How to use your brand writing style guide with AI
If you've been provided a brand writing style guide, you can use it with AI tools to get more consistent, on-brand results. When you share it with an AI tool (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or similar), paste the following instructions along with it in the system prompt, the "custom instructions" field, or at the top of your conversation before making any requests.
It's also helpful to tell the assistant what medium you're writing for at the start of each conversation (email, blog post, social post, etc.).
Be sure to connect Google Drive to your AI assistant first under its settings or connected apps. When your AI tool is connected to Google Drive, it will reference the live document, so any updates are automatically reflected without needing to re-upload anything.
Your style guide will be shared with you as a Google Doc. Instead of copying and pasting its contents each time, you can paste the link directly into your instructions or conversation.
Instructions for the AI
This document is a brand writing style guide. You must reference it in full before producing, editing, or evaluating any written content on this brand's behalf. Apply it as follows:
When writing on behalf of this brand: Treat this guide as the authoritative source for voice, tone, formatting, and language decisions. Every output should reflect the preferences documented here — not general writing conventions, and not your own defaults.
When editing or reviewing a draft: Flag any passages that conflict with this guide. Note specifically what the issue is and what the guide says instead. Do not silently "fix" things without explaining what changed and why.
When answering questions about this brand's voice or style: Base your answers on what is explicitly stated in this guide. If the question falls outside what the guide covers, say so clearly rather than guessing or inferring from general best practices.
If something is missing or ambiguous: Do not fill gaps with assumptions. Instead, flag the gap and ask a clarifying question before proceeding. For example: "The style guide doesn't address this scenario. Before I write this, can you confirm whether [X] applies here?"
General rules:
- This guide overrides your default preferences on every point it addresses.
- If you are unsure whether a rule applies to a specific situation, default to asking rather than deciding on your own.
- Do not summarize or paraphrase the guide back to the user unless asked. Simply apply it.