38 | Why AI Needs Rules AND Real Examples to Sound Like You

You can tell AI you want to sound conversational, warm, smart, and a little funny. You can ban corporate jargon, motivational fluff, and anything that gives even a whiff of tech-bro energy.

And AI still has to decide what all of that actually means.

Because “professional” looks very different for a founder and CEO who works at a corporate office in a suit than it does for a founder and CEO who works on her laptop at a beach bar with her dog in a Free People romper and flip-flops.

Describing the brand voice gives AI rules and guardrails, but real examples tell AI what that means IRL.

This episode wraps up the series on the 5 Files framework, with the last two files that help AI create marketing that sounds like you - without accidentally leaving it up to AI to decide what you meant when you said that you want to sound "professional, empathetic, and warm".

Listen to find out:

Why brand voice rules and gold-standard examples belong in two separate filesWhat to document in your Brand Voice Rules fileThe content, testimonials, and proof to collect for your Examples and Proof fileHow to build a useful example library when your business or content is still newWhy improving the source files works better than fixing the same off-brand output over and over

KEY MOMENTS00:27 - The final two files in the 5-file AI onboarding system

05:41 - Why voice instructions and examples need separate files

07:29 - Why describing your brand voice is subjective if you don't show it what you mean

08:13 - The voice rules that stop AI defaulting to internet marketing

10:41 - Why you can only explain your voice for so long