Have you ever read your own marketing copy and thought, “This doesn’t sound like us”?
You’re not alone. Many brands struggle to stay consistent across their website, social media, ads, and emails. The words might be right, but the voice feels off. When your tone changes from platform to platform, it can confuse your audience and weaken trust.
So how do you create a tone of voice that feels true to your brand and consistent, no matter who’s writing?
Here’s how to build a brand voice that sounds like you, every time.
What “tone of voice” means in branding
Tone of voice is how your brand sounds when it ‘speaks’. It’s the personality behind your words, the emotion, rhythm, and attitude that shape how people feel about your brand.
Your tone tells customers who you are. A tech company might sound confident and forward-thinking. A local café might sound warm and welcoming.
The key is that your tone should blend both your brand values and your audience’s expectations.
Why consistency builds trust
Your brand voice may be the first impression a potential customer will see of your brand. If you maintain consistency of this, people will be more likely to trust what your brand represents. Change it too often, and they’ll wonder who they are interacting with.
Customers can notice when tone shifts quickly. It’s really important to note that a formal website paired with a playful Instagram post will make your brand seem disconnected. Consistent messaging across channels to reinforce your brand identity to build loyalty over time is our advice to our clients.
Studies show that brands with consistent communication can achieve 20% greater overall growth (The Impact of Brand Consistency by Lucidpress, 2019, updated 2021). Consistency creates recognition, and recognition drives connection.
Read our blog on the quiet power of consistency.
Four steps to creating your brand’s tone of voice
1. Start with your brand personality
Before you write a single word, make a decision about who you want your brand to be. If your brand were a person, how would they sound? Confident? Kind? Witty? Professional?
Choose three to five key traits that describe your communication style. These are your tone pillars, the foundation of your voice.
For example:
- Confident, but never arrogant
- Helpful, but not overly casual
- Warm, but always professional
These traits need to guide every piece of content your brand creates from here on in.
2. Then, define what each trait looks like in action
Your tone pillars should be more than adjectives. Bring them to life with examples of what each one means and doesn’t mean.
If your tone pillar is Confident, your brand should convey a clear, decisive, and grounded tone, avoiding an overly forceful or salesy messaging.
If your tone pillar is Friendly, aim for a conversational and human tone, but avoid using slang-heavy or flippant language. Friendly shouldn’t communicate that you don’t care or know what you’re doing.
And if your brand tone pillar is Expert, focus on sounding informed and trustworthy rather than overcomplicated or full of jargon.
The goal of this process, is to help anyone communicating your brand instantly understand what “on-brand” feels like. These people are anyone in your business, not just marketers.
3. Now, adapt your tone by the context
Your tone should stay true to your brand personality with a little flex. Itt may need to shift slightly depending on where and how you’re representing the brand.
For example:
- Website: confident and clear, focused on trust.
- Social media: confident and clear with a conversational two way tone,, focused on engagement.
- Email: confident and clear with a warm but structured flow, focused on relationships and trust.
On any platform, you’re still the same brand, just adjusting volume and pace to be appropriate for different environments.
4. Finally, create tone guidelines
Well done! You’ve created your tone. Now you just need to document it. reating a short, practical tone of voice guide that includes:
- Your tone pillars and how to use each of them
- Do and don’t examples - i.e. ‘do be friendly but don’t be casual or aloof’
- Example messages that show your tone in action - the perfect way to provide some one-liners the team can use or adapt when needed.
Keep it concise. A one-page guide that your whole team actually uses is far more valuable than a 30-page document that no one opens. It’s also handy to print it out and stick it on the wall - easy reference is a winner in a busy workplace.
Learn what makes a great brand and how to build yours in four simple steps on our blog.
How to keep your tone consistent across teams and channels
Creating your tone and voice is one thing. Keeping it consistent can be tricky when you’re working in a large organisation.
Here’s how to make sure your tone doesn’t differ over time:
- Use a shared framework, such as a brand messaging guide or what we call a Messaging Matrix, to ensure every writer understands the same principles.
- Review it regularly. Check your communication every few months to see if tone has shifted unintentionally and polish it.
- Train your team. Walk through examples together and give feedback on tone, not just grammar. Provide email templates if this is helpful.
- Keep evolving. Your tone should adapt as your brand grows, but it should never lose its core personality.
When everyone has access to the same messaging matrix, your brand will sound like one voice, not five.
Where to begin defining your brand voice
If you’re not ready for a full framework yet, start with a quick tone audit.
Ask yourself:
- Does our website's tone align with our social media posts?
- Would customers recognise us without seeing our logo?
- Could anyone on our team describe our tone and voice in three words?
If the answer is no, it’s time to build your tone guide.
Be heard for the right reasons
A clear tone of voice makes your brand memorable, trustworthy, and distinct.
When you define who you are and stick to it, you stop sounding like “just another business” and start being the brand your audience connects with.
Your existing customers already know what kind of brand they believe you are. It’s time your words communicated it too.
Ready to define your tone of voice?
Let's create a brand voice that sounds like you, everywhere you show up, complete with cohesive branding that makes you instantly recognisable. Our affordable packages make it easy to get started.
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