Out of the box, Claude sounds like everyone. Polished, generic, that flat press-release voice. This fixes it in one sitting. You answer nine questions about your business and how you talk, Claude bakes it in, and every chat from then on starts already sounding like you.
About fifteen minutes. No brand guide, no homework.
This is the Claude walkthrough. If you have not seen the full picture yet, start with the hub, how to make your AI sound like you, where the worksheet and the thinking behind the nine questions live. Already have your answers ready? Stay here.
Ada, my AI assistant, is Claude, so this one is close to home. Ada shaped the prompts for this guide. Human-led. AI-leveraged.
What makes Claude different
Claude keeps it simple. The interview produces one consolidated block, and you paste it into a single field called Instructions for Claude. One field, one paste, and Claude saves it automatically. No Save button to hunt for, no toggle to switch on.
Before you start
Two things. Claude open in your browser at claude.ai, logged in. And about fifteen minutes of quiet to answer honestly.
Step 1. Open a new chat
Go to claude.ai and log in. Click New chat in the top-left corner.
Step 2. Paste this prompt and hit send
Copy the whole box, paste it into the chat, send it. Claude starts asking questions.
I want to set up your Instructions for Claude so you always sound like me and my business. I do not have anything prepared. Interview me to get what you need. Ask me ONE question at a time and wait for my answer before the next one. Keep each question short and plain. No jargon. If an answer is thin, ask one quick follow-up, then move on. Cover these, in order: 1. My business in one sentence (what I do, for whom) 2. My audience (who I talk to, one or two types) 3. Where I work (my town or region, or whether I work Australia-wide or online) 4. My tone in five words 5. Five things I ALWAYS sound like 6. Five things I NEVER sound like 7. Off limits. Topics or angles I never write about 8. My content pillars (the three or four things I post about) 9. Channel notes (anything per channel, for example LinkedIn longer, Insta shorter) When you have all nine answers, stop interviewing and write me ONE consolidated block I can paste straight into the Instructions for Claude field. Use my exact words. Do not soften my voice. Do not paraphrase. Format it with these labelled headings, in this order: ABOUT ME AND MY BUSINESS / MY AUDIENCE / WHERE I WORK / MY TONE / ALWAYS sound like this / NEVER sound like this / OFF LIMITS / MY CONTENT PILLARS / CHANNEL NOTES Put the whole thing in a copy box so I can grab it in one go. After the block, in one line, tell me it is ready to paste into Settings.
Step 3. Answer the questions
Claude asks one at a time. Answer in your own words, short is fine. If you filled in the worksheet from the hub, read your answers straight across. When you have answered all nine, Claude writes you one block ready to paste. Leave the chat open.
Step 4. Open Settings
Look at the bottom-left corner. You will see a small circle with your initials. Click it, then click Settings. Find the section called Instructions for Claude.
Step 5. Paste your block
Copy the whole block Claude wrote you, everything from ABOUT ME AND MY BUSINESS through to the end of CHANNEL NOTES. Paste it into the Instructions for Claude field in one go.
Step 6. Close Settings, it saves itself
Claude saves your Instructions automatically, so there is no Save button to click. Close the Settings window, then reopen it once to confirm your block is still sitting in the field. That is the only check worth doing.
Step 7. Test it
Open a new chat and run the test prompt:
It should sound like you, not generic AI.
Before, generic Claude: “Delighted to share some exciting news! We’re absolutely thrilled to announce a fantastic new partnership...”
After, your Claude: “Signed a new client this week. Here’s the one thing that got them over the line, and it wasn’t the pitch deck...”
If something does not work
- It asked everything at once. Reply with: ask me one question at a time and wait for my answer. It resets.
- The output sounds nothing like me. Your answers were probably too broad. Make your instructions more specific. Add real words you use and real words you would never use.
- My changes are not sticking. Reopen Settings and check your block is still in the Instructions field. If it is empty, paste it again and close Settings. Claude saves on close, so give it a moment.
- Output is too long or too formal. Add to your instructions: keep responses short, two paragraphs maximum unless I ask for more, plain Australian English, no corporate jargon.
- It uses words I hate. Add a banned-words line: never use these words, then your list.
Questions people ask
Is personalising Claude free?
The Instructions for Claude field lives in your account Settings. Open Settings and look. If you can see the field, you can use this, no paid plan needed just to set your voice.
Do I need to click Save in Claude?
No. Claude saves your Instructions automatically, there is no Save button. Paste your block, then close Settings. Reopen Settings once to check the text is still there and you are done.
Will this change my old chats?
No. Your instructions apply to new chats you start after you set them. Existing conversations carry on as they were.
Can I keep a separate voice for a second brand?
Instructions for Claude is one shared voice across your chats. If you need a genuinely separate voice, set up a Project in Claude and give it its own instructions, and keep Instructions for Claude for your everyday voice.
Want the bigger picture?
Where does your whole business sit with AI?
Your voice is one tool doing one job well. To see where your whole business sits with AI, take the free AI Readiness check. Eight questions, two minutes, three pillar scores, one thing to do on Monday morning.
Take the free AI Readiness check →Tracy Sheen CSP is the author of AI & U: Reimagine Business and The End of Technophobia, 2021 Business Book of the Year. Human-led. AI-leveraged. The Augmented Workforce.
Ada, my AI assistant, shaped the prompts and structure for this article.