Templates
Social Media Style Guide and Brand Voice Template
Published by Influence
Last checked
A social media style guide explains how your business writes and presents information consistently. Include the audience, voice, tone in different situations, preferred words, factual limits, accessibility practices and a review owner. Show examples a writer can apply. A list of adjectives such as “friendly, bold and authentic” is not enough unless you explain what those words change in a sentence.
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Separate voice, tone and visual rules
Voice is the recognizable way the business communicates. Tone adapts that voice to the situation: an event invitation can sound upbeat, while a cancellation needs a clear explanation and next step. Visual rules cover matters such as readable text, consistent product names and image treatment. Keep these decisions together when the same person prepares both the caption and visual.
Mailchimp's published voice and tone guide provides a real example of separating a stable voice from situational tone. Use it as a reference for the distinction, not as a personality to copy. Your examples should come from your business's facts and audience needs.
Copy the style guide template
Audience: [who is reading and what they need]
Voice: [three useful qualities, each with a writing instruction]
Tone by situation: [routine update, invitation, correction, complaint]
Preferred language: [product names, terminology and level of formality]
Avoid: [unsupported promises, jargon, vague urgency and private details]
Facts to verify: [prices, dates, availability, names and permissions]
Formatting: [sentence length, line breaks, hashtags and emoji conventions]
Accessibility: [clear wording, useful alt text, readable visual text, descriptive links]
Example to follow: [an approved sentence and why it works]
Example to revise: [a sentence and a better alternative]
Review owner and date: [who resolves questions and updates the guide]
Turn adjectives into practical rules
- Describe the audience's context. Someone comparing workshops needs clear requirements and logistics, not an insider's vocabulary. Write down what the reader may not already know.
- Choose a few qualities and show their effect. “Helpful” can mean answering the main question before describing the business. “Warm” can mean a direct welcome without excessive exclamation marks.
- Set limits that matter. Say when a price needs checking, which claims require evidence and who confirms a changed date. Brand consistency should never override factual accuracy.
- Write contrasting examples. Use the same underlying facts so the difference is genuinely about expression rather than a better offer.
- Try the guide on real drafts. If two writers interpret a rule differently, improve the example. Add rules only when they resolve a recurring decision.
Worked example: Maple & Clay's voice
Maple & Clay is a fictional ceramics studio in Portland, Oregon. This example uses an invented beginner workshop on November 14, 2026, from 10 a.m. to noon, America/Los_Angeles. It costs $45, has eight seats, and includes clay and firing. These are teaching facts, not a live offer.
Fictional example
Voice — clear: state the activity, date and practical details before decorative language.
Voice — welcoming: explain what a beginner will do without implying that everyone will get the same result.
Voice — specific: describe the material or process instead of calling everything amazing.
Revise: “Unlock your creativity at the ultimate pottery experience. Hurry!”
Use: “Try a beginner pottery workshop on November 14, from 10 a.m. to noon. The $45 price includes clay and firing. Check the booking page for available seats.”
Cancellation tone: explain what changed, identify the affected session and give the confirmed next step. Avoid jokes or unsupported promises about refunds.
The revised invitation does not say “only eight left.” Eight is the workshop's total capacity, not evidence of current availability. A style guide should help writers preserve distinctions like this when shortening a caption or adapting it for another platform.
Keep accessibility and translation practical
Use meaningful link text that tells a reader where the link leads. W3C's link-purpose guidance explains why this matters. Keep important instructions in readable text, describe informative images appropriately and avoid relying only on color or decorative symbols.
For another language, preserve the offer, names, limits and next action while allowing natural wording and sentence order. Do not translate an idiom literally or assume that the same degree of formality works everywhere. Keep canonical brand names unchanged, and have someone review the complete message rather than isolated labels.
Use the guide when drafting
Save the relevant facts and Brand Guidelines before asking Influence IQ for help. Review its wording and credit use; a style guide does not make an AI draft automatically accurate. Use the caption templates for structure, then check the final content through the publishing workflow.
Is a style guide the same as a brand book?
No. A brand book may cover positioning, identity and design in much greater detail. This worksheet focuses on decisions a person needs while preparing social posts. Link to existing brand rules instead of copying an entire brand book.
Should we ban all hashtags or emoji?
Only if that is a justified brand decision. Define where they help and where they distract, then show an example. Avoid rigid rules that remove useful meaning or make a correction less clear.