The Style Mimicry Method That Makes AI Sound Human

The Core Idea: The AI as Your Brand’s “Voice Coach”

I confess. I’m a practical joker. That’s just how I roll.

I remember back when I was a kid, I wanted to play a prank on my grandma who was over keeping an eye on us kids.

Why?

Ah my friend. The question isn’t why, but why not?

Let me set the scene.

We lived in a two-story house, and when you went in the front door, the living room (you know, that room your mom would never let you sit in) was to the right. Straight ahead of the door were the stairs to the second floor, where my room was.

I’m outside and my grandma’s sitting in a chair in the living room (that no sitting in the living room rule doesn’t apply to moms or grandmas).

So that’s the setting, and here’s the prank I pulled:

I walked in the front door, looked to my right and said to my grandma “Hey grandma! I’m going up to my room.” Then I walked up to my room.

Once in my room, I opened my window and… jumped out.

Now, again, this was a two-story house and we had some generous landscaping below. So I had to do kind of a running dive out the window and a tuck and roll.

To this day, I don’t know how I didn’t kill myself or break a leg at the very least.

So I stand up, dust myself off, walk in the front door, and there’s my grandma still sitting in her chair in the living room.

I looked at her and said “Hey grandma! I’m going up to my room.”

Now, she did a double take and asked “Matt, weren’t you just in your room?”

“Nope” I responded.

I walked upstairs, dove out again, tuck, roll, and walked back in the front door.

I looked to my right, and gleefully said “Hey grandma! I’m going up to my room.”

“Matt, what’s going on?! You were just up in your room!” she blurted.

“No I wasn’t. Maybe you’re just getting old and can’t remember.” I said, trying to hold in my laughter.

Back upstairs I went, back out the window I flew, and back inside the front door I came.

Now at this point, my grandma was seriously flustered.

“Matt! I KNOW you were in your room! What’s going on?!” she yelled.

Now we’re at the good part. My prank was building up to this point… I was ready to cash in!

“You’re right grandma. You’re not going crazy. I was in my room.”

“It’s just that, when I was up there, I was jumping out my window!” bahahahah!

Thank God that she didn’t have a heart attack.

So yeah, I’m a practical joker by trade, and that’s also how I write.

Maybe you’re a practical joker too? If not, I still bet you have your own writing style. Everyone does, actually.

You might also be working for a client or company that has their own “dos” and “don’ts” when it comes to writing style.

So here’s the thing. If you don’t want the AI sounding generic and robotic, then you need to use the prompting principle of style mimicry to make it write in a particular style.

When you use it, you’re not just telling it what to write. You’re precisely directing the tone, voice, and personality of the words. This lets you make sure every piece of content perfectly matches your brand and connects emotionally with your audience.

How It Works: A “Style Guide” Toolbox for Your AI

You can mimic and style and control the AI’s voice in several ways, moving from general mood-setting to channeling a specific, famous individual.

1. The Direct Tone Command (Setting the Mood)

This is the quickest way to set a general tone or feeling. You simply tell the AI how you want the text to feel.

Draft three taglines for our new energy drink. The style should be bold, adventurous, and slightly rebellious.

Before you add the tone, make sure you test it out without the tone a few times first to get a baseline.

Rewrite this customer apology email. The current draft sounds too corporate. Make the tone sincere, empathetic, and reassuring.

Sometimes when you’re chatting with the AI, you can use an iterative strategy to tweak the output and dial in exactly what you want.

2. The Famous Persona Command (Channeling a Specific Voice)

The famous persona persona command is a shortcut many people use to capture the unique voice, style, and worldview of a specific, well-known person. It’s like asking the AI to “method act” as them.

Write a new product announcement for our Super Blender 5000 in the style of Steve Jobs.

I tried this out with Claude Sonnet and got really good results. The only issue was that it sounded more like a stage presentation than a written product announcement you’d actually read in a press release.

This happened because most of Steve Jobs’ work was on stage speaking, not writing. The AI didn’t have much of his writing to learn from since he rarely wrote anything down; he just delivered speeches on stage. Keep this in mind if you decide to use this technique.

Critique my marketing plan as if you were marketing guru Seth Godin, focusing on whether it’s truly remarkable.

I think it’s really interesting how you can use famous person personas in this way. You can channel their insight, similar to when you turn an AI into an expert, to get something valuable and unique. It gives you a window into a different perspective, showing you new ways to look at something.

3. The Deconstruction Method (Advanced Style Mimicry)

Let me tell you about a better approach than using famous person prompts.

I’ve found that when you ask AI to write in someone’s style, it sometimes gets confused and starts pretending to be that person, saying things like “I’m so and so…” and that’s not what we want in our content.

