Don't Let AI Steal Your Brand Voice

Take a quick scroll through LinkedIn these days and you'll spot it almost instantly: walls of text, lifeless posts, bland "insights" that feel more like they were churned out of a machine than written by a human.

That's because, more often than not – they were.

AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and others are amazing. They've made creating content faster and more accessible than ever before. But there's a downside: used poorly, they can strip away the very thing that makes your content powerful. Your brand voice and personality.

And your audience can tell.

Why Brand Voice Matters More Than Ever

Your brand voice is more than just the words you use, it's how you say them. It's the personality behind your business. The distinct tone, rhythm, and style that make your brand feel human, relatable, and recognisable.

In a crowded market where audiences are bombarded with content daily, a strong brand voice helps you:

• Stand out from the noise

- Build trust with your audience

- Create emotional connection. People buy from brands they feel aligned with

- Drive consistency across all your channels, from social media to sales emails

Without a clear voice, your messaging risks becoming forgettable.

With a clear voice, your brand feels familiar, like a trusted friend your audience comes back to again and again.

And here's the thing: AI can mimic information, but it can't mimic you – unless you put in the time and effort to guide it.

"Your voice, opinions, and experiences are what make you memorable. AI can help shape content, but only human clarity turns it into something people (and algorithms) want to return to and recommend."

Perpetua Harris, Copywriter

When your brand voice is well-defined, it acts as a filter. It ensures that even when you use tools like AI to speed up content creation, your messaging still feels authentically you. It's not just what you say, it's how you make people feel when you say it.

The Problem with Generic AI Content

AI can write for you, but it can't think like you.

When brands rely too heavily on AI without guidance or human editing, the result is often:

• Correct grammar

- Structured sentences

- No spark

- No differentiation

- No soul

Your brand voice, the tone, style, and personality that sets you apart, risks being flattened into something bland and forgettable.

The danger isn't using AI. The danger is using it without intention.

What's Missing?

Nuance: AI can't understand the little subtleties of your audience or market the way you can.

Emotion: Readers connect to feeling, not facts alone. AI struggles to capture real human empathy.

Personality: AI defaults to the middle of the road – polite, generic, risk-free.

If you've ever read a post and thought "I could have read this anywhere", that's exactly the trap you don't want to fall into.

How to Use AI Well (Without Losing Your Voice)

I'm not here to tell you to ditch AI. Far from it.

The trick is learning how to train it and edit it, so it sounds more like you, and less like everyone else.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Start with Strong Prompts

Think of AI as an assistant, not a writer.

The more specific you are, the better the output. Instead of:

"Write a blog on marketing tips."

Try:

"Write a blog post in a friendly, expert tone. Use relatable examples and a confident voice. Focus on 5 actionable marketing tips for small business owners looking to grow."

Mention your tone, target audience, and writing style in every prompt.

2. Feed It Your Own Work

Good AI writing comes from good input.

Upload a few examples of your brand's past content (posts, blogs, emails) and ask it to match your existing style. You can even say:

"Here's a sample of my tone and voice – conversational, confident, practical. Mimic this in the following blog post."

3. Always Human-Edit

No matter how good the draft, your audience deserves more than copy-paste.

Edit for:

• Brand voice

- Nuance

- Storytelling

- Personal insight

Sometimes it's the smallest tweak, a casual word, a phrase you always say, a quirk of your style, that makes your content feel unmistakably YOU.

AI Is a Tool, But You're the Storyteller

AI can help you get there faster, but it still needs your voice to guide it.

Don't hand over the mic entirely.

Use AI smartly, as an ally, not a replacement.

At the end of the day, it's your personality, your expertise, and your unique point of view that your audience connects with.

And no AI can replicate that – unless you teach it how.

Final Thought: Good content feels human. Great content feels like you.