How to Craft a Tone of Voice for Your Brand

Ok, let’s start with a blank slate. Try to sketch out your brand as a person. Really picture them. Sometimes it’s easier to think of an actual person, someone you know, perhaps a friend who has great taste and always says the right things. How would you want that person to talk about your food or your product? Are they funny? Direct? Authoritative? Suave? Are they self-deprecating, confident, sweet or silly? Write a list of all the characteristics your brand would have if it was a real, living, breathing person you might meet at a party, then cut this list down to the three that ring the most true.

Next step, who isn’t your brand? What would your chosen character never say? It’s important to consider who you’re not, as well as who you are. For example, your brand personality may be confident, but not arrogant. Kind and welcoming, but not boring. Maybe your brand is energetic, but not shrill. Try and get this list down to three solid characteristics.

When you’ve nutted both of these lists out, write down a few example sentences that fall under each category, things your brand would or wouldn’t say to illustrate those three characteristics (maybe they’d never swear, never use indulgent or fluffy language when talking about food, never use emojis, or wouldn’t be caught dead being soppy and sweet). When you’re writing social copy, or a blog post, cross check your text with these lists.

Reflect Your Brand Values

Your brand’s personality and subsequent tone shouldn’t spring from a void, it should be directly reflective of your brand’s values (this work should be done right in the beginning when you’re thinking about names and your concept in general. Your values should really underscore everything you do). Does your brand value fun over anything else? Or maybe your core value lies in education and awareness about a particular topic? Whatever they are, your tone of voice should spring from these values, and you should constantly sense check if they’re in line.

Products v. Venues

If your brand is in the service industry – say you’re opening a bar – one of the best rules of thumb for considering your tone of voice is to think about the style of service you’ll brief your team to deliver. When your customer steps into your bar, how do you want your team to greet them? How would you farewell them? Be specific. The difference between saying “hello there, sir” and “hey!” is vast. The first is traditional and formal, the latter is fun, approachable and young. The tone of voice you use across your menu, website, social and any other communications copy should reflect real-life service and personality.

For a product, especially one without a physical presence IRL, things get a bit more complicated. You’ll have to work a little harder to craft a personality and tone because you probably don’t have real humans connecting with customers on a day-to-day basis in real life. But! The purpose is the same, you’re aiming to humanise your product and build trust and connection with your customers and potential customers.

The most important parts in this whole exercise? Be consistent. Consider every word – is it right? Is this something my brand would really say? Next, don’t try and copy anyone else. You don’t want your customers thinking “hey, these guys sound like that restaurant I love in New York!” You want them thinking about YOU and YOUR venue or brand, that’s what’ll stick.

Need more assistance with crafting a tone of voice for your brand? We can help with that. Contact us to enquire.

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