Playbook — Rules the AI Follows

The Playbook is your brand’s rulebook for content. You write the must-dos and never-dos once, like “Always mention we bake fresh every morning” or “Never promise results”, and the AI follows them when it creates content for you.

• The AI reads it. Each rule or list is included when the AI writes the kinds of content you pick for it.
• The Quality Gate checks it. Your rules are checked when content goes through the Quality Gate. You choose how strict each one is.
• Your team has it in writing. New teammates see the same rules the AI uses.

You’ll find it under Playbook in the sidebar, or on the Playbook tab at the top of any brand page. During setup, you need at least one section with a rule, or a category with an item. See The setup checklist.

Quick start (5 minutes)

1. Open the Playbook.
2. Click New Section.
3. Type a Section Title, like Writing rules. Leave Section Type on Rules. Click Create Section.
4. Click the new section to open it, then click Add rule.
5. Pick ✓ Do, type a Rule Title, like Always mention we bake fresh every morning, and click Add Rule.
6. Add a ✕ Don’t rule too, like Never use the word “artisanal”.

Example: a bakery’s Writing rules section has three rules. ✓ Do: Mention we bake fresh every morning. ✕ Don’t: Use the word “artisanal”. ! Note: We’re closed on Mondays.

Sections, rules and categories

A Playbook is made of sections. Each section is one of two types, chosen when you create it:

Rules come in three kinds:

• ✓ Do: something the content should always do.
• ✕ Don’t: something the content must never do.
• ! Note: a fact or piece of context to keep in mind, like opening hours.

Categories are named lists. Each has a title, a short label and a list of items.

Example: a Vocabulary section with two categories. Label Use, title Words we love: fresh, from scratch, neighborhood. Label Avoid, title Words we never use: artisanal, gourmet, cheap.

Create a section

1. Click New Section at the top right.
2. Fill in New Section:
   • Section Title: like SEO rules, Legal or Design guidelines.
   • Description: one line about what the section covers. The AI reads this too.
   • Section Type: Rules or Categories.
   • Icon Color: the color of the section’s icon.
3. Click Create Section.

Click a section’s header to open or close it. The header shows how many rules or categories it has, like 3 rules.

Edit or delete a section: hover over the section header. Click the pencil icon to edit it. Click the bin icon, then Delete, to delete it with everything inside.

Add rules

1. Open a Rules section and click Add rule.
2. Fill in Add Rule:
   • Applies to: the kinds of content this rule is for. All six are ticked to start. See Choosing what a rule applies to.
   • Rule Type: ✓ Do, ✕ Don’t or ! Note.
   • Quality Gate Severity: how the Quality Gate treats a break of this rule. See Rules and the Quality Gate.
   • Rule Title: the rule itself, up to 150 characters.
   • Description: optional detail, examples or exceptions, up to 1,000 characters.
3. Click Add Rule.

Example: Rule Type ✕ Don’t. Title: Promise a cure or guaranteed result. Description: Say “can help with” or “many clients find”. Never “will fix” or “guaranteed”.

Edit or delete a rule: hover over it. Click the pencil icon to edit it and Save Changes, or the bin icon, then Delete, to delete it. There’s no undo.

Add categories and items

1. Open a Categories section and click Add category.
2. Fill in Add Category:
   • Category Title: the heading above the list, like Brand vocabulary or Hashtags.
   • Label: a short badge, up to 32 characters, like Use, Avoid or SEO.
   • Color: the color of the label and items.
   • Applies to: the kinds of content this list is for.
   • Initial items (optional): items separated by commas, like Craft, Ritual, Artisan.
3. Click Add Category.

Add more items: click the + Add item box in the category, type an item and press Enter. Click the × on an item to remove it.

Edit or delete a category: hover over its title. Click the pencil icon to edit it, or the bin icon, then Delete, to delete it with its items.

Example: label SEO, title Keywords to include, items: sourdough Portland, fresh bread near me, birthday cakes.

Choosing what a rule applies to

Every rule and category has Applies to: Design, Idea, Transcript, Blog, Marketing Email and Document. The AI only uses a rule when it creates the kinds of content you’ve ticked.

Good to know:

• Untick everything to make a rule apply to all content. A rule with no ticks applies everywhere.
• Rules saved before the Document tick existed don’t have it. Edit them and tick Document to use them in documents.
• The ticks show as colored tags under each rule, so you can see at a glance where it applies.

