Build a Claude Project as a Persistent Brand Voice Assistant

1. Go to claude.ai → log in or create an account.
2. In the left sidebar, click Upgrade → select Pro → complete payment.
3. After upgrading, you'll see a Projects option in the left sidebar. Click it.

What you should see: A "Projects" section in the sidebar, currently empty, with a + New project button.

1. Click + New project.
2. Name it clearly: "[Brand Name] — Social Content" (e.g., "Acme Coffee Co. — Social Content").
3. Click Create project.

What you should see: A new project workspace with a sidebar on the left showing the project name, a "Project instructions" section, and a "Knowledge" section.

This is the most important step. Project Instructions are like a permanent system prompt — Claude reads them at the start of every conversation in this project.

Click Edit project instructions and fill in:

You are the dedicated social media content assistant for [Brand Name].

**Brand Overview:**
[2-3 sentences describing the brand — what they do, who they serve, what makes them different]

**Brand Voice:**
[Describe the voice in 3-5 adjectives and one sentence: "Our voice is warm, educational, and slightly witty — like a knowledgeable friend who happens to be an expert, not a corporate spokesperson."]

**Never say:**
- [Forbidden word/phrase 1]
- [Forbidden word/phrase 2]
- [Brand-specific no-nos]

**Always:**
- [Style rule, e.g., "Use em dashes instead of hyphens"]
- [Format rule, e.g., "End Instagram captions with a question to drive comments"]
- [Tone rule, e.g., "Lead with value, not promotion"]

**Content Pillars:**
1. [Pillar 1 — e.g., Product Education]
2. [Pillar 2 — e.g., Behind the Scenes]
3. [Pillar 3 — e.g., Community & Social Proof]
4. [Pillar 4 — e.g., Brand Values]

**Platform Notes:**
- Instagram: casual, emoji ok, 150-200 chars for caption, 10-15 hashtags
- LinkedIn: professional but approachable, 150-250 chars, no hashtag spam
- TikTok: hook in first 3 words, max 100 chars, conversational
- Twitter/X: punchy, under 240 chars, 1-2 hashtags max
- Facebook: conversational, 1-2 sentences, CTA at end

Click Save instructions.

In the project sidebar, click Add content under the Knowledge section:

• Upload your brand guidelines PDF (if you have one)
• Create a new text file → paste in 8-10 examples of "perfect" past posts, labeled by platform
• Add any competitor analysis notes
• Add your content calendar framework or posting schedule

What you should see: Documents listed in the Knowledge section. Claude will reference these in every conversation automatically.

Troubleshooting: Files must be under 5MB. PDFs work well. If your brand guide is very long, paste the most critical sections (voice, tone, colors, dos and don'ts) as a text note rather than uploading the full document.

Click + New conversation inside the project. Type a simple test:

Read the output. Does it match the brand voice? Does it follow the format rules? If not, go back to Project Instructions and be more specific. Add: "The voice is [not X, but Y] — here's an example of what I mean: [paste a post]."

Once the project is set up, every content session works like this:

1. Open the project (Claude already knows the brand — no briefing needed)
2. State what you need: "I need to batch 8 Instagram posts for next week. Topics: [list]"
3. Claude generates on-brand content immediately
4. Review, copy to Google Sheets, edit as needed