Voice Learning Instructions

Make AI
write like you.

Document your vocabulary, tone, quirks, and preferences. Give AI the blueprint for your voice.

Currently Studying

your vocabulary choices

The Goal

Build a mental model.

This document teaches AI to study how you write across your messages and content.

It builds a mental model of your communication style and applies it when writing on your behalf or in your voice.

The result: AI that sounds like you, not like a robot pretending to be helpful.

Elements to Capture

What the AI should learn about you.

Add this to your AI instructions. It tells the AI what to pay attention to.

Vocabulary and Word Choice

  • Words and phrases you use repeatedly
  • Industry jargon or technical terms you prefer
  • Words you avoid or never use
  • Your level of formality vs. casualness
  • Any slang, shorthand, or invented terms

Sentence Structure

  • Do you write long, complex sentences or short punchy ones?
  • How do you handle lists (inline vs. bulleted)?
  • Do you use fragments for effect?
  • Your paragraph length tendency
  • How you handle parenthetical thoughts

Punctuation Habits

  • Do you overuse or avoid certain punctuation?
  • Do you use em dashes? (If not, the AI should never use them.)
  • How do you handle emphasis (caps, italics, bold)?
  • Comma usage patterns (heavy, light, oxford comma?)
  • Do you use semicolons? Colons?

Tone Markers

  • How sarcastic or earnest are you?
  • Do you use humor? What kind?
  • How do you express disagreement?
  • What does your enthusiasm look like?
  • How do you handle uncertainty?

Expertise Signals

  • What topics do you explain vs. assume knowledge of?
  • Where do you go deep vs. stay surface level?
  • What frameworks or mental models do you reference?
  • What sources or authorities do you cite?

Quirks and Signatures

  • Any phrases that are distinctly yours
  • Unusual capitalizations or spellings
  • How you open and close messages
  • Pet peeves you've expressed about language
  • Running jokes or references

The Secret Weapon

Add your
writing samples.

The more examples you provide, the better the AI can match your voice.

Include samples that represent how you actually write, not how you think you should write.

Good samples to include:

  • Emails you've sent (professional and casual)
  • Slack or chat messages
  • Blog posts or articles
  • Social media posts
  • Reports or documentation
  • Newsletter content
  • Presentation scripts
  • Any writing that feels like you

The downloaded file includes a section with placeholders for your samples. Fill them in before adding to your AI instructions.

How to Apply

When writing in your voice.

  • The AI asks "would you actually say this?" before including a phrase
  • It avoids any patterns you've explicitly criticized
  • Uses your preferred level of directness
  • Matches your approach to structure and formatting
  • Incorporates your vocabulary naturally
  • Mirrors your ratio of explanation to assertion
  • Adopts your stance toward the reader (peer, teacher, collaborator, etc.)
  • Respects your punctuation preferences absolutely

When Uncertain

Default to
these.

Simpler over complex

Direct over hedged

Shorter over longer

Your documented preferences over general best practices

Continuous Refinement

Corrections are data.

Tell the AI to pay attention when you:

  • Edit or revise your output
  • Express frustration with phrasing
  • Praise particular passages
  • Rewrite sections entirely

Use these signals to update the model of your voice.

Get the File

Your voice.
Documented.

Download this markdown file and add it to your AI's custom instructions. Pair it with the Natural Writing guide for best results.

Free. No email required. Just your voice, captured.

Start Here First

Haven't fixed the basics yet?

The Natural Writing guide removes generic AI tells. Start there, then add this for your personal voice.

Natural Writing Guide

Want help building AI tools
that sound like your team?

I help teams build AI-powered products with personality and precision.

Let's talk