and the person who keeps it current.

A post that states a price nobody approved is a problem that voice notes cannot fix. Keep the facts in one place, and update that place before you change a post.

Three past posts you love

Pick three posts that already sound like the brand at its best. Link to each one and write a sentence on why it works. “Short, specific, ends on the product” is more useful than “this one is great.”

These are the examples a writer should read first. When you update the guide, check that the examples still match it. If one no longer fits, replace it.

Per-network notes

A voice can stay the same across networks while the format changes. For each network you post to, write two or three lines on length, tone, and what works there. Keep it short. The goal is to name the differences, not to write a strategy.

Using it in Solvgent

Solvgent keeps this kind of material in Brand Brain, organized by brand:

• Voice notes and content pillars. The voice rules and the topics the brand covers.
• Knowledge entries. Products, prices, hours, and FAQs.
• Past posts. Examples of what the brand has already published.

Drafts are told to use only facts from Brand Brain and the brief. Drafts written from a brief also go through an automated quality review that scores brand voice, readability, engagement, and factual grounding. The review can be wrong, so a person still approves every post.

When you edit a draft, or reject it with a reason, Solvgent tries to turn that change into a lesson for the brand. This works on a best-effort basis.

To get started, follow the getting-started guide. Fill in the template above first, then add the same facts to Brand Brain so that drafts have something to check against.