---
name: minhnv0807/35-brand-voice-global
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/minhnv0807-35-brand-voice-global@1/SKILL.md
source_sha256: 9fc69ff8372e
---

# Brand Voice (Global)

The foundation skill of the content cluster. Every other content skill — `36-content-brief-global`, `37-social-caption-global`, `04-script-video-global`, `05-ad-copy-global`, `14-email-marketing-global`, `38-community-seeding-global` — reads this document before writing. Without it, output is technically correct and tonally inconsistent.

## Information gathering

Read `.agents/product-marketing-context-global.md` and any existing brand guideline first. If information is missing, ask up to 4 questions:

1. **What does the brand sell, to whom, at what price point — and what should a reader feel after reading its content?**
2. **Which 3 adjectives describe the brand's actual character — and how must the brand never be perceived?**
3. **Is there a brand or writer whose voice is close to the target?** (reference only, never to copy)
4. **What words do customers use when they talk about the brand or category?** Paste real reviews, comments, support tickets, or call notes — this is the single most valuable vocabulary source.

## Principles

1. **Voice is a living document.** Review quarterly or whenever the brand pivots. Do not write it once and file it.
2. **It is a compass, not a statute.** Use it to check work, and flex by context.
3. **The core voice is constant across channels.** Only format and length change per platform — never the personality.
4. **Vocabulary comes from real customer language.** Run `09-customer-insight-global` first so word choices are sourced, not invented.
5. **Final test: cover the logo and it still reads as you.** If it could be any competitor in the category, it is not done.
6. **Every claim in the voice must be substantiable.** A confident voice does not license unsupported superiority or results claims — FTC advertising rules apply to organic posts, not just ads.

## Workflow

### 1. Lock brand personality: 3 adjectives

Pick exactly 3 core adjectives, each with one sentence explaining why it reflects the brand truthfully. More than 3 dilutes the voice.

Illustrative example (a DTC skincare brand):

- **Direct**: names the actual problem in the first line, no throat-clearing.
- **Practical**: every claim comes with something the reader can do today.
- **Evidence-led**: cites the ingredient, the study, or the number — never "clinically proven" without the clinic.

Also record 3 things the brand must never be perceived as (for example: not luxury-aloof, not pressure-selling, not vague-wellness).

### 2. Define tone of voice across 5 dimensions

For each dimension write both columns. The "is not" column matters as much as the first — it is what stops voice drift.

| Dimension | The brand is... | The brand is not... |
|-----------|-----------------|---------------------|
| Energy | [warm / measured / high-energy] | [...] |
| Formality | [casual / semi-professional / formal] | [...] |
| Person and address | [we-you / I-you / third person] | [...] |
| Use of evidence | [always a number / story first, data second] | [...] |
| Handling objections | [acknowledge then explain / rebut with proof] | [...] |

### 3. Build the vocabulary: use / avoid / banned

- **Use often**: words that carry the personality, plus real customer phrasing pulled from reviews and support (source it from `09-customer-insight-global`).
- **Avoid**: words that contradict the personality or overclaim in the category.
- **Banned words** — hard stop, enforced at copy review. Default global marketing-cliche list, plus the brand's own additions:

  "game-changer", "revolutionary", "unlock your potential", "don't miss out", "act now", "hurry — limited time only", "take it to the next level", "elevate your [noun]", "in today's fast-paced world", "we're excited to announce", "best-in-class", "world-class", "seamlessly", "one-stop shop", "must-have", "literally life-changing", "no-brainer", "synergy", "leverage" (as a verb in customer-facing copy).

- **Canonical product names**: one agreed spelling and capitalization per product or plan. Not a new variation per post.

### 4. Set sentence-level rules

Answer all 5:

1. Average sentence length: short / mixed / long — and why.
2. Rhetorical questions: when they are allowed, when they are not.
3. Bullets vs paragraphs: ratio and the contexts each fits.
4. Standard opening patterns: pain hook / curiosity / data point / story.
5. Standard closing patterns: specific CTA / question / summary.

### 5. Write 5 before/after examples

Each example needs: an off-voice version, an on-voice version, and one line naming the difference. All 5 situations are mandatory, written for real — never left as placeholders. Writers use this section more than any other.

Illustrative set, same DTC skincare brand (Direct / Practical / Evidence-led):

**1. Product launch caption**
- Before: "Introducing our revolutionary new serum — a total game-changer for your skin. Don't miss out!"
- After: "New: a 0.3% retinal serum. Same active family as the prescription route, without the four-week peeling phase."
- Difference: names the formula and the trade-off it solves instead of stacking adjectives.

**2. Replying to a negative comment**
- Before: "We're so sorry to hear that! Please DM us so we can make it right."
- After: "Fair complaint. Purging past six weeks usually means the strength is too high for your barrier, not that the product failed. Reply here and we'll swap you to the 0.15%."
- Difference: answers the actual problem first; the service gesture comes second, not instead.

