brand-voice-extractor

Brand Voice Extractor

Extract authentic brand voice through structured interviewing. Produces a 6-pillar voice profile that captures Intent, Message, Soul, Voice, Positioning, and Shadow.

The 6 Pillars

Pillar	Captures	Why It Matters
Intent	Mission, transformation delivered, the outcome clients get	The "why should anyone care" foundation
Message	The singular idea to burn into minds	Creates consistency across all content
Soul	Values, beliefs, origin story, what they stand for	Authenticity that can't be faked
Voice	Tonality, cadence, reading level, signature phrases	The "fingerprint" across all channels
Positioning	Secret sauce, what makes them unreplaceable	The competitive moat
Shadow	Objections, skepticism, what they're NOT	Defines boundaries, handles resistance

Interview Protocol

Phase 1: Opening (Warm-Up)

Start with story-based questions to get natural speech patterns. DO NOT ask list-style questions yet.

Opening Question:

"Tell me the story of how you got into what you do. Not the polished version—the real one. What happened that made you say 'this is what I need to do'?"

Follow-up probes based on response:

• "What was the turning point moment?"
• "Who was the first person you helped, and what happened?"
• "What did you believe then that you still believe now?"

Phase 2: Intent Extraction

Uncover the transformation they deliver.

Primary Questions:

1. "If someone uses your product/service and follows through completely, what's different about their life in 12 months?"
2. "What's the pain your customers have when they find you? Describe a specific person."
3. "What would happen to your customers if you didn't exist?"

Follow-up probes:

• "Give me a specific example of someone who got that result"
• "What was their life like BEFORE vs AFTER?"
• "What's the ripple effect—how does this change affect other areas of their life?"

Phase 3: Message Extraction

Find the singular idea they want the world to understand.

Primary Questions:

1. "If you could tattoo one sentence on every person in your market's brain, what would it say?"
2. "What do most people in your industry get WRONG that you know is right?"
3. "When someone 'gets it' about what you teach—what did they finally understand?"

Follow-up probes:

• "Why do you believe that so strongly?"
• "What happened to make you certain of this?"
• "Who disagrees with you on this, and why are they wrong?"

Phase 4: Soul Extraction

Reveal values, beliefs, and the WHY.

Primary Questions:

1. "What would you teach even if no one paid you?"
2. "What pisses you off about your industry?"
3. "What's a belief you hold that might be controversial?"
4. "What do you want your legacy to be?"

Follow-up probes:

• "Where did that value come from?"
• "Tell me about a time you had to choose between profit and principle"
• "What would you never compromise on, even if it cost you money?"

Phase 5: Voice Extraction

Capture the fingerprint—how they actually speak.

Primary Questions:

1. "How would your best friend describe how you talk?"
2. "What phrases do you catch yourself saying repeatedly?"
3. "When you're explaining something complex, how do you simplify it?"
4. "Are you more formal or casual? Teacher or friend? Direct or gentle?"

Observation tasks (note these during the interview):

• Sentence length patterns (short and punchy vs. flowing)
• Vocabulary level (plain vs. sophisticated)
• Use of stories vs. data
• Humor style (if any)
• Signature phrases that repeat
• How they handle disagreement
• Energy level (high/intense vs. calm/measured)

Direct ask:

"Give me a 60-second explanation of what you do, as if you're talking to someone at a party who asked what you do for work."

Phase 6: Positioning Extraction

Find the secret sauce and competitive moat.

Primary Questions:

1. "Why should someone buy from you instead of your competitor?"
2. "What do you do that no one else in your space does?"
3. "What's your unfair advantage—the thing that's hard to copy?"
4. "If someone could only know ONE thing about you before buying, what should it be?"

Follow-up probes:

• "How did you develop that advantage?"
• "Why can't competitors just copy this?"
• "What would a customer say makes you different?"

Phase 7: Shadow Extraction

Uncover objections, skepticism, and boundaries.

Primary Questions:

1. "What's the #1 reason people DON'T buy from you?"
2. "What negative assumptions do people make about your industry?"
3. "Who is NOT a good fit for what you offer?"
4. "What do people compare you to that frustrates you?"
5. "What's a criticism of your approach that you've heard?"

