AI Brand Voice Guide Template
A comprehensive template for defining and documenting your brand's voice specifically for AI-generated content, conversational search, and agent-driven discovery. Use this to ensure consistent, recognizable brand personality across chatbots, voice assistants, and AI recommendations. Perfect for CMOs preparing brand guidelines that work in the age of AI visibility.
How to Use This Template
- 1.## Step 1: Identify Your Brand Voice Pillars
- 2.**Start by defining 3–5 core personality traits** that define how your brand communicates, especially in conversational contexts where AI systems will encounter your brand. These aren't values (those are internal); they're the *personality* traits customers and AI systems experience. Schedule a 90-minute workshop with your CMO, brand lead, product lead, and customer success manager. Ask: "If our brand were a person, how would they speak to a stranger asking for advice?" Write down 3–5 adjectives (e.g., trustworthy, approachable, innovative). For each pillar, write a 2–3 sentence definition and a concrete example of how it sounds in an AI recommendation context. This becomes the foundation of your entire guide.
- 3.## Step 2: Map Your Tone Spectrum
- 4.**Define where your brand sits on four key tone dimensions** to give AI systems (and your team) clear guardrails. For each spectrum (Formal ↔ Casual, Technical ↔ Accessible, Authoritative ↔ Collaborative, Optimistic ↔ Realistic), decide your brand's position and write a specific example sentence that illustrates it. Don't say "we're casual"—say "we're 70% casual, 30% professional, and we'd say 'Hey, here's the deal' instead of 'Please allow us to clarify.'" This precision matters because AI systems learn from examples, not abstract descriptions. Test your tone spectrum by reading it aloud and asking: "Does this sound like us?" Adjust until it feels authentic.
- 5.## Step 3: Create Your AI Visibility Description
- 6.**Write the "ideal" description of your brand as you'd want an AI system to generate it.** Imagine a customer asks a chatbot, "What's [BRAND NAME]?" or "Should I use [BRAND NAME] for [USE CASE]?" Write the 2–3 sentence response you'd want to see. This description should hit your primary value proposition, key differentiator, ideal customer, and emotional benefit—all in plain language that AI systems can parse and replicate. Then, audit your current website, product pages, and help documentation to see if this language already exists. If not, you've identified critical content gaps that need to be filled to improve AI visibility. This description becomes your north star for all content updates.
- 7.## Step 4: Define Voice Across AI Channels
- 8.**Map how your voice adapts (slightly) across different AI touchpoints** while remaining recognizable. Create a simple table with rows for each AI channel your brand will encounter: chatbots, voice assistants, AI search results, AI agent recommendations, and AI-generated content. For each channel, note whether your tone should shift slightly (e.g., chatbots are more patient; voice assistants are more concise) and what the key priority is. Write one example phrase for each channel to show how your voice sounds in context. This prevents your brand from sounding generic or inconsistent across AI platforms. Share this table with your customer service, product, and content teams so everyone understands the nuances.
- 9.## Step 5: Build Your Do's & Don'ts + Real-World Examples
- 10.**Create specific, actionable guidance with real examples** so your team doesn't have to guess. Write 5–6 concrete do's and don'ts tied directly to your voice pillars (e.g., "DO use clear, jargon-free language because we're approachable; DON'T use corporate speak"). Then, create 2–3 real-world scenarios where your brand might appear in AI contexts. For each scenario, write both a wrong version (off-brand) and a right version (on-brand) so your team has a clear reference. This is the most useful section for content creators, product managers, and customer service teams. Test these examples with your team: do they agree the "right" version sounds like your brand?
- 11.## Step 6: Set Up Governance & Monthly Monitoring
- 12.**Establish a process to monitor how AI systems actually describe your brand and update the guide as needed.** Assign an owner (usually your brand or content lead) and set a review cadence (quarterly or biannually). Create a simple monthly testing routine: run 5–6 prompts through ChatGPT, Claude, or other AI systems to see how they describe your brand. Compare the AI-generated descriptions to your ideal description from Step 3. If there are gaps, identify the root cause (missing content on your website, inconsistent messaging, outdated information) and fix it. Update this guide whenever you launch a new product, rebrand, or notice significant shifts in how AI systems describe you. Share monthly findings with your leadership team to demonstrate the business impact of AI visibility.
