Brand voice worksheet

Your brand voice is how your business sounds in writing. It's in every headline on your website, every email you send, every social post you publish. When it's consistent, your business feels professional and trustworthy. When it's inconsistent, it can feel patchy or uncertain — even if the design looks great.

This worksheet helps you put your brand voice into words so we can write in it, and so anyone else who writes for your business — a team member, a copywriter, a social media manager — can do the same.

What you'll need

You don't need a marketing background to fill this in. Think of it as describing a character — the character your brand plays in writing.

How to use this template

Template

Copy everything below this line into a new document and fill it in.

Section 1: Your brand in three words

If your brand were a person, describe them in three words. (Examples: warm, direct, expert / bold, playful, ambitious / calm, clear, trustworthy.)

1. [Your answer here]
2. [Your answer here]
3. [Your answer here]

Section 2: Personality sliders

For each pair below, mark where your brand sits on the scale. Circle a number or write it in.

Any notes on why you placed yourself where you did? [Your answer here]

Section 3: Your audience's language

What words or phrases do your best customers use when they describe your work? (Think of the words they use in testimonials, in emails to you, or when they refer you.) [Your answer here]

What are the biggest problems your customers tell you they have? Write them in their words, not yours. [Your answer here]

What result or feeling do your customers describe after working with you? [Your answer here]

Section 4: Words and phrases

List words or phrases that feel very "you." These might be terms you use naturally, values you keep coming back to, or phrases your team always uses. [Your answer here]

List words or phrases that feel very "not you." Things that feel too corporate, too casual, too jargon-heavy, or that a competitor might use. [Your answer here]

Are there any industry buzzwords you want to avoid? (Examples: "synergy," "leverage," "disruptive," "solutions.") [Your answer here]

Section 5: Voice in action

Write a one-sentence description of what you do in your own words. Don't edit it — write it as you'd say it out loud to someone at a networking event. [Your answer here]

Now write how you'd describe what you do to a complete stranger who knows nothing about your industry. [Your answer here]

Paste in an example of writing that sounds like you — an email, a social post, a proposal, anything. [Your answer here]

Paste in an example of writing that does NOT sound like you — something that feels wrong for your brand, even if it's good writing in general. [Your answer here]

Section 6: Tone by context

Different situations call for a different shade of the same voice. Tell us how your tone shifts.

When writing to a new potential customer (sales/marketing copy): [Your answer here]

When writing to an existing customer (emails, updates, check-ins): [Your answer here]

When handling a complaint or problem: [Your answer here]

When celebrating a win or sharing good news: [Your answer here]

Section 7: Hard rules

Is there anything we must always say or always include? (Legal language, accreditations, specific service names, required disclaimers.) [Your answer here]

Is there anything we must never say or never do in your brand's writing? [Your answer here]

Are there any topics that are sensitive or off-limits? [Your answer here]

Why each section matters

Brand in three words

Three words force clarity. If you can't name three, there's no consistent voice yet — and that's useful to know. These words become the north star for every piece of copy we write.

Personality sliders

The sliders surface disagreements quickly. If one founder marks "3 – formal" and another marks "5 – casual," that's a conversation to have before we write a word. Better to resolve it now than in copywriting revisions.

Your audience's language

The best copy is written in the reader's vocabulary, not the brand's. Using the exact words your customers use to describe their problems and their wins makes copy feel uncannily relevant.

Words and phrases

A short list of words to use and words to avoid is the single most practical writing tool that exists. It takes five minutes to build and saves hours of edits.

Voice in action

Real examples beat abstract descriptions. Showing us what sounds like you (and what doesn't) is more useful than any adjective on a list.

Tone by context

Your brand's core personality should stay constant, but the warmth and energy can shift by situation. Knowing how you want to handle a complaint is different from knowing how you want to celebrate a launch.

Hard rules

Legal requirements, trademarked names, and protected phrases need to be written in consistently and correctly. These rules also protect us from accidentally stepping into sensitive territory.

Common questions

Related guides

• Discovery brief template
• Content brief template
• Finding your brand voice
• Writing for the web
• What happens in discovery & strategy