Example: Always add alt text ideas for images only matters for designs, so it’s ticked for Design only. Never mention competitors by name is left with every type ticked.

Rules and the Quality Gate

The Quality Gate checks content against your rules. Quality Gate Severity sets what happens when a rule is broken:

• Fail: the break counts as a failure. This is the default.
• Warning: the break shows as a warning only. The rule shows Warning only.
• Exclude: the Quality Gate never checks this rule. The rule shows Excluded from checks. The AI still follows it when it creates content.

Only rules are checked, not categories. Like the AI, the Quality Gate only checks a rule on the content types it applies to.

Example: a clinic sets Never promise a cure to Fail, and Mention booking online to Warning, since a post without it is fine now and then.

How the AI uses your Playbook

When the AI creates something, it gets every rule and category that applies to that kind of content, with the instruction to follow them. Each section’s title and description come too.

• Rules arrive as DO, DONT and NOTE lines, with their descriptions.
• Categories arrive as their label, title and items, like [Avoid] Words we never use: artisanal, gourmet, cheap.

A clear title and a short description make each rule easier to follow. Changes can take up to 15 minutes to reach Orsa AI and the AI tools.

The Playbook is for rules. For your brand’s personality and tone, use Voice and tone in your Brand Kit. For facts Orsa AI picks up in conversation, see Brand Memory.

Suggestions from your website

During setup, if Orsa read your website, you’ll see AI Generated Playbook Available. Click Preview to see the suggested rules and categories, then Use This to add them. Click it only once, or you’ll get duplicate sections.

Suggested rules and categories apply to Design only. Edit each one and tick more types if it should also guide ideas, blogs, emails or transcripts. See Set Up Your Brand from Your Website.

Ideas for using the Playbook

A regulated business. Put the words and claims you must never use in a Rules section, set to Fail.

Example: a physio clinic’s Legal section: ✕ Don’t Promise a cure or guaranteed result. ✕ Don’t Give a diagnosis. ! Note Always suggest booking an assessment for persistent pain.

A brand with a strong vocabulary. Use a Categories section for words to use and avoid.

Example: a coffee roaster’s Vocabulary section: Use: small batch, roasted this week, direct trade. Avoid: best coffee ever, cheap.

Different rules for different content. Tick only the types each rule is for.

Example: a bookshop’s ✓ Do End with a question is ticked for Idea and Design, while ✓ Do Include the event date and time in the first line is ticked for Marketing Email only.

Tips for the best results

• One rule, one idea. “Never mention prices” is easier to follow and check than a paragraph of mixed instructions.
• Say what to do instead. A ✕ Don’t with a description like “Say ‘can help with’ instead” gives the AI a way out.
• Use Notes for facts. Opening hours, delivery areas or a standing offer fit ! Note better than a Do or Don’t.
• Check Applies to. The AI only uses a rule for the types it’s ticked for. Suggested rules start as Design only.
• Need a rule in documents? Tick Document.
• Pick the section type carefully. Choose Rules or Categories when you create the section, and keep it.
• Start small. A handful of clear rules work better than dozens of overlapping ones. Add a rule when you see the same problem twice.

Common questions

The AI ignored my rule. Check the rule’s tags. The AI only uses a rule for the content types ticked under Applies to. Rules added from website suggestions start as Design only. Changes can also take up to 15 minutes to reach the AI.

My rules don’t apply to documents. Edit the rule and tick Document. Older rules were saved without it.

I changed a section’s type and its rules disappeared. A section only shows, and the AI only uses, what matches its type. Edit the section and change Section Type back. The rules are still there. Once a section has rules or categories, its type is locked, so this can’t happen to it again.

The Quality Gate flagged a rule I don’t want checked. Edit the rule and set Quality Gate Severity to Warning or Exclude. With Exclude, the AI still follows the rule when it creates content.

My section has a description I didn’t write. If you leave Description empty, it’s saved as “Custom playbook section”. Edit the section and write a real one. The AI reads it.

I deleted a rule by mistake. Rules, categories and items are deleted straight away, with no undo. Add it again.

Nothing happens when I click Add Rule. The Rule Title is empty. Type a title first. Categories need a Category Title, and sections a Section Title.

I have duplicate suggested sections. Use This now hides the suggestion once it’s applied, but sections added twice before that stay. Delete the extra sections with the bin icon on their headers.

The Playbook tab still isn’t ticked in setup. You need at least one section with a rule in it, or a category with at least one item.