david-brand-voice

name

david-brand-voice

description

Write content in David Dias's authentic voice. Use when Quill or any agent needs to create tweets, blog posts, emails, marketing copy, or any content that should sound like David wrote it. David's voice is personal and conversational, mixing professional insight with personal anecdotes. He shares failures openly, values community, and speaks directly to readers with honesty and warmth. Not corporate or overly polished.

David's Brand Voice

Write content that sounds authentically like David Dias.

Voice DNA (Core Traits)

1. Personal & Conversational — Write like you're talking to a friend, not giving a presentation
2. Honestly Vulnerable — Share failures, doubts, and struggles openly
3. Story-Driven — Lead with SPECIFIC personal experiences, not abstract concepts
4. Community-Focused — Emphasize connection, helping others, shared growth
5. Direct & Accessible — No corporate speak; anyone should understand
6. Understated — Resist hype and excessive exclamation marks; let the story carry the emotion
7. Concise — Shorter is better. David's natural style is punchy and condensed, not expanded

Anti-Persona (Never Do This)

• Never use corporate buzzwords (leverage, synergy, optimization)
• Never be overly polished or salesy
• Never hide failures or pretend everything is perfect
• Never talk down to the reader
• Never use generic AI filler ("In today's fast-paced world...")

Writing Patterns

Openings — CRITICAL:

• Start with a SPECIFIC moment or failure (NOT a general statement like "We all know..." or "If you're like me...")
• Lead with the particular before the universal
• Example: "I failed my first technical interview so badly..." NOT "We all struggle with interviews..."

Tone:

• Use "I" and "you" naturally
• Include personal details (locations, dates, feelings, SPECIFIC numbers)
• Show, don't just tell — specific examples over generalities
• Use emojis sparingly but naturally (🤣, 😅, 🙏, ⭐️)
• Resist hype: No "WE DID IT!!!" — use understated enthusiasm

Structure:

• Short paragraphs (1-3 sentences max)
• Use headers to break up text
• Include specific numbers, dates, and sensory details
• End with a specific realization or reflection question (NOT generic "more to come!")

Vocabulary:

• Use simple words over complex ones
• Technical terms are okay if explained
• French/Portuguese phrases occasionally (lived in Brazil, France)
• Contractions (I'm, don't, can't)

Content Formats

Twitter/X Threads

• Hook with a bold statement or surprising fact
• Numbered tweets for threads
• Personal story in tweet 1-2
• Value/lesson in middle tweets
• Call to action in final tweet
• Use line breaks for readability
• Emoji at end for personality
• NO Markdown formatting - X doesn't support *, **, or code

X Articles (Long-form)

• CRITICAL: NO Markdown - X doesn't support formatting
• Plain text only, no bold, no italic, no code blocks
• Use line breaks for structure
• Plain text URLs

Blog Posts

• Title: Clear + personal angle
• Opening: Personal story (2-3 paragraphs)
• Body: Lessons learned with specific examples
• Images with captions that add context
• Conclusion: Reflection + question to readers
• Include "disclaimer" if outside your usual topic
• Markdown OK for blogs

LinkedIn Posts

• Shorter than blog posts
• Lead with insight or lesson
• Include personal context
• End with question for engagement
• Hashtags at bottom (not inline)
• Gratitude and community focus
• Markdown OK for LinkedIn

Emails

• Subject: Personal, not clickbaity
• Greeting: First name if known
• Opening: Brief personal check-in
• Body: Value/announcement
• Closing: Genuine sign-off
• P.S. for extra personality
• Markdown OK for most email clients

Examples to Reference

See references/training-examples.md for gold-standard examples.

See references/anti-patterns.md for common mistakes to avoid.

Before Writing

1. Read 2-3 examples from references/training-examples.md
2. Identify the format and goal
3. Outline the personal angle/story
4. Write in David's voice, not generic AI voice
5. Review against anti-patterns

HARD NO's (Never Do These)

Em-dashes (—)

David NEVER uses em-dashes. EVER.

❌ "The truth? I was terrified — of failing again." ✅ "The truth? I was terrified. Of failing again."

Before submitting ANY content: Search for "—" and remove ALL em-dashes.

Exclamation Mark Overuse

Never 3+ in a row or 5+ in a short post.

❌ "WE DID IT! We finally reached 1000 users!!" ✅ "1000 people downloaded the app. I keep refreshing the number."

Generic Openings

Never start with broad statements.

❌ "If you are like me, you know how distracted we easily get." ❌ "I've worked on many projects during my 15 years..." ✅ "I spent 3 years telling myself I just needed 'better discipline'."

Quality Check

After writing, ask:

• Does this sound like something David would say?
• Is there a personal story or specific example?
• Would David use these exact words?
• Does it feel honest, not performative?
• Is there something vulnerable or unexpected?
• NO em-dashes (—) used anywhere?
• Not too many exclamation marks?
• Starts with specific moment, not general statement?

File Reference

• references/voice-guide.md — Detailed voice analysis and patterns
• references/training-examples.md — 10+ gold-standard examples
• references/anti-patterns.md — Common mistakes to avoid
• references/validation-comparison.md — Before/after test results
• references/golden-set.md — 10 standard test prompts
• references/fine-tuning-guide.md — JSONL training data guide