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voice-guidelines skill

/plugins/copywriting/skills/voice-guidelines

This skill enforces brand tone, style, and localization rules across copy to maintain consistency and accessibility.

npx playbooks add skill gtmagents/gtm-agents --skill voice-guidelines

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

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SKILL.md
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---
name: voice-guidelines
description: Use when enforcing brand tone, style, and localization rules across copy.
---

# Voice & Style Guidelines Skill

## When to Use
- Reviewing copy for tone consistency.
- Localizing copy for new regions or verticals.
- Training new writers or agencies on brand standards.

## Framework
1. **Voice Pillars** – e.g., confident, empathetic, pragmatic (with examples).
2. **Tone Ladder** – how tone shifts by channel, funnel stage, or audience.
3. **Style Rules** – grammar, punctuation, casing, formatting, banned phrases.
4. **Accessibility** – reading level, inclusive language, jargon policy.
5. **Localization Notes** – regional terminology, regulatory statements, measurement units.

## Templates
- Do/Don’t example library.
- Localization matrix (region, language, required changes).
- Voice feedback form (issue, recommendation, owner).

## Tips
- Revisit guidelines quarterly; align with positioning updates.
- Pair with `message-architecture` for consistent structure.
- Track exceptions (e.g., partner co-branding) to avoid conflicting signals.

---

Overview

This skill enforces brand voice, tone, and localization rules across all copy to keep messaging consistent and on-brand. It provides a practical framework, templates, and checks to review, localize, and train teams on accepted language and style. Use it to scale consistent messaging across channels and markets.

How this skill works

The skill inspects copy against defined voice pillars, a tone ladder, and explicit style rules (grammar, punctuation, banned phrases). It includes accessibility and localization checks—reading level, inclusive language, regional terms, units, and required regulatory verbiage. Outputs include concrete do/don't edits, feedback forms, and a localization matrix to guide writers or reviewers.

When to use it

  • Reviewing marketing, product, or support copy for tone and consistency
  • Localizing messages for new regions, languages, or industry verticals
  • Onboarding or training new writers, agencies, or product teams
  • Auditing existing content for accessibility and inclusive language
  • Preparing messaging for channel-specific adaptations (email, ads, docs)

Best practices

  • Define 3–5 clear voice pillars with short examples for each
  • Use a tone ladder that maps tone to channel, funnel stage, and audience
  • Keep a living list of style rules and banned phrases, updated quarterly
  • Pair voice guidelines with message architecture to maintain structure
  • Log and review exceptions (co-branding, legal constraints) to avoid conflicts

Example use cases

  • Editing a product page to shift from technical to customer-focused language
  • Localizing an email campaign for UK and AU audiences with region-specific terms
  • Training a new agency with do/don't examples and a voice feedback form
  • Running an accessibility audit to simplify reading level and remove jargon
  • Creating a consistent tone ladder for ads, support replies, and onboarding flows

FAQ

How often should guidelines be updated?

Revisit quarterly or whenever positioning changes; schedule reviews after major product or market shifts.

What if regional rules conflict with global voice?

Document exceptions in the localization matrix, prioritize legal/regulatory requirements, and log the rationale for transparency.