Spoiler: It's not about the prompts, it's about the prep.
You’ve seen the promise: “Write your website in seconds with ChatGPT.”
You’ve tried the prompts.
You’ve refined the prompts.
You’ve added “in a conversational, human tone with light humour.”
And still… it doesn’t sound like you.
Or your brand.
Or frankly, like anything you’d actually publish.
Why AI struggles with brand voice
AI is excellent at pattern recognition. But your brand voice isn’t a pattern, it’s a blend of tone, intention, rhythm, audience awareness, and strategic messaging.
Without that context, ChatGPT will fill the gaps with the most common denominators in its dataset:
Generic marketing speak
Vague enthusiasm
“Friendly and helpful” tone that sounds more chatbot than brand
If you want ChatGPT to generate content that sounds like you, you have to teach it who you are first.
What you need before you prompt
To get AI to write like your brand, you need to stop treating it like a writer, and start treating it like an intern. An intern who’s read everything on the internet, but knows nothing about your business.
Here’s what to give it:
1. A clear brand voice system
Your voice isn’t just “professional but casual.” It’s:
The words you choose (and avoid)
The tone you strike depending on context (e.g. calm, curious, irreverent)
The rhythm of your writing (short, punchy? lyrical?)
Example phrases and “this, not that” lists to guide AI
2. Your core messaging
If you can’t clearly articulate your positioning, value prop, and key messages, AI can’t either.
Build a messaging map that defines:
Who you’re for
What you help them do
Why you’re different
What you sound like when you say it
3. Audience personas
AI doesn’t know your customer unless you introduce them. Feed it persona insights like:
Their language
Their values
What they’re struggling with
What they want to hear
4. Voice of Customer research
This is the real differentiator. Voice of Customer (VOC) data reveals exactly how your audience talks — their hopes, hesitations, needs, and language. It’s your shortcut to copy that connects.
Feed this into AI and it won’t just sound polished. It will resonate.
If I were to recommend you do just one thing to improve your AI content? This is it.
5. Ethical & strategic boundaries
AI will write whatever you ask — whether it aligns with your values or not. Define what not to say, how to handle sensitive topics, and how you’ll use AI responsibly as a brand.
Still getting generic output? Here's why.
Even with decent prompts, you’ll struggle if your foundation is missing.
If ChatGPT is giving you content that:
Feels generic or templated
Doesn’t match your tone
Sounds nothing like how you speak or write
…it’s not the tool’s fault. It’s the input. And the input depends on what you’ve built behind the scenes.
Build the (copywriter-approved) brand system AI actually needs
If you want AI to write like you — with your voice, your clarity, and your strategy — you need to build the right foundation first.
That’s exactly what I help you do in Brand Foundations for AI.
You’ll walk away with:
A complete voice system
Messaging clarity
AI-ready audience personas
Ethical use guardrails
Prompt-ready guidance
And a custom GPT built just for your brand (yes, really)