**3. Promotion announcement**
- Before: "HUGE SALE! 30% OFF EVERYTHING! Act now before it's gone!"
- After: "30% off through Sunday. It's overstock from the December run — same formula, dented boxes."
- Difference: gives a real reason for the discount, so the discount does not reset the perceived price.

**4. Educational post**
- Before: "Unlock the secret to glowing skin with these amazing tips!"
- After: "Vitamin C oxidizes. If your serum has turned orange, it has stopped working — which is the whole reason ours ships in an opaque pump."
- Difference: teaches one checkable fact instead of promising a secret.

**5. Testimonial / case study**
- Before: "Our customers absolutely LOVE us. Best product ever!"
- After: "Priya, 11 weeks in: 'The texture on my cheeks is gone. My jaw still breaks out around my period.' That second part is expected — hormonal acne needs a different lever."
- Difference: publishing the unresolved part is what makes the resolved part believable.

### 6. Platform adaptation

Core voice is unchanged. Only format, length, and register shift.

| Channel | Adjust vs. core | Keep constant |
|---------|-----------------|---------------|
| Facebook | Longer form allowed, conversational, light emoji if on-brand | Tone, vocabulary |
| Instagram | Visual leads, first line carries the hook, tighter caption | Personality, banned words |
| LinkedIn | One notch more professional, first-person point of view, no hard sell | Directness, evidence habit |
| TikTok | 1-2 lines, spoken-word rhythm, keyword-forward for search | Core message |
| X | Compressed to a single idea, no wind-up | Point of view, precision |
| Email | Greeting and sign-off, slightly warmer, one clear ask | Directness, actionability |

## Output structure

File name: `brand-voice-[brand]-[YYYYMMDD].md`

```markdown
# Brand Voice Document — [Brand]

## I. Brand personality
- [Adjective 1]: [one-sentence rationale]
- [Adjective 2]: [one-sentence rationale]
- [Adjective 3]: [one-sentence rationale]
- Never perceived as: [3 things]

## II. Tone of voice
| Dimension | The brand is... | The brand is not... |
|-----------|-----------------|---------------------|
| Energy | | |
| Formality | | |
| Person and address | | |
| Use of evidence | | |
| Handling objections | | |

## III. Vocabulary
**Use often:** [words / phrases, with source where customer-derived]
**Avoid:** [words / phrases]
**Banned words:** [hard-stop list]
**Canonical product names:** [agreed spelling per product/plan]

## IV. Sentence rules
- Average sentence length: [short / mixed / long] — [why]
- Rhetorical questions: [when yes / when no]
- Bullets vs paragraphs: [ratio + context]
- Opening pattern: [pain / curiosity / data / story]
- Closing pattern: [CTA / question / summary]

## V. Before / after — 5 examples
### 1. Product launch caption
- Before: "[off-voice]"
- After: "[on-voice]"
- Difference: [one line]

### 2. Replying to a negative comment
[same format]

### 3. Promotion announcement
[same format]

### 4. Educational post
[same format]

### 5. Testimonial / case study
[same format]

## VI. Platform adaptation
| Channel | Adjust vs. core | Keep constant |
|---------|-----------------|---------------|
| | | |

## VII. Copy approval checklist
- [ ] Read it aloud — does it sound like a person or like a report?
- [ ] Any banned words present?
- [ ] Does the first line earn the second?
- [ ] Any word that can be cut without losing meaning? Cut it.
- [ ] Is the next action obvious to the reader?
- [ ] Is every claim substantiable if challenged?
- [ ] Cover the logo — does it still read as us?
```

## How other skills consume this document

- Every written asset (caption, script, ad copy, email, community post) checks sections II and III before drafting, and section VII before handoff.
- Copy reviewers approve against section VII, not against personal taste.
- When onboarding a freelance writer, agency, or creator, send sections I-V as the briefing pack.

## Related skills

- `09-customer-insight-global`: run first — real customer language from reviews and calls is the raw material for vocabulary.
- `36-content-brief-global`: every brief cites the tone and banned words from here.
- `37-social-caption-global`, `04-script-video-global`, `05-ad-copy-global`, `14-email-marketing-global`: read this document before producing output.
- `product-marketing-context-global`: source of positioning, audience, and price point that the voice must fit.

## Quality checklist

- All 7 sections present, from personality through copy approval checklist.
- Exactly 3 adjectives, each with a specific rationale — no generic descriptors.
- Tone table covers all 5 dimensions and includes the "is not" column.
- Vocabulary has all three groups plus canonical product names.
- All 5 before/after examples are written for real in the brand's voice — no placeholders.
- Platform adaptation covers every channel the brand actually runs.
- At least some vocabulary is sourced from real customer language, with the source noted.
- No unsupported superiority or results claims anywhere in the examples.
- File name follows `brand-voice-[brand]-[YYYYMMDD].md`.