Collect real examples
Choose five pieces you would publish yourself. Note what works in each: vocabulary, address, rhythm or level of detail. Add one weak example and explain why it fails. “Premium” or “authentic” is too vague unless a writer can tell which words should change.
Write rules you can point to
In voice.md, define the audience, preferred vocabulary and expressions to avoid. Give each rule an example. “Name the action” can lead to “Open your task list” instead of a vague promise. Keep style separate from evidence: a strong sentence can still make an unsupported claim.
Give the writer the right context
Have the agent read your brief, factual source and voice.md before drafting. In Claude Code, CLAUDE.md can point to relevant project instructions. Keep long writing procedures separate. Inspect the result: instructions do not guarantee that every phrase will automatically be correct.
Compare on a new brief
Test the rules on a subject outside your examples. Check vocabulary, recognisability and factual accuracy. Identify which rule should have prevented a weak sentence, revise it and test again. Do not simply copy the rhythm of one successful post.
Keep the procedure
A skill can package the recurring writing procedure: when to use it, which files to read, what to deliver and how to check it. Start with one task, such as a caption. This guide supplies the procedure; skill installation follows your review policy. Update approved examples as the voice develops.
Your worksheet
# voice.md — first version Audience: [who is reading?] Purpose: [one concrete action] | Rule | Approved example | Avoid | Reason | | Name the action | Open your task list. | Take control. | The reader knows what to do. | | [rule 2] | [your example] | [counterexample] | [reason] | | [rule 3] | [your example] | [counterexample] | [reason] | | [rule 4] | [your example] | [counterexample] | [reason] | | [rule 5] | [your example] | [counterexample] | [reason] | New brief: [a topic absent from the examples] Factual source: [file or verified source] Rule-by-rule verdict: [pass / revise / source needed] Human edit: [old sentence → new sentence + reason]
STARTER
Make it concrete.
Read my brief, factual source and five approved brand examples. Propose voice.md with five testable writing rules, preferred and avoided vocabulary, and five before/after examples. Draft one caption from the new brief. Review it against each rule and flag unsupported claims. Publish nothing.
Sources and further reading
The AI Operator · M0.2, C.5, C.7, M2.3, M4.B.4