Build a Stylesheet to Make AI Actually Sound Like You
A simple hack to create consistent, authentic AI content (and a free tool to generate one from any Substack)
Creating a writer stylesheet is one of those AI hacks that's so simple and effective it makes you frustrated at your former self for not doing it sooner.
I now use stylesheets fairly religiously, so I'll show you exactly how to create one and share a tool we built to generate them automatically from any Substack.
Why Writers Need Stylesheets
Designers have known this forever. Stylesheets—sets of reusable building blocks—are the secret sauce behind cohesive, on-brand visuals across products.
A writer's stylesheet is no different. It's a toolkit for maintaining consistency, reducing editing time, and creating content that matches the vibe of everything else you've put out.
If you use AI to generate content, having a stylesheet is a gamechanger. Simply attach your stylesheet to ChatGPT or Claude or whatever you're using and spend a lot less time editing the output. Plus you can use AI to create one in a few minutes.
How to Create Your Own Writer Stylesheet
Feed Your Past Writing Start with what you already have. Got a treasure trove of old tweets, LinkedIn posts, emails, or even text messages? Pull those in. The goal is to build a sample set that reflects your natural style.
Extract The StyleSheet Here's a prompt that works well (but definitely experiment for yourself):
"You are an expert ghostwriter who manages a team of junior ghostwriters. I am going to give you a bunch of sample content from a client you are working with, and I want you to extract a stylesheet. It should be something you can give to your junior ghostwriters so they can reliably produce content that sounds exactly like the client's voice. Pay attention to tone, style, and sentence construction. Avoid giving overly specific examples from one piece, as those might be over-applied. Instead, provide multiple examples that highlight a clear style or tone."
Refine and Test Once you've got a draft of your stylesheet, test it. Save it and attach it to your conversations with any AI model. Generate content and see how close it gets to the real you. Tweak as needed.
Generate a stylesheet automatically from any Substack
If you write on Substack, Austin Kennedy and I built a quick tool that can generate your stylesheet automatically. Try it here.
Here’s the first bit of the stylesheet it created for Lenny’s Newsetter, for example:
Bonus Options
One unexpected benefit of creating a stylesheet? You'll gain insights into your own tendencies as a writer—both strengths and areas for growth. For example, do you overuse parentheses? Tend to write overly complex sentences? A stylesheet makes these patterns obvious.
Stylesheets can also be aspirational. Ask ChatGPT for feedback on your writing style, then use that feedback to refine your stylesheet into a guide for the writer you want to be.
And of course, this process doesn't have to stop with your own voice. If there's a writer you admire, build a stylesheet based on their work and see what you learn. If they have a Substack you can use the tool above to build one in seconds.
If you end up experimenting with this, I'd love to hear about it.
-Joey