So here’s a trick I’ve used for years. Instead of asking the AI to write as someone, I ask it to identify how that person would write. It’s a two-step process:

First, ask the AI to describe that famous person’s writing style in two or three words.

Second, use “The Direct Tone Command” method I mentioned earlier. Tell the AI to write the content using those style characteristics, without ever mentioning the famous person’s name.

Let me show you:

Step 1:

What are the top three characteristics of David Ogilvy’s writing style?

Direct, conversational tone – Ogilvy wrote as if speaking directly to one person, using simple language and avoiding jargon to create an intimate, personal connection with readers.

Fact-heavy and research-driven – His writing was packed with specific statistics, case studies, and concrete examples rather than vague generalizations, reflecting his belief that advertising should be based on solid data.

Compelling headlines and openings – Ogilvy crafted attention-grabbing headlines and opening sentences that immediately hooked readers, often using curiosity, specificity, or bold claims to draw people into his copy.

That’s great! So we learned that David Ogilvy, the living legend, would write using a direct conversational tone, using fact-heavy language, with compelling headlines and openings.

Now let’s feed that into step 2.

Step 2:

The Q3 product update includes enhanced dashboard analytics with 40% faster load times, 12 new customizable reporting modules, advanced filtering, and export functionality for CSV, PDF, and Excel formats. API improvements feature 65% reduced response times, new RESTful endpoints for bulk operations, enhanced error handling, and comprehensive documentation with interactive testing. Third-party integrations now support native connections to Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack with one-click setup replacing the previous 8+ step process, automated data synchronization every 15 minutes, and support for custom webhooks and enterprise SSO. The updates are live for all users with no downtime or migration required. Beta users reported 73% time savings on routine tasks and 2.3x improvement in data accessibility.

Write a LinkedIn post announcing our Q3 product update. The details are listed above. Write using a direct conversational tone, using fact-heavy language (without making up facts), with compelling headlines and openings.

We just dropped our biggest Q3 update yet and it’s already changing how teams work!

Beta users are saving 73% of their time on routine tasks. Data accessibility improved by 2.3x. Here’s what’s now live for everyone:

Dashboard Analytics That Actually Move Fast
– 40% faster load times (no more coffee breaks while reports load)
– 12 new customizable reporting modules
– Advanced filtering that works how you think
– Export to CSV, PDF, Excel – whatever your stakeholders prefer

API Performance That Keeps Up With You
– 65% faster response times
– New RESTful endpoints for bulk operations
– Better error handling (fewer “something went wrong” moments)
– Interactive documentation you can test in real-time

Integrations That Just Work
– Native Salesforce, HubSpot, and Slack connections
– One-click setup (goodbye to those 8+ step processes)
– Data syncs every 15 minutes automatically
– Custom webhooks and enterprise SSO support

The best part? Everything went live with zero downtime. No migration headaches, no weekend maintenance windows.

Our beta users told us this update fundamentally changed their workflows. One team lead said they’re now spending 73% less time on data prep and 2.3x more time on actual analysis.

What feature are you most excited to try?

#ProductUpdate #DataAnalytics #TeamProductivity

I think this is a solid result.

You can try something interesting: Take the same input but switch out “Write using a direct conversational tone, using fact-heavy language (without making up facts), with compelling headlines and openings” with “Write in the style of David Ogilvy” and see how it changes.

Which version do you like better?

I actually prefer being specific about the exact writing styles I want rather than letting the AI guess how someone might write. It gives me more control over the final result when I spell out the exact elements I’m looking for.

Comparison: “The Default Voice” vs. “The Custom Voice”

Let’s see this in action for a sales professional writing a follow-up email.

1. Standard Prompt (The “Default Voice”)

Write follow-up email to Jennifer Martinez, VP of Partnerships at CloudSync (customer data platform). We met at SaaStr conference booth yesterday discussing potential integration between their CDP and our analytics dashboard. She mentioned their API documentation. Thank her for the demo, reference our conversation about mutual B2B SaaS clients, suggest next steps.

Subject: Following up on our CloudSync integration discussion – API documentation

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for the comprehensive demo of CloudSync’s CDP capabilities at your SaaStr booth yesterday. The real-time data processing features you showed would be a strong complement to our analytics dashboard.

Our conversation about serving mutual B2B SaaS clients really highlighted the potential value of this integration. As you mentioned, many companies are looking for seamless ways to connect customer data platforms with advanced analytics visualization.

Could you share the API documentation you referenced? I’d like our technical team to review the integration possibilities, particularly around the data export endpoints and webhook functionality you described.

