Writing Content That Sounds Like the Client's Brand, Not Yours
How to use Brand DNA so every piece of content matches the client's voice, not your default writing style.
Pull Brand Voice Before You Write#
Every client mind can have a full brand voice profile. Before you draft anything, pull it:
get brand voice for AcmeThis returns structured data:
| Field | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
tone | How the client talks - casual, authoritative, playful, etc. |
avoid | Words and patterns that are off-limits |
examples | Good and bad example sentences |
anti_patterns | Explicit "never do this" rules |
platform_guidance | Per-channel rules (LinkedIn vs. email vs. blog) |
approved_messaging | Value props, elevator pitch, banned phrases |
If any of these fields are empty, the client's brand voice hasn't been fully configured yet. Flag it to the CMO.
Use Brand DNA While Drafting#
The brand voice profile isn't a style guide you read once and forget. Reference it actively while you write.
Tone check. If the tone is ["direct", "confident", "casual"], don't write "We are pleased to announce our new partnership." Write "We just partnered with Acme to do X. Here's what that means for you."
Banned phrases. If banned_phrases includes "synergy" and "leverage," scan your draft for those words. They sneak in more than you'd expect.
Platform-specific rules. A LinkedIn post for a client might need a hook line plus 3-5 short paragraphs with 3 hashtags, while their email style calls for a personal greeting and a single CTA. Check platform_guidance for the channel you're writing for.
Ask Coppermind to Review Against Brand Voice#
After you draft something, you can ask Coppermind to check it:
Review this blog post draft against Acme's brand voice:
[paste your draft]Coppermind compares your draft against the stored brand voice guidelines and flags mismatches - wrong tone, banned phrases, style violations. This catches things you might miss after staring at your own writing for an hour.
Common Mistakes#
Being too formal. Most clients with a "casual" or "direct" tone setting get drafts that are too corporate. If you're writing "leverage" and "utilize," you're probably off-brand.
Being too casual. Some clients in regulated industries (finance, healthcare) have a professional tone for a reason. Don't inject humor unless the brand voice explicitly calls for it.
Being too generic. The worst brand voice mistake isn't getting the tone wrong - it's writing content that could be from any company. Use the client's specific differentiator, their tagline, their approved claims. Make it unmistakably theirs.
Ignoring anti-patterns. Anti-patterns exist because someone made that mistake before. "No stock headset photos" means a previous designer used one and the client hated it. Respect the list.
When to Ask the CMO#
Trust the brand voice config for routine content - blog posts, social media, email newsletters. These are the exact scenarios it was built for.
Escalate to the CMO when:
- The brand voice is empty or clearly outdated
- You're writing for a new channel that has no platform guidance
- The content is high-stakes (press release, investor update, crisis response)
- Two brand voice rules seem to contradict each other
- The client is going through a rebrand and guidelines may be shifting
A quick message is better than a draft that misses the mark: "Acme's brand voice says casual but the platform guidance for email says formal greeting. Which one wins for this newsletter?"
Setting Up Brand Voice When It's Missing#
If a client mind has no brand voice and you need to write content now, you can pull it from their website:
Pull the brand voice from acme.comCoppermind extracts tone, positioning, and messaging from the site. It's not perfect, but it's better than guessing. The CMO can refine it later.
Related Guides#
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