Template
# AI Brand Voice Guide
**Document Owner:** [YOUR NAME/TITLE]
**Last Updated:** [DATE]
**Next Review Date:** [DATE + 6 MONTHS]
**Version:** 1.0
---
## Executive Summary
This guide defines [BRAND NAME]'s voice and personality as it appears in AI-generated content, conversational interfaces, and agent-driven recommendations. In an era where consumers discover brands through chatbots, voice assistants, and AI search results, a consistent, recognizable voice is critical to brand trust and visibility. This document ensures [BRAND NAME] sounds like itself—regardless of the AI channel—and helps marketing, product, and customer success teams maintain brand integrity across all AI touchpoints.
**Key Outcome:** When a consumer asks an AI assistant "What's the best [PRODUCT CATEGORY] for [USE CASE]?" and [BRAND NAME] is recommended, the description, tone, and messaging will feel authentically [BRAND NAME].
---
## Part 1: Brand Voice Pillars
Define the 3–5 core characteristics of your brand's voice. These are the non-negotiable personality traits that should come through in every AI interaction.
| Voice Pillar | Definition | Example in AI Context | Do This | Don't Do This |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [PILLAR 1: e.g., "Trustworthy"] | [2-3 sentence definition of what this means for your brand] | [How this pillar sounds when an AI recommends or describes your brand] | [Specific language/tone example] | [What to avoid] |
| [PILLAR 2: e.g., "Approachable"] | [2-3 sentence definition] | [Example in AI context] | [Specific language/tone example] | [What to avoid] |
| [PILLAR 3: e.g., "Innovative"] | [2-3 sentence definition] | [Example in AI context] | [Specific language/tone example] | [What to avoid] |
| [PILLAR 4 (optional)] | [2-3 sentence definition] | [Example in AI context] | [Specific language/tone example] | [What to avoid] |
---
## Part 2: Tone & Language Guidelines
### Tone Spectrum
Describe where your brand sits on these spectra. AI systems will pick up on these cues in your content and training data.
- **Formal ↔ Casual:** [BRAND NAME] is [X% formal, Y% casual]. Example: "[SPECIFIC TONE EXAMPLE]"
- **Technical ↔ Accessible:** [BRAND NAME] is [X% technical, Y% accessible]. Example: "[SPECIFIC TONE EXAMPLE]"
- **Authoritative ↔ Collaborative:** [BRAND NAME] is [X% authoritative, Y% collaborative]. Example: "[SPECIFIC TONE EXAMPLE]"
- **Optimistic ↔ Realistic:** [BRAND NAME] is [X% optimistic, Y% realistic]. Example: "[SPECIFIC TONE EXAMPLE]"
### Language Preferences
**Words We Use:**
- [WORD/PHRASE]
- [WORD/PHRASE]
- [WORD/PHRASE]
- [WORD/PHRASE]
**Words We Avoid:**
- [WORD/PHRASE]
- [WORD/PHRASE]
- [WORD/PHRASE]
- [WORD/PHRASE]
**Signature Phrases (use sparingly in AI-visible content):**
- "[PHRASE]"
- "[PHRASE]"
- "[PHRASE]"
---
## Part 3: AI Visibility & Discoverability Voice
This section focuses on how your brand voice should appear when AI systems generate descriptions, recommendations, or summaries of your brand.
### How We Want AI to Describe Us
When an AI assistant is asked "Tell me about [BRAND NAME]," the response should emphasize:
1. **Primary Value Proposition:** [CLEAR, CONCISE STATEMENT OF WHAT YOU DO AND WHY IT MATTERS]
2. **Differentiator:** [WHAT SETS YOU APART IN AI-FRIENDLY LANGUAGE]
3. **Ideal Customer:** [WHO BENEFITS MOST FROM YOUR BRAND]
4. **Emotional Benefit:** [HOW YOUR BRAND MAKES CUSTOMERS FEEL]
### Example AI-Generated Description
**Prompt to AI:** "Recommend a [PRODUCT CATEGORY] for someone who [USE CASE]."
**Desired AI Response (featuring your brand):**
"[BRAND NAME] is [PILLAR 1] and [PILLAR 2], making it ideal for [CUSTOMER TYPE]. Unlike [COMPETITOR CATEGORY], [BRAND NAME] [KEY DIFFERENTIATOR]. Customers appreciate [EMOTIONAL/FUNCTIONAL BENEFIT]. [CALL TO ACTION OR NEXT STEP]."
