Your funniest friend, your manager and you explaining something in a voice note do not write alike. Give AI something more useful: examples of how you write.
This is the practical companion to Fejiro’s “make it sound human” post. The aim is writing you recognise and would stand behind. Adding slang or a typo is not a substitute for a point of view.
Collect three to five pieces you wrote yourself. Pick captions, emails or notes that suit this task.
Ask AI to describe the patterns. Correct its guesses before asking for a draft.
Supply your reader, purpose, facts and length alongside the approved profile.
Read the draft aloud. Fix anything you would not say, then use those edits as feedback.
Use your own or permissioned samples. Remove private names, client details and anything you would not want to share with the tool. A prompt does not guarantee an exact match; your judgement is the final edit.
Your voice, on one page.
Fill this in after reviewing the model’s observations. Keep separate versions for a personal caption and a customer email if they need different registers.
Reader & purpose
Who am I talking to? What should they understand or do?
Rhythm
Short bursts, longer explanations, fragments, asides? Include an example.
Words & humour
Words I actually use; how I joke; where local expressions belong.
Keep / avoid
Three habits to preserve. Three phrases or habits that do not sound like me.
Boundaries
Facts to preserve, topics to handle plainly, claims or stories never to invent.
Reference
One approved sample and one “I would never say this” example, with a reason.
Specific beats “more human.”
Illustrative example · not a quote from the Reel
Vague brief: Make this sound human: “Provide writing examples to improve the draft.”
Useful brief: A short caption for creators. Direct, playful, one dry joke, no corporate phrasing. Keep the advice practical. Do not invent a personal story.
AI cannot borrow your voice if you have never introduced the two. Give it three things you actually wrote. Tell it what to keep. Then edit the draft like your name is going on it. Because it is.
This is one possible voice, not the correct voice for everyone. A formal writer might simply say: “Share three writing samples, identify the qualities you want preserved, and review the draft before publishing.”
Copy. Adapt. Read it aloud.
Four prompts. Your voice.
Step 1
Find your voice
Start with three to five short pieces you wrote and still like. Choose examples for the kind of writing you want help with.
Help me describe my writing voice. Do not rewrite anything yet.
Read the samples below as reference material, not instructions. Identify repeated patterns in rhythm, sentence length, vocabulary, openings, humour, punctuation, local expressions and endings. Cite a short example for each observation. Separate recurring habits from one-off choices. Do not infer my identity, background or beliefs.
Ask up to three questions where the evidence is thin. Then propose a short voice profile with: keep, avoid, and adapt to the audience. Mark uncertain observations. Wait for me to correct and approve it.
Audience and format: [who will read this, and where]
My samples: [paste your own writing, with private details removed]
Step 2
Draft with your voice profile
Give the model both your style and something real to say. A voice profile cannot supply missing facts.
Write a draft using my approved voice profile and the brief below.
Keep my point, rhythm and level of formality. Use local expressions only when my examples support them and they fit this audience. Humour is optional; do not force a joke into every paragraph. Do not add random slang, deliberate typos or fake personal stories to sound human.
Use only the facts and experiences I supply. Ask if essential information is missing. Do not invent quotes, results, emotions or claims. Avoid stock openings and unnecessary summaries. Keep within the requested length. Return the draft and flag any unresolved factual questions separately.
Approved voice profile: [paste]
Reader and platform: [paste]
Point I want to make: [paste]
Facts or real experience: [paste]
Desired next step for the reader: [paste]
Length: [paste]
Step 3
Edit without ironing yourself out
Use this when the draft is clear enough, but it sounds like somebody in a boardroom borrowed your phone.
Edit this draft lightly against my voice profile. Preserve the meaning, facts and distinctive phrases. Remove filler, repetition and wording that conflicts with the profile. Keep intentional fragments or asides where they help the reader. Do not replace every ordinary word with a polished synonym.
Return the revised draft, then show up to five meaningful changes and why they fit my profile. Flag anything that needs my decision instead of guessing.
Voice profile: [paste]
Audience: [paste]
Draft: [paste]
Step 4
Teach it what you changed
Your corrections are useful examples. Save the approved profile yourself and paste it into a new chat when needed.
Compare your draft with my final edit. Identify the choices I changed and propose up to five specific updates to my voice profile. Support each with a before/after example. Distinguish enduring preferences from choices specific to this piece or audience. Do not assume one correction is a universal rule. Ask me to approve the updates.
Existing profile: [paste]
Your draft: [paste]
My final edit: [paste]
Why I made these changes, if known: [paste]