Part 2 · Set up
Your brand rules
Banned words, forbidden claims, proof points and price. Optional, and it changes every draft.
01What it is
The rules every draft must obey: words you never use, claims you are not allowed to make, proof you can point at, and what you charge.
02Why it exists
The slop gate catches generic writing. The brand brief catches writing that is specific and wrong, which is the more expensive failure.
Forbidden claims are the load-bearing field. A regulated claim, a capability you do not have, or a promise your contract does not allow: any of those in a published post is a problem the gate can prevent and a human reviewer will miss on the fortieth draft.
Proof points are the other half. A claim marked as proof carries a source; a claim marked as always true does not need one. Anything else the grounding validator refuses.
03How to use it
- 01List every word you would not say out loud. Commas or new lines, both work.
- 02List claims you must never make. Be literal rather than thematic.
- 03Add proof points with their sources. A number without a source is refused.
- 04Set your price if you are willing to have it referenced. Leave it blank if not.
04What good looks like
- You give it
- Banned: "solutions", "leverage", "best-in-class". Forbidden: "we are SOC 2 certified". Proof: "cut onboarding from 6 weeks to 9 days at a named client, with their consent".
- You get
- Drafts that never use those words, never make that claim, and cite the onboarding number with its source attached.
- Why
- The gate reads banned words and forbidden claims on every draft, and the grounding validator refuses an unsourced number.
Derived from the rules in the code
05What weak looks like, and what it costs
- You give it
- Left empty.
- You get
- Drafts pass the generic slop gate and can still make a claim your compliance team would stop.
- Why
- The generic gate does not know what is true of your company. Only this field carries that.
Derived from the rules in the code