---
## Part 4: Voice Across AI Channels
Define how your voice adapts (slightly) across different AI touchpoints while remaining recognizable.
| AI Channel | Tone Adjustment | Key Priorities | Example Phrasing |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Chatbot (Customer Service)** | [Slightly more helpful/patient] | [Speed, clarity, empathy] | "[EXAMPLE RESPONSE]" |
| **Voice Assistant** | [Slightly more concise] | [Brevity, clarity, personality] | "[EXAMPLE RESPONSE]" |
| **AI Search Results** | [Slightly more authoritative] | [Credibility, relevance, differentiation] | "[EXAMPLE DESCRIPTION]" |
| **AI Agent Recommendations** | [Slightly more persuasive] | [Value, trust, action] | "[EXAMPLE RECOMMENDATION]" |
| **Content AI (Generated Blog/Social)** | [Matches core voice] | [Consistency, authenticity, SEO] | "[EXAMPLE CONTENT]" |
---
## Part 5: Voice in Practice
### Do's & Don'ts
**DO:**
- ✓ [SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR ALIGNED WITH VOICE PILLARS]
- ✓ [SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR ALIGNED WITH VOICE PILLARS]
- ✓ [SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR ALIGNED WITH VOICE PILLARS]
- ✓ Use language that AI systems can easily understand and replicate
- ✓ Emphasize your differentiators in clear, jargon-free language
**DON'T:**
- ✗ [SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR THAT CONTRADICTS VOICE]
- ✗ [SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR THAT CONTRADICTS VOICE]
- ✗ [SPECIFIC BEHAVIOR THAT CONTRADICTS VOICE]
- ✗ Use vague marketing speak that AI systems struggle to parse
- ✗ Contradict your voice pillars in different channels
### Real-World Examples
**Scenario 1: Customer asks AI, "What's the best [PRODUCT] for [USE CASE]?"
| ❌ Wrong (Off-Brand) | ✅ Right (On-Brand) |
|---|---|
| "[GENERIC, CORPORATE DESCRIPTION]" | "[YOUR BRAND VOICE VERSION]" |
**Scenario 2: AI chatbot helping a customer troubleshoot.
| ❌ Wrong (Off-Brand) | ✅ Right (On-Brand) |
|---|---|
| "[ROBOTIC, UNHELPFUL RESPONSE]" | "[YOUR BRAND VOICE VERSION]" |
---
## Part 6: Content Audit Checklist
Use this checklist to audit existing content for AI visibility and voice consistency. AI systems learn from your website, documentation, and public content.
- [ ] Website copy reflects all 3+ voice pillars
- [ ] Product descriptions use consistent, recognizable language
- [ ] Help/FAQ content sounds like [BRAND NAME], not generic
- [ ] Blog posts and guides maintain voice consistency
- [ ] Customer testimonials/case studies reinforce voice pillars
- [ ] Social media captions align with tone spectrum
- [ ] Email campaigns sound like [BRAND NAME]
- [ ] Video scripts/transcripts are voice-consistent
- [ ] Technical documentation is accessible, not jargon-heavy
- [ ] About/Mission statements clearly communicate value proposition
---
## Part 7: Governance & Updates
**Owner:** [NAME/TEAM]
**Review Frequency:** [QUARTERLY/BIANNUALLY]
**Update Triggers:** [REBRANDING, NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH, MARKET SHIFT, FEEDBACK FROM AI CHANNELS]
**Feedback Loop:**
- Monitor AI-generated descriptions of your brand monthly
- Collect voice feedback from customer service, product, and content teams quarterly
- Test voice consistency across new AI channels as they emerge
- Update this guide if voice pillars or tone spectrum shifts
---
## Appendix: AI Voice Testing Prompts
Use these prompts to test how AI systems describe and recommend your brand. Run monthly to ensure consistency.
1. "What is [BRAND NAME]?"
2. "Recommend a [PRODUCT CATEGORY] for [USE CASE]."
3. "How does [BRAND NAME] compare to [COMPETITOR]?"
4. "Why should I choose [BRAND NAME]?"
5. "What do customers say about [BRAND NAME]?"
**Expected Outcome:** AI responses should reflect your voice pillars and differentiators, even if phrased differently.
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Get the Full AI Marketing Learning Path
Courses, workshops, frameworks, daily intelligence, and 6 proprietary tools — built for marketing leaders adopting AI.
Trusted by 10,000+ Directors and CMOs.