What is CopyStyleGuide.com?

CopyStyleGuide.com offers a streamlined solution for startups and small businesses seeking to establish a consistent and professional brand voice without the significant time and cost investment typically associated with branding consultants or agencies. It addresses the challenge of building trust with new audiences by providing tools to maintain a cohesive writing style across all company communications.

The service allows users to identify their brand's appropriate tone of voice from 16 distinct profiles through a short assessment. Upon completion, users receive a comprehensive copy style guide package. This includes detailed tone of voice guidelines, practical writing examples, formatting rules, and a unique tone of voice formula. Notably, it provides an AI assistant prompt specifically designed to help users generate on-brand content using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and other AI writing assistants, ensuring consistency even when leveraging artificial intelligence for content creation. The guides are delivered in both editable Microsoft Word format for customization and a shareable PDF version.

Features

AI Assistant Prompt: Generate copy matching your brand’s tone of voice using ChatGPT, Claude and other AI writing assistants.
Microsoft Word Version: Edit and customise your style guide as you grow.
PDF Version: Quickly and easily share your style guide with writers and freelancers.
One-Page Summary: Help your team understand your writing style at a glance.
Detailed Tone of Voice Guidelines: Refer to a single source of truth that explains every aspect of your brand’s tone of voice.
Writing Examples: Understand and communicate your writing style easily.
Writing Guidelines: Create compelling and professional copy that resonates with your audience.
Tone of Voice Formula: Turn any text into your own tone of voice in four easy steps.
Tone of Voice Test: Answer 24 simple questions to find your brand's matching tone profile out of 16 options.

Use Cases

Establishing a trustworthy and professional brand identity.
Streamlining the writing process for consistency across teams (e.g., customer support, marketing).
Eliminating 'tone of voice debt' by enabling on-brand content creation from the start.
Boosting team productivity by providing clear writing guidelines.
Accelerating employee and freelancer onboarding regarding communication style.
Improving the output quality of AI writing assistants like ChatGPT for brand voice alignment.

FAQs

How does a copy style guide differ from a brand style guide?

A brand style guide includes visual elements (logos, colors), while a copy style guide focuses solely on writing standards and tone. A copy style guide can be part of a larger brand style guide.
Why is establishing a tone of voice important for a business?

A defined tone of voice conveys a company's personality, helps connect with the target audience, differentiates the brand from competitors, and builds trust through consistent communication across all channels.
How many primary tone of voice types exist?

Research by Nielsen identified eight fundamental tones: Casual, Formal, Funny, Serious, Respectful, Irreverent, Enthusiastic, and Matter-of-fact. CopyStyleGuide.com combines these into 16 distinct profiles.
Can businesses create their own style guide without external tools?

Yes, by defining brand personality, values, audience, and establishing guidelines for tone, grammar, and formatting with examples. However, tools like CopyStyleGuide.com offer a structured and accelerated process.
When is hiring a consultant preferable to using CopyStyleGuide.com?

Hiring a consultant may be better for businesses needing a completely unique, deeply tailored tone of voice profile and have the budget and time, while CopyStyleGuide.com offers a quick, affordable solution based on pre-defined profiles suitable for many startups and small businesses.