How to create a style guide for writing with AI
An AI writing style guide turns communication preferences into rules and examples that can be reviewed. It should help choose words and structures without authorizing invented facts merely to match a tone.
This tutorial builds a concise first version for a team. Start with one page and expand only when recurring questions appear in actual work.
1. Define the audience and situation
Explain who reads and how they relate to the text. “Customers needing to complete a task” offers more concrete guidance than “general audience”.
List the main formats too: tutorial, notice, email or institutional text. Not every rule has the same importance across them.
2. Describe tone through behavior
Replace vague adjectives with observable choices. Instead of “welcoming”, specify whether the text should acknowledge a question, explain the next action and avoid blaming readers.
| Preference | Reviewable rule |
|---|---|
| Clarity | Explain necessary terms on first use |
| Connection | Address readers directly where appropriate |
| Directness | Present the main action early |
| Responsibility | Do not turn a hypothesis into a promise |
These decisions should reflect the team’s voice. You do not need to adopt every example here as a universal rule.
3. Select authorized examples
Choose short passages representing the desired style and explain why they work. An uncommented example may lead the tool to copy an accidental detail.
Google’s prompt strategies include examples as a way to guide output. In a style guide, they should demonstrate a rule rather than replace original writing.
Avoid selecting examples only because they performed well in an unrelated campaign. A successful headline may use conventions unsuitable for a support explanation, so record what the example actually illustrates.
4. Draft with clear boundaries
Separate general principles from format-specific rules. Include a section preserving facts, conditions and uncertainty regardless of style.
Create a style guide from the decisions and authorized examples below.
Organize it into audience, tone principles, vocabulary, structure and format rules.
For each rule, provide a short explanation and an original fictional example.
Do not invent brand characteristics that were not supplied.
Do not turn examples into mandatory sentences to repeat.
Include a rule preserving facts, deadlines and conditions.
List preference conflicts and questions the team must decide.
[AUTHORIZED DECISIONS AND EXAMPLES]The output is a proposal for editorial approval. A persuasive list of rules may hide conflicts only the team can resolve.
5. Test more than one genre
Use a short notice, a tutorial passage and a fictional support reply. Check whether the guide directs all three without producing identical prose for different situations.
If a rule demands informality where precision is necessary, describe the exception. A useful guide allows adapting form without changing meaning.
Include a passage the team already considers acceptable as a control. The guide should explain why it works rather than force unnecessary rewriting simply to demonstrate that editing occurred.
6. Record changes
Note the version and reasons for revisions. When changing a rule, update the corresponding examples to avoid contradictory instructions.
Keep the guide accessible to writers and reviewers. It should be a decision reference rather than a document only AI can interpret.
Common mistakes
Confusing style with mandatory praise, using examples of uncertain origin and asking every text to “sound human” without defining that request do not help review. Turning a preference into an absolute rule regardless of format is another failure.
Result criterion
A person should be able to read a rule, identify where it applies and justify a concrete change. If reviewers consistently disagree, its wording still needs work.
See preserving your voice during editing and using examples in prompts to test the first version.
Frequently asked questions
Is a style guide just a list of adjectives?
No. Include observable decisions, examples and rules for recurring situations instead of relying only on words such as modern or human.
Does one guide fit every text type?
It may share common principles, but email, tutorials and announcements can require specific guidance.
How can I tell whether the guide works?
Test representative texts and check whether different reviewers can apply its rules consistently.