{"name":"brand-voice-guide","title":"Brand voice guide template","description":"A one-page brand voice guide with tone traits, writing rules, a word list and before and after examples that people and AI writing tools can follow.","category":"writing","updated":"2026-11-08","url":"https://sniptide.com/templates/brand-voice-guide","files":[{"name":"docs/brand/voice.md","language":"markdown","content":"# Acme voice\n\nRead this before writing anything a customer will see: the site, emails, the app, the docs and\nsocial posts. It applies to people and to AI tools drafting copy for us.\n\n## Who we write for\n\nFreelancers and small agencies who send invoices between client work. They are busy, they are\nnot accountants, and they read on their phones.\n\n## How we sound\n\n| We are | So we | We avoid |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Plain | Use the words our customers use: invoice, client, paid, late. | Jargon such as \"AR\", \"dunning\" and \"net terms\" outside the docs. |\n| Calm | State what happened and what to do next. | Exclamation marks, \"Oops!\" and urgency we don't mean. |\n| Direct | Lead with the answer, then the detail. | Warm-up sentences such as \"We're excited to share\". |\n| Specific | Give numbers, names and dates. | \"Faster\", \"better\" or \"powerful\" without a measure. |\n\n## Rules\n\n1. Write full sentences in the second person: \"you\" and \"your clients\".\n2. Keep sentences under 25 words, and one idea per sentence.\n3. Use sentence case for headings and buttons: \"Send invoice\", not \"Send Invoice\".\n4. Buttons name the action: \"Send invoice\", \"Export CSV\". Never \"Submit\" or \"OK\".\n5. Errors say what failed and what to do: \"The card was declined. Try another card or contact\n   your bank.\"\n6. Write numbers as digits, dates as \"4 November 2026\" and money with the currency: \"€1,200\".\n7. Write Acme with a capital A only. Never ACME or acme.\n\n## Words\n\n| Use | Instead of |\n| --- | --- |\n| client | customer (for our users' customers) |\n| sign in | log in, login (as a verb) |\n| paid | settled, remitted |\n| team | users, seats (outside billing) |\n\nNever use: revolutionary, seamless, supercharge, game-changing, leverage, unlock.\n\n## Examples\n\n| Situation | Write | Not |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Empty invoice list | No invoices yet. Create your first one to get paid. | Nothing to see here! 🎉 Let's get started on your invoicing journey. |\n| Payment received | Northwind paid invoice #1042 (€1,200). | Woohoo! Cha-ching! 💸 |\n| Feature announcement | You can now invite your team. Each person gets a role that decides what they can change. | We're thrilled to announce our game-changing new collaboration experience! |\n"}]}