Building a Brand Voice Guide That People Actually Use

Key Takeaways

Most guides fail from design, not content: They're too long, too vague, or too hard to access
Actionable beats comprehensive: A short guide that gets used beats a thorough one that doesn't
Examples outweigh explanations: Show what good looks like; don't just describe it
Access determines adoption: If the guide isn't where work happens, it won't be used

Here's the uncomfortable truth about brand voice guides: most of them don't get used.

They exist. Often beautifully designed. Sometimes even accurate. But when your team needs to write something, they don't open the guide. They improvise. They guess. They produce content that may or may not sound like your brand.

The problem isn't people ignoring good guides. It's guides that were never designed to be used.

Why Brand Voice Guides Fail

Before building a better guide, understand why the current approach doesn't work:

The Length Problem

A 30-page brand voice guide is a report, not a tool. Nobody has time to read it. Nobody remembers what's in it. When deadline pressure hits, it's faster to guess than to search through pages.

The Vagueness Problem

"Our brand is professional yet approachable." What does that actually mean? When someone writes an email, how do they apply "approachable"? Vague principles don't translate to specific decisions.

The Access Problem

Guides buried in shared drives or brand portals might as well not exist. Every friction point—a login, a search, a download—reduces usage. Most people won't bother.

The Format Problem

Static documents can't serve dynamic needs. Writing a social post? The full voice guide isn't what you need. Writing a formal announcement? A quick-reference card won't help. One format rarely fits all situations.

The Maintenance Problem

Brand voices evolve. Guides don't. Last year's document describes last year's brand. The gap between documentation and reality grows constantly.

Principles of a Guide People Use

Effective brand voice guides share these characteristics:

1. Short Enough to Read

Your guide should be scannable in under 5 minutes. If it takes longer, cut it. People will read a one-page guide. They won't read ten pages.

The test: Can a new team member grasp your voice essentials in a single sitting?

2. Specific Enough to Apply

Every guideline should answer "what do I do with this?" Not "be friendly" but "use contractions like we're and you'll." Not "keep it concise" but "sentences under 15 words average."

The test: Could someone follow your guide without seeing any examples of your content?

3. Accessible Where Work Happens

If your team works in Google Docs, the guide should be a click away in Google Docs. If they use AI tools, brand context should be in those tools. Meet people where they are.

The test: Can someone access voice guidance without leaving their current workflow?

4. Example-Rich

For every rule, show examples. Before/after comparisons. "This, not that" pairs. Sample content for common situations. Examples communicate what explanations can't.

The test: Do your examples outnumber your explanations?

5. Regularly Updated

A guide that reflects your brand as it is today, not as it was when the guide was created. Build in update cycles. Keep it current.

The test: When was the last update? Does it reflect recent changes?

The Structure That Works

Here's a format that consistently gets used:

Section 1: Voice Overview (Half a Page)

Three to five core voice attributes with one-sentence definitions:

Example:

Direct: We get to the point without unnecessary preamble
Conversational: We write like we talk—contractions, simple words, questions
Expert: We know our stuff and share it confidently without jargon

That's it. Not paragraphs explaining each attribute. One sentence each.

Section 2: Do This / Don't Do This (One Page)

Concrete examples for each attribute:

Direct

✅ "Here's how to fix it."
❌ "We wanted to take this opportunity to share some insights on potential solutions."

Conversational

✅ "You'll see results in about a week."
❌ "Users typically observe outcomes within a seven-day period."

Make this section skimmable. People should find what they need in seconds.

Section 3: Vocabulary (Half a Page)

Two lists:

Words we use:

Help (not assist)
Simple (not easy)
Build (not construct)
Use (not utilize or leverage)

Words we never use:

Synergy
Leverage
Empower
Solutions (as a standalone noun)
Utilize

Keep it specific. Add to it when patterns emerge.

Section 4: Examples by Content Type (One Page)

Show what good looks like for your most common content:

Email subject lines:

✅ "Quick question about your project"
❌ "Inquiry Regarding Potential Business Opportunities"

Social posts:

✅ "Brand guidelines that actually get used. Here's how we built ours."
❌ "We are excited to announce our innovative new approach to brand governance!"

Blog openings:

✅ "Here's something most companies get wrong..."
❌ "In today's rapidly evolving business landscape..."

Section 5: Quick Reference Card

One-page summary they can print or pin. The absolute essentials:

3 voice attributes
5 words to use
5 words to avoid
3 example sentences

This is what people actually pull up mid-writing.

Making It Accessible

A good guide that's hard to access is still a failed guide.

Option 1: Embedded in Tools

If possible, put voice guidance inside the tools people use:

Browser extensions that show guidelines
AI prompts that include brand context
Integrations that surface guidance at the right moment

Option 2: One-Click Access

If embedding isn't possible, minimize friction:

Pinned in team Slack channels
Bookmarked in shared browsers
Linked in document templates
Shortcut on desktop

Option 3: AI-Accessible

Modern approach: make your guide queryable by AI:

Team member asks AI "write this in our brand voice"
AI accesses your brand profile
Output follows your guide automatically

This is where brand voice is heading. MCP integration makes this possible today.

Keeping It Alive

Guides rot. Here's how to prevent it:

Quarterly Reviews

Every quarter, ask:

Does this still describe how we actually sound?
What's missing based on recent content?
What examples should be added or updated?

User Feedback Loop

Create a channel for guide feedback:

"This situation isn't covered"
"This example feels outdated"
"I didn't know what to do when..."

Usage Tracking

If possible, track whether the guide gets accessed:

Are people opening it?
Which sections get viewed most?
Where do people spend time?

Low usage means the guide isn't working, no matter how good the content.

From Guide to Infrastructure

A document—even a great one—has limits. True brand voice consistency requires infrastructure:

The Limits of Documents

People forget to check them
They don't integrate with AI tools
Updates require manual distribution
Access depends on people remembering to look

What Infrastructure Adds

Brand context available automatically
AI tools that produce on-brand output by default
Updates that propagate instantly
Consistency that doesn't depend on human memory

How Brandfolio Goes Beyond Guides

At Brandfolio, we've built brand voice infrastructure that does what guides can't.

Your brand profile includes everything a great guide would have:

Voice attributes with specific definitions
Vocabulary rules (use these, avoid those)
Example content for common situations
Contextual variations for different content types

But it goes further:

AI integration: Claude accesses your profile directly through MCP—no copy-pasting required
Always accessible: Your brand is where work happens, not in a separate document
Always current: Update once, applied everywhere
Automatically applied: On-brand output by default, not by effort

Your guide becomes living infrastructure, not a static document.

Building Your Guide: Start Here

Don't start from scratch. Use this template:

Page 1: Voice Essentials

3-5 voice attributes (one sentence each)
5 words you use
5 words you avoid

Page 2: Examples

6-10 do this/don't do this pairs
Examples for your most common content types

Page 3: Quick Reference

One-page summary for printing/pinning

That's it. Three pages. Short enough to read, specific enough to apply.

Getting Started

Audit your current guide. Is it too long? Too vague? Too hard to find? Be honest.
Build the three-page version. Cut ruthlessly. Add examples generously.
Try Brandfolio. Get started here and turn your guide into infrastructure that works automatically.

The best brand voice guide is one your team actually uses. Everything else is just documentation.

Ready to move beyond documents to brand infrastructure? Create your Brandfolio profile and make your brand voice automatically accessible.