How to Make AI Sound Like You (Not Like Everyone Else)

Why AI Sounds Generic

AI learned from millions of documents. Corporate memos. Academic papers. Marketing copy. The training data skews toward formal, safe, generic writing.

Without specific guidance, AI defaults to these patterns. It picks the statistically "safe" choice—words and phrases that appear frequently but don't sound like any particular person.

That's how you get:

• "In today's ever-evolving market..."
• "This stunning property boasts..."
• "It cannot be overstated..."
• "Leverage the opportunity to..."

These phrases are AI tells. They signal to readers that a robot wrote this. And that signal undermines trust.

Your voice is your differentiator. In a market where every agent has access to the same AI tools, generic content becomes commodity content. It doesn't build your brand. It erases it.

The Style Match Technique

Five steps. About two hours total setup. Permanent results.

Step 1: Gather Your Writing Samples

Collect 5-10 pieces of writing that feel authentically yours.

What to look for:

• Listing descriptions you're proud of
• Emails that felt natural to write
• Social media posts that got engagement
• Any content where clients said "this sounds just like you"

Step 2: Have AI Analyze Your Style

Feed your samples to ChatGPT or Claude with this prompt:

I'm going to give you 5 samples of my writing.
Please analyze my writing style and identify:

1. Tone (formal/casual, warm/direct, etc.)
2. Sentence structure patterns
3. Word choice tendencies
4. Paragraph length patterns
5. Any signature phrases or speech patterns
6. What topics I emphasize
7. How I open and close pieces
8. Rhythm and pacing

Here are my samples:

[SAMPLE 1]
---
[SAMPLE 2]
...

Save the analysis. This becomes your voice reference document.

Step 3: Build Your "Do Not Say" List

This is where you actively block AI's generic tendencies.

Universal AI Words to Avoid:

• Delve, delving
• Comprehensive, Robust, Pivotal
• Revolutionary, Transformative
• Leverage (as a verb), Seamlessly
• Tapestry, Testament, Multifaceted

Real Estate Cliches to Skip:

• Stunning, gorgeous, beautiful
• Nestled in, Boasts
• Dream home, Won't last long
• "Perfect for families" (also a Fair Housing risk)

Step 4: Create Custom Instructions

Both ChatGPT and Claude let you set permanent preferences that apply to every conversation.

ChatGPT: Settings - Personalization - Custom Instructions

Claude: Settings - Personal Preferences

HOW I WRITE:
- My tone is [X - from your analysis]
- I use [short/long/varied] sentences
- I [do/don't] use bullet points heavily
- My style is [conversational/direct/warm/etc.]

WORDS I USE:
- [Your signature words/phrases from analysis]

WORDS I NEVER USE:
- [Your complete Do Not Say list]
- No AI cliches (delve, comprehensive, leverage)
- No real estate cliches (stunning, dream home)

HOW I WANT RESPONSES:
- Keep it [concise/detailed]
- Match my [tone description]
- If unsure, ask rather than assume

Step 5: Test and Iterate

Generate some content with your new settings. Then compare it to your original writing samples.

The comparison test:

1. Does this sound like something I would write?
2. Are there any AI tells that slipped through?
3. Does it match my energy and rhythm?
4. Is there anything distinctly "me" in here?

Before and After

Generic AI Output (No Voice Training)

"Welcome to this stunning 3-bedroom home in the heart of Costa Mesa! This beautiful property boasts an open floor plan, a gourmet kitchen, and a spacious backyard perfect for entertaining..."

Problems: "Stunning," "beautiful," "boasts," "dream home" = AI tells. Zero personality.

With Style Match Training

"The kitchen light in the morning makes the whole first floor glow. Three bedrooms means you actually get a home office—not just a laptop on the dining table. The backyard is big enough for a real garden if you want one, or just chairs and a firepit if you don't..."

What's different: Specific sensory details, conversational rhythm, no cliches, voice comes through clearly.

Key Takeaways

The Style Match Technique:

1. Gather 5-10 writing samples that feel like you
2. Have AI analyze your style (save the analysis)
3. Build your "Do Not Say" list
4. Create Custom Instructions with your voice profile
5. Test and iterate until it matches

The Principle: Examples beat descriptions. Show AI what you sound like instead of trying to describe it.

The Stakes: 50%+ spike in AI-flagged words since ChatGPT. 90% of users skip Custom Instructions (your advantage). ~2 hours setup, permanent results.