Content Is Character: Rethinking Voice in the AI Era

At the moment, I’m managing twelve social media accounts — more than ever in my career. This has pushed me to refine a very particular way of approaching brands.

When I start with a new project, I never see a brand as a product, a service, or even a company.

I see it as a character.

Characters have accents, gestures, limits, and contradictions.

They move through the world with a certain rhythm.

A brand is no different.

And a strong brand, to me, is built on personality.

That’s why, when I develop a tone of voice, I ask myself questions that sound almost theatrical:

– What accent does it have?

– What would it never say?

– How does it walk? How does it enter a room?

In my experience, these questions open doors. They prevent brands from sounding generic, like templates filled with corporate jargon.

And today, with AI shaping more and more brand voices, these questions are even more relevant.

Imagining a character is the best way to guide a prompt towards something human — something that feels true.

Here’s the shift I see: prompting is becoming the new copywriting.

Once, writing was about persuading humans.

Now, part of our craft is persuading AI to generate what we actually need.

The difference between flat output and something memorable often lies in the very first line you type.

The better the prompt, the better the voice that comes out of it.

And if you prompt as if the brand were a character, you get something closer to authenticity — a voice that resonates.

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This post is part of A Room with a Voice: reflections on brand voice, strategy, and creativity.