Out of the box, Copilot 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, Copilot 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 Copilot 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, shaped the prompts for this guide. Human-led. AI-leveraged.
What makes Copilot different
Copilot runs on your work or school Microsoft 365 account, so it lives inside Teams, the desktop app or your browser rather than a standalone site. The interview produces one block that goes into a field called Custom instructions, tucked under Personalisation in settings. It is a few more clicks than the other tools, and the Save instructions button greys out until you actually change something. So the two things to watch are finding the menu and remembering to save.
Before you start
Two things. Microsoft 365 Copilot open and ready, in the Teams app, the Microsoft 365 desktop app or your browser at m365.cloud.microsoft, signed in with your work or school account. And about fifteen minutes of quiet.
Step 1. Open a new chat
Open Microsoft 365 Copilot and sign in with your work or school account. Click New chat near the top-left of the Copilot panel.
Step 2. Paste this prompt and hit send
Copy the whole box, paste it into the chat, send it. Copilot starts asking questions.
I want to set up your Custom instructions 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 Custom instructions 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
Copilot 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, Copilot writes you one block ready to paste. Leave the chat open.
Step 4. Open Copilot Settings
At the top-right of the Copilot app, click the ... menu (Copilot chats and more), then Settings. A settings window opens with sections in the left menu: General, Data controls, Personalisation, Notifications and Agents.
Step 5. Open Personalisation and Custom instructions
Click Personalisation in the left sidebar. Find the Custom instructions tile at the top. Make sure the toggle on the right of it is ON, it is by default. Then click Edit instructions.
Step 6. Paste your block
A compose box opens. Paste the whole block Copilot wrote you, everything from ABOUT ME AND MY BUSINESS through to the end of CHANNEL NOTES. Copilot shows suggestion chips below the box (Give honest feedback, Use clear and simple language and so on). Ignore them for now. Your own answers already cover tone and clarity in your words.
Step 7. Save instructions (do not skip this)
Look for the Save instructions button. It greys out until you make a change, so once it is active, click it. Without saving, your changes will not apply to new chats.
Step 8. Test it
Close the settings window, open a new chat and run the test prompt:
It should sound like you, not generic AI.
Before, generic Copilot: “Delighted to share some exciting news! We’re absolutely thrilled to announce a fantastic new partnership...”
After, your Copilot: “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 Custom instructions more specific. Add real words you use and real words you would never use.
- My changes are not sticking. Did you click Save instructions? The button greys out until you have made a change, so it is easy to walk past.
- I cannot find the ... menu. It sits at the top-right of the Copilot app. If you are using Copilot inside Microsoft Teams, look for the menu within the Copilot panel itself, not the Teams app menu.
- Output is too long or too formal. Add to your Custom 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
Do I need a paid plan for Copilot personalisation?
Custom instructions is part of Microsoft 365 Copilot on a work or school account. Open Settings, go to Personalisation and look for the Custom instructions tile. If you can see it, you can use this. Unlike the other tools, Copilot needs that work or school account, not a personal login.
Why can I not find the settings menu?
It is the three-dot menu at the top-right of the Copilot app, labelled Copilot chats and more. Inside Teams, look within the Copilot panel, not the main Teams menu. That trips a lot of people up.
Why will my Copilot instructions not save?
The Save instructions button greys out until you actually change something, so if it looks inactive, make an edit and it will come alive. Click it. Nothing applies to new chats until you do.
Will this change my old chats?
No. Your Custom instructions apply to new chats you start after you save. Existing conversations carry on as they were.
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.