Finding your brand voice
How to define how your brand sounds in writing — and how to keep that voice consistent across your website and all communications.
Brand voice is how your business sounds in words. It's the personality that comes through in every sentence you write — from your homepage headline to a customer service email to a social media post.
A consistent brand voice builds trust. When everything sounds like it came from the same person with the same values, people trust your business more.
Quick summary
Your brand voice is a set of intentional choices about personality, words, and tone. Define it in three to five words. Write it down. Share it with anyone who writes for your business — including us, so we can match your voice when we write for you.
Voice vs tone: the difference
These terms are often used interchangeably, but they mean different things:
- Voice is your brand's personality. It stays consistent. A friendly brand is always friendly.
- Tone is how you adapt that personality to the context. Your voice is friendly, but your tone in a serious complaint response is gentler and more careful than your tone in a promotional email.
Think of it this way: your voice is who you are. Your tone is how you're feeling right now.
Why it matters on a website
Your website probably has copy on dozens of pages. If some pages sound formal, some casual, some technical, and some friendly — the site feels incoherent. Visitors pick up on inconsistency, even if they can't name it. It makes the business feel less trustworthy.
Defining your voice means:
- Every page sounds like it came from the same business
- Your website copy matches how you actually speak to clients
- Anyone writing for you (staff, freelancers, us) can match your voice
How to define your brand voice
Step 1: Write down three to five personality words
Think about how you'd describe your brand if it were a person. Not abstract values — personality traits.
Examples:
- Warm, expert, straightforward
- Bold, witty, no-nonsense
- Calm, reassuring, approachable
Avoid words so generic they apply to everyone: "professional," "friendly," "reliable." Every business claims those. Find the words that are specific to you.
Step 2: Describe what each word means — and what it doesn't
For each trait, write:
- What does this look like in writing?
- What would take it too far?
Example — "Warm":
- We write like we're talking to a person, not processing a ticket.
- We don't use first names unless we know the person.
- We say "you" a lot, not "the client" or "users."
- We don't: use slang, exclamation marks in every sentence, or overly casual language that could undermine confidence.
Step 3: Collect examples
Find three to five pieces of writing that feel like your voice — from anywhere. Your own best emails. A competitor's copy you admire. A brand whose tone feels right (even from a different industry). Collect them in a document.
These examples become your reference point when you write or review new copy.
The voice spectrum
It helps to position your voice on a few spectrums:
More formal ←→ More casual
More reserved ←→ More enthusiastic
More technical ←→ More plain-language
More serious ←→ More playful
Mark where you sit on each. There are no right or wrong answers — but knowing where you sit helps you make consistent decisions when you write.
Staying consistent
Write down your voice definition in a short document — even just one page. Share it with:
- Anyone on your team who writes client communications
- Any copywriters you work with
- Your web team (that's us)
The more clearly you define it, the easier it is for everyone to match it.
Common questions
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