Would you be open to a 30-minute call next week to discuss technical requirements and explore a pilot integration with one of our mutual clients?

Best regards,
[Your name]

That sounds… bland.

What do you think?

2. The Direct Tone Prompt (A Better Voice)

Write follow-up email to Jennifer Martinez, VP of Partnerships at CloudSync (customer data platform). We met at SaaStr conference booth yesterday discussing potential integration between their CDP and our analytics dashboard. She mentioned their API documentation. Thank her for the demo, reference our conversation about mutual B2B SaaS clients, suggest next steps.

Write in a style that is conversational and warm, using simple everyday language instead of corporate jargon, focusing directly on the reader’s needs with specific examples rather than vague statements, as if you’re having coffee with a smart friend who you respect and want to genuinely help.

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks for taking the time to walk me through CloudSync’s platform yesterday. Your demo really helped me visualize how our tools could work together. The way you explained how your CDP segments customer data was exactly what I needed to hear.

I keep thinking about our conversation around those mutual B2B SaaS clients. You’re absolutely right that they’re sitting on tons of customer data but struggling to turn it into actionable insights for their revenue teams. That gap between “we have the data” and “now what do we do with it” is exactly where I think we could create something valuable together.

Would you mind sending over that API documentation you mentioned? I’d love to have our technical team take a look and map out what an integration might look like. I’m particularly curious about how we could pull behavioral data from your platform and surface it in our dashboard so sales teams can actually use it in real conversations with prospects.

I’m thinking our next step could be a quick 30-minute call with both our technical folks to dig into the possibilities. Are you free sometime next week? I can work around your schedule.

Looking forward to exploring this further.

Best,
[Your name]

WOW.

That’s a lot better!

It’s personal, conversational, and doesn’t sound like AI.

3. The Famous Persona Prompt (A Powerful Voice)

Write follow-up email to Jennifer Martinez, VP of Partnerships at CloudSync (customer data platform). We met at SaaStr conference booth yesterday discussing potential integration between their CDP and our analytics dashboard. She mentioned their API documentation. Thank her for the demo, reference our conversation about mutual B2B SaaS clients, suggest next steps.

Write in the style of Ann Handley.

Hi Jennifer,

Yesterday at your CloudSync booth, you had that look. You know the one—when someone mentions API documentation and your eyes actually light up instead of glaze over.

Thank you for walking me through the CDP demo. Watching you navigate those customer journey maps was like watching a conductor lead an orchestra. Every touchpoint had its place, every data point had its purpose.

Our conversation about those mutual B2B SaaS clients kept bouncing around in my head during my flight home. The way you described how their customer data gets fragmented across seventeen different tools? That’s exactly the headache our analytics dashboard was built to solve—but from the other direction.

Here’s what I’m thinking: Your CDP captures the customer story. Our dashboard tells people what that story means. Together, we could give those shared clients something they didn’t even know they were missing—complete visibility from first touch to final renewal.

I’d love to dig into that API documentation you mentioned and explore what this integration could look like. Would you be open to a 30-minute call next week? I’m thinking Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, your time.

I’ll bring the technical possibilities. You bring that same enthusiasm you had for solving client data mysteries.

Looking forward to connecting those dots together.

Best,
[Your name]

P.S. — I grabbed your CloudSync sticker for my laptop. It’s now sitting right next to our logo. Seemed like good foreshadowing.

I really like this, but some parts are way too over the top.

“Watching you navigate those customer journey maps was like watching a conductor lead an orchestra.”

Really?

I think you could edit this and make it work, but it’s not as ready to go as the last example we did.

What do you think?

Advantages for Marketers and Sales Pros

• Achieve Perfect Brand Consistency: Ensure every piece of content, from a tweet to a formal report, perfectly matches your established brand voice.
• Connect Emotionally with Your Audience: A “supportive” tone in a customer service response or an “exciting” tone for a product launch can dramatically improve how your message is received.
• “Borrow” Genius for a More Powerful Message: Channeling the communication style of a world-class innovator or writer can make your own message more memorable and persuasive.
• Gives You Granular, Professional Control: The advanced deconstruction method lets you move beyond simple prompts to create a truly bespoke and sophisticated writing style.

When to Use This Pattern

This is your go-to pattern whenever the feeling and personality of your message are as important as the facts within it.

• Use Direct Tone Commands to align all your copy with your company’s official brand voice and style guide.
• Use Famous Personas for high-impact announcements, brainstorming creative ideas, or developing a unique voice that cuts through the noise.
• Use the Deconstruction Method when you need to perfectly emulate a nuanced style for a critical piece of content.