You know what your brand sounds like in your head. But translating that into written content that reaches your audience right in the feels? That’s where things get tricky. 

You may have worked with writers who just didn’t quite “get it.” The content was ok, but it just didn’t sound like your brand. Or maybe you’re looking for a writer for the first time, and you’re wondering how anyone on the outside could capture your brand’s personality. 

Finding and communicating your brand voice isn’t point-and-shoot. It’s a process that we’ll go through together. So here’s how I make sure the content I create for you actually sounds like your brand. 

1. We explore your product or service.

The reason we’re doing any of this is to increase sales for your business. 

So whether it’s products or services, we need to know what we’re selling. 

Luxury, like high-end spa services? Or an everyday necessity, like body wash? Are you helping people solve urgent problems (hello, trades!). Or are these aspirational goals (think coaches, interior designers, personal stylists)?

Often, a more high-end product comes with a higher price tag, and therefore a more elevated brand voice. But there can be a lot of wiggle-room with your more workaday products. 

Compare Dollar Shave Club to Gillette. Dollar Shave Club made a mint with its funny, irreverent voice. Gillette, on the other hand, is more earnest. They tend to focus on the ritual of shaving, from the confidence in a close shave to the blade tech to the tradition of fathers teaching their sons how to use a razor.

Dollar Shave Club

Gillette

The world of bidets is also a great example. Tushy takes the approach that there’s no need to be too serious about bum-cleaning. Their language is packed with potty humor and poop jokes (and it is delightful). 

LUXE Bidet takes a more high-end approach, even though their product is quite similar. LUXE Bidet isn’t your friend—they’re more of a luxury service provider.

Tushy

LUXE Bidet

2. We get specific about tone.

Tone is the emotional resonance in your copy. Consider it your brand’s outlook. How it sees the world and itself. Tone conveys the feeling behind our words, and creates an emotional response in the reader. 

When we talk about tone, I’m going to push you beyond vague descriptors that seem useful, but don’t actually tell us much. 

So if you tell me your tone is “professional,” I’m going to push back a little. Where is the feeling in “professional?” Maybe you mean authoritative and confident, creating a sense of trust in the audience. Or maybe you really mean approachable and knowledgeable, like a good friend who’s basically a walking Wiki for his niche interest and can’t help but spread his enthusiasm. 

When you say “fun,” maybe you mean family-friendly and joyful, so the audience will associate your brand with making happy memories. Or maybe you’re talking about witty banter and pop culture references to make your reader feel like a friend at the bar. 

Keep in mind: tone may change depending on context! Just because you have a witty voice doesn’t mean we can’t bring our serious faces when the occasion calls for it. 

3. We get into the weeds on your audience.

Who we’re talking to has a huge impact on how your brand speaks. 

To understand your audience, we have to go beyond demographics (age, location, income, marital status, job description) and dig into psychographics (attitudes, aspirations, interests, beliefs). 

What problems nag at your ideal customer when they’re folding laundry? What is their biggest goal in life? What are they reading/watching/listening to right now?

A single mom in her late 30s juggling a career and young kids may resonate with different language and messaging than a retired grandfather who spends his days building model World War II U-boats or a rural rancher running an alpaca farm. 

Your audience impacts everything from the pop culture references and slang we use to their level of brand awareness and tech savvy. Vocabulary choices, sentence length, reading level, and even punctuation can come down to your audience. 

4. I study what you’ve already put out there.

Unless your brand is starting from scratch (in which case, lemme at it!), you’ve probably already been communicating with your audience through your website, social media, and/or emails. 

So I’ll want to assess what’s out there to look for patterns: words you use frequently, how you address your audience, whether you lean casual or polished, if you’re a comic genius or keep things straightforward. 

I’ll also note what you don’t do. Some brands love a good curse word, while others avoid them like the damned plague. (As you see, my brand voice is in the first camp.) Some love puns and wordplay, others aim for simplicity above all. 

These boundaries are important to keep the voice on the right track. And if you’ve worked with a writer before who missed the mark? I want to see that, too, so I can avoid the same pitfalls. 

5. You show me what resonates with you.

Once we’ve gone through steps 1-4, I’m going to ask if you can point to examples of other brands that have a voice that really speaks to you. I’ve had clients send me to websites, blogs, and social media accounts as illustrations of the vibe they’re after. 

Don’t fret—emulating the style of another brand does not include copying content, which would be unethical and illegal. 

Rather, it means identifying what makes that style work and adapting those principles to fit your one-of-a-kind brand. This will give me some additional insight as I develop content that’s uniquely yours. 

The result: Content that sounds right and sells

Some clients come to me with a crystal-clear vision of their brand voice. Others are still figuring out their unique style. 

Both are completely normal.

The important thing is that we work through this process together. It does require some work up-front. But that investment pays off in a brand voice that says the right things to the right people in a voice that feels right to you.

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Ready to work together? Let’s talk about your brand voice and how we can use it to better connect with your audience. Contact me to schedule your first call.

Header photo by Orlova Maria on Unsplash