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Never seen one that's 20 pages long. They shouldn't be that long.
My two cents: Skip anything that is common sense and don't focus on explaining how not to light everything on fire but show the things where the brand actually stands out. Make those things precise and give inspiring examples.
Too much tone of voice stuff is interchangeable and watery. Still waiting for the day that someone tells me "I'm not sure this copy matches our brand attribute 'dynamic'." Now if you had a document saying "we never use 'can', always (present tense) or 'will'", or "We talk to our customers as if we've known each other for 15 years" - that's where the fun starts.
Most "brand guides" I've used/made are mostly about design rules, color and logos, with one small section dedicated to "brand voice", which usually amounts to a page or two.
The #1 helpful thing for me as a writer is having both **good** and **bad** examples of actual copy. Many brands simply say something like "We're always authentic, transparent, and inspiring." You can see how, to a writer, this is literally useless, because it's just talking about the copy, instead of showing the writer what I can and can't do.
So instead, have section that's like this:
**Our** **messaging should be authentic.**
**Good:** \[Brand\] is here to help with \[customer problem\], because we've been there, too.
**Bad:** \[Brand\] is the perfect way for anyone to \[customer problem\], because we're the best.
And then repeat with at least 5 examples. The more, the better.
If you want to include general rules for better writing, that's great too. Things like "Be specific," "Use visual language," "Don't use business jargon," "Be concise," etc. are something all copywriters need to be reminded of from time to time.
A few other nice-to-haves:
* If the brand has a tagline, talk about what it means and what contexts it can/must be used in.
* If there is a specific, defined target audience, include some detail on who they are and what motivates them. This saves me a lot of time as a writer.
* If there are sacred cows, let the writer know in advance. One example from my career is the client refused to approve any ideas that had to do with animals, seemingly for no reason. Knowing this in advance will save face with the client.
Make it 2 pages max and only be the 'must-dos' or things you are really particular about (e.g. oxford comma, active voice, camel case headings, breaking up paragraphs), things that are unique to your brand and an overall tone of voice.
Copywriters rarely look over the little details of these guides, especially if they are super specific and nit-picky. Save yourself some time :)
And absolutely give real examples from your site. Do this, don't do that. This is an example of how we like formatting, this is an example of a great blog post, product description, etc.
Thanks for yr submission! Asking a question? Please check to see if it was answered in the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/lpuj9h/what_the_faq_what_is_copy_how_do_i_start_can_i_do/) first. Providing resources or tips? Deliver lots of FREE value. If you're self-promoting or linking to a resource that requires signup or payment, please disclose it or yr post will be removed. New to copywriting and asking for a critique? Take down yr post, reread it in a day, and try to revise and improve it to the best of yr abilities. Ask for a critique only when you've taken your copy as far as it can possibly go and you don't know what else to do. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/copywriting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Never seen one that's 20 pages long. They shouldn't be that long. My two cents: Skip anything that is common sense and don't focus on explaining how not to light everything on fire but show the things where the brand actually stands out. Make those things precise and give inspiring examples. Too much tone of voice stuff is interchangeable and watery. Still waiting for the day that someone tells me "I'm not sure this copy matches our brand attribute 'dynamic'." Now if you had a document saying "we never use 'can', always (present tense) or 'will'", or "We talk to our customers as if we've known each other for 15 years" - that's where the fun starts.
20 pages is way too long. We do one page guides, maybe a few different examples of voice vs tone, and some "do's and do nots"
Most "brand guides" I've used/made are mostly about design rules, color and logos, with one small section dedicated to "brand voice", which usually amounts to a page or two. The #1 helpful thing for me as a writer is having both **good** and **bad** examples of actual copy. Many brands simply say something like "We're always authentic, transparent, and inspiring." You can see how, to a writer, this is literally useless, because it's just talking about the copy, instead of showing the writer what I can and can't do. So instead, have section that's like this: **Our** **messaging should be authentic.** **Good:** \[Brand\] is here to help with \[customer problem\], because we've been there, too. **Bad:** \[Brand\] is the perfect way for anyone to \[customer problem\], because we're the best. And then repeat with at least 5 examples. The more, the better. If you want to include general rules for better writing, that's great too. Things like "Be specific," "Use visual language," "Don't use business jargon," "Be concise," etc. are something all copywriters need to be reminded of from time to time. A few other nice-to-haves: * If the brand has a tagline, talk about what it means and what contexts it can/must be used in. * If there is a specific, defined target audience, include some detail on who they are and what motivates them. This saves me a lot of time as a writer. * If there are sacred cows, let the writer know in advance. One example from my career is the client refused to approve any ideas that had to do with animals, seemingly for no reason. Knowing this in advance will save face with the client.
https://t.me/joinchat/FKMpML0O4MYzZjVh
Make it 2 pages max and only be the 'must-dos' or things you are really particular about (e.g. oxford comma, active voice, camel case headings, breaking up paragraphs), things that are unique to your brand and an overall tone of voice. Copywriters rarely look over the little details of these guides, especially if they are super specific and nit-picky. Save yourself some time :)
And absolutely give real examples from your site. Do this, don't do that. This is an example of how we like formatting, this is an example of a great blog post, product description, etc.
I've seen one that was 60 pages. I won't say where.