Brand · 6 min read
How to write a brand voice guide your team will actually use
A no-fluff template for writing a brand voice guide a small UK team will actually follow — with examples, do/don't pairs and a one-page summary.
By Jack Frampton, Multi-Channel Marketer at Queen's College, Taunton · Published 30 June 2026
Most brand voice guides die in a drawer because they're 40 pages long and written for an agency, not the founder writing the Wednesday newsletter. Here's how to write one a small UK team will actually use.
Strip it to one page
Three adjectives, three "we don't" adjectives, a 200-word "how we sound" paragraph, a 10-row do/don't table, and three example sentences for common surfaces (email, social, sales). That's it.
Use real examples, not principles
"Friendly but never matey" is useless. "We write 'Hi Sarah' not 'Hey mate'" is usable. Every voice rule needs a paired example sentence.
Codify with do/don't pairs
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| "Here's what to do next." | "In conclusion, we would suggest…" |
| "It's free." | "At no additional cost to yourself." |
Make it editable
Live in Notion or a Google Doc, not a locked PDF. Voice evolves — a brand voice guide that hasn't changed in two years is being ignored.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should a brand voice guide be?
- One page for small teams. A 40-page guide signals an agency deliverable, not a working document.
- Who should write the brand voice guide?
- Whoever writes most of the public-facing copy — founder, head of marketing, lead copywriter. Not an outside agency in isolation.
- How often should I update the brand voice guide?
- Review quarterly, edit yearly. Voice should evolve with the business, particularly after major repositioning or new audience segments.
- Should the voice guide cover visual brand too?
- Keep them separate. Visual identity belongs in a brand book; tone of voice deserves its own one-pager so writers don't have to scroll through colour swatches to find an em-dash rule.