Follow-up probes:

• "How do you respond to that objection?"
• "What would you say to someone who's been burned before?"
• "What's the skepticism you face from people who've never worked with you?"

Output: Voice Profile Structure

After completing the interview, synthesize into this format:

# Voice Profile: [Name/Brand]

## Intent
**Mission:** [One sentence—the transformation they deliver]
**Customer Pain:** [The specific problem they solve]
**Outcome:** [What success looks like for their clients]
**Ripple Effect:** [Secondary benefits beyond the core transformation]

## Message
**Core Belief:** [The one thing they want everyone to understand]
**Contrarian Position:** [What they believe that others don't]
**If They Could Say One Thing:** [The tattoo statement]

## Soul
**Origin:** [Why they started—the real story]
**Values:** [3-5 non-negotiable principles]
**Driving Emotion:** [What fuels them—anger at injustice, love for helping, etc.]
**Legacy:** [What they want to be remembered for]

## Voice
**Tonality:** [Authoritative/Friendly/Intense/Calm/etc.]
**Energy:** [High/Medium/Low]
**Formality:** [Casual/Professional/Mix]
**Reading Level:** [Grade level estimate]
**Sentence Style:** [Short punchy / Long flowing / Mix]
**Signature Phrases:** [List 5-10 phrases they use repeatedly]
**Metaphor Style:** [Types of comparisons they make]
**Humor:** [None/Dry/Self-deprecating/Playful/etc.]
**Teaching Style:** [Stories/Data/Examples/Analogies]

## Positioning
**Secret Sauce:** [The unfair advantage]
**Differentiation:** [What makes them unreplaceable]
**Social Proof:** [Credibility markers]
**Category:** [How they define their space]

## Shadow
**Primary Objection:** [The #1 reason people don't buy]
**Industry Skepticism:** [Negative associations they fight against]
**Not For:** [Who should NOT work with them]
**Boundary:** [What they refuse to do/be]
**Response to Skeptics:** [How they handle doubt]

## Voice in Action
[Include 2-3 example quotes from the interview that perfectly capture their voice]

Interview Principles

The Master DR Marketer Mindset

1. Listen for language, not just content. The EXACT words they use are gold. Note unusual phrases, repeated terms, specific jargon.

2. Follow the energy. When they get animated, dig deeper. That's where the soul lives.

3. Probe the pain. Surface-level answers hide the real story. Ask "why" at least 3 times on important topics.

4. Seek specifics. "Give me an example" turns abstract into concrete. Names, dates, details make voice authentic.

5. Note the negative space. What they DON'T say matters. What they avoid or dismiss reveals boundaries.

6. Test for consistency. Ask the same question different ways. The consistent answer is the truth.

Adaptive Follow-Up Framework

When an answer feels surface-level:

• "Can you give me a specific example of that?"
• "Tell me about a time when..."
• "What made you realize that?"
• "Why is that important to you?"

When they're being modest:

• "What would your best client say about that?"
• "If I asked your competitor about you, what would they reluctantly admit?"
• "What result are you most proud of?"

When they're being vague:

• "Paint me a picture—what does that actually look like?"
• "If I was a fly on the wall, what would I see?"
• "Give me the before and after"

When they use jargon:

• "How would you explain that to your mom?"
• "What's a simpler way to say that?"
• "If you couldn't use that word, what would you say?"

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Don't accept corporate speak. Push past "we provide solutions" to real language.
2. Don't rush the origin story. This reveals soul and authentic voice.
3. Don't skip Shadow extraction. Understanding objections is half the battle.
4. Don't impose your interpretation. Use THEIR words in the profile.
5. Don't merge similar phrases. Keep distinct phrases separate—variety matters.

Reading Level Calibration

Target 6th-8th grade reading level for maximum reach. Note the client's natural level, then document whether adjustment is needed:

• If naturally complex: Note it, suggest simplification for outputs
• If naturally simple: Preserve it, don't artificially elevate
• If mixed: Identify when they elevate (authority) vs. simplify (connection)