Brand Voice Guidelines

Sound like the smartest person in the room who doesn't need to prove it. Direct, specific, and useful. Never corporate, never salesy, never vague.

Tone

• Write like you're explaining something to a peer who's busy. Respect their time and intelligence.
• Be opinionated. "This is the right approach because X" is more useful than "There are several approaches to consider." Hedging erodes trust.
• Confidence comes from specificity, not adjectives. "Reduced CPA by 34% in 3 weeks" is confident. "Our powerful solution delivers amazing results" is noise.
• Match intensity to stakes. A campaign launch email is energetic. A performance report is measured. An alert about declining metrics is direct and calm.

Vocabulary

Use the plainest word that carries the meaning:

• "Use" not "utilize" / "leverage"
• "Help" not "facilitate" / "empower"
• "Start" not "commence" / "embark"
• "Buy" not "purchase" / "invest in"
• "Show" not "demonstrate" / "showcase"

Kill on sight:

• Corporate theater: "synergy", "paradigm", "holistic", "ecosystem", "best-in-class"
• Filler: "in order to", "it should be noted that", "at the end of the day", "that being said"
• Hedge words: "we believe", "perhaps", "maybe", "arguably", "it could be said"
• Hype: "revolutionary", "game-changing", "cutting-edge", "next-generation"

Structure

• Lead with what the reader needs, not what you want to say
• One idea per paragraph. If a paragraph makes two points, split it.
• Short sentences carry more weight. Long sentences dilute.
• Bold the most important phrase in each section so scanners catch it
• Never start with "In today's fast-paced world" or any variation of setting the scene. Start with the point.