The Client Voice Inventory Builder
Build the cheat sheet that keeps every draft from sounding like a stranger in a nice suit.
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Stop Writing Like a Polished Imposter
There’s a special kind of pain in ghostwriting: the draft is clean, smart, and organized… and the client reads it like you just handed them someone else’s passport. The problem is not always the idea. It is the voice. You skipped the fingerprints.
Finds the client’s repeatable phrases, transitions, metaphors, and sentence habits
Separates “how they think” from “how a writer would dress it up”
Identifies words, tones, and claims the client would never naturally use
Builds a practical voice map you can reuse across posts, essays, emails, scripts, or speeches
Reduces those lovely little client comments like, “This is good, but it doesn’t sound like me”
This prompt gives you a working inventory of the client’s voice so you can stop guessing every time you open a blank page. Run it before drafting, after reviewing transcripts, or whenever a client says the writing feels “off” but cannot explain why.
Use it to turn voice from a séance into a system.
How to use this prompt:
Paste in a sample of the client’s natural language, such as transcripts, podcast clips, interview answers, emails, posts, call notes, or previous approved drafts. The better the raw material, the sharper the inventory. Use the output as your working voice guide before drafting anything new.
Use at least 1,000–3,000 words of source material when possible
Include both polished and casual samples if you have them
Add notes about the intended platform, audience, and content type
Save the final inventory and update it after every approved draft
Re-run the prompt when the client’s tone changes by context, platform, or audience
The goal is not to trap the client in one robotic style. The goal is to understand their natural range so every draft feels intentional, familiar, and believable.
The Prompt:
You are an expert ghostwriter and voice analyst.
Your task is to study the source material below and build a detailed Client Voice Inventory that I can reuse when writing for this person.
CLIENT CONTEXT:
- Client name or placeholder: [CLIENT NAME]
- Role/title: [CLIENT ROLE]
- Industry/niche: [INDUSTRY]
- Target audience: [TARGET AUDIENCE]
- Primary platform/content type: [PLATFORM OR ASSET TYPE]
- Desired impression: [EX: thoughtful, blunt, warm, contrarian, analytical, funny, executive, plainspoken]
- Topics they usually discuss: [TOPICS]
- Any known words/tones to avoid: [KNOWN AVOIDANCES]
SOURCE MATERIAL:
[PASTE CLIENT TRANSCRIPTS, POSTS, EMAILS, CALL NOTES, INTERVIEW ANSWERS, ARTICLES, OR APPROVED DRAFTS]
Build the voice inventory using the following structure:
1. Voice Snapshot
Write a short summary of how this person naturally sounds. Focus on rhythm, emotional temperature, confidence level, clarity, humor, directness, and overall feel.
2. Signature Phrases
List repeated phrases, expressions, sentence starters, closing lines, favorite transitions, and verbal habits this client uses.
3. Word Choice Patterns
Identify the types of words they prefer:
- Simple or complex
- Casual or formal
- Concrete or abstract
- Emotional or analytical
- Industry-specific or plainspoken
Include examples from the source material when available.
4. Sentence Rhythm
Analyze how they build sentences:
- Short and punchy or long and layered
- Fragment-heavy or grammatically complete
- Question-driven or declaration-driven
- Fast-moving or reflective
Explain how to imitate this rhythm without becoming cartoonish.
5. Thinking Style
Identify how this person tends to explain ideas:
- Stories
- Frameworks
- Contrasts
- Data
- Warnings
- Personal lessons
- Strong opinions
- Step-by-step logic
- Metaphors
Explain the dominant thinking pattern.
6. Default Metaphors and Analogies
List the kinds of comparisons this person naturally uses. Note whether they explain the world through business, sports, science, parenting, investing, building, games, war, nature, art, or another lens.
7. Natural Transitions
Identify how they move from one idea to another. Do they use questions, pivots, blunt statements, contrasts, “here’s why,” stories, or logical connectors?
8. Certainty Level
Describe how confident or nuanced they sound. Do they make bold claims, hedge carefully, explain exceptions, or balance both?
9. Humor and Personality Markers
Identify whether the client uses humor, sarcasm, understatement, bluntness, warmth, self-deprecation, surprise, or dry observations. Explain how to use these lightly without forcing them.
10. Forbidden Voice Zone
List words, phrases, tones, sentence styles, jokes, claims, or levels of polish that would make the draft sound unlike this person.
11. Do / Don’t Voice Rules
Create 10 practical rules:
- 5 things to do when writing in this client’s voice
- 5 things to avoid
12. Before-and-After Demonstration
Take this generic sentence:
“Leaders need to communicate clearly if they want their teams to perform well.”
Rewrite it 5 times in the client’s likely voice, based on the source material.
13. Voice Inventory Cheat Sheet
End with a concise one-page reference I can keep beside me while drafting:
- Sounds like:
- Never sounds like:
- Favorite moves:
- Common phrases:
- Sentence rhythm:
- Thinking style:
- Tone boundaries:
- Best use cases:What to expect after running this prompt:
You should get a practical voice map that helps you write with more confidence, fewer awkward guesses, and fewer drafts that sound like generic “executive thought leadership soup.” The output should make the client’s voice feel observable instead of mysterious.
A reusable guide for phrases, tone, rhythm, transitions, and sentence patterns
Clear “do/don’t” rules to prevent over-polishing or importing your own style
A better understanding of how the client thinks, not just how they talks
A cheat sheet you can use before drafting, editing, or handing work to another writer
A stronger chance that the client says, “Yep, that sounds like me”
Use the inventory as a living document, not a museum exhibit. Every approved draft gives you more evidence.
Chat soon.
Roger
P.S.
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