Tone of voice is your brand in the wild

Most businesses treat it like a line in a brand book. It’s just something to tick off after the logo, the palette and the typeface are all done. They write three vague adjectives (“Bold. Human. Friendly.” Ugh, shoot us now.) and call it done.

However, dear reader, tone of voice isn’t decoration. It’s behaviour. It’s personality. It’s how your brand speaks on a bad day. In a crisis. In a Facebook post. In the footer of your website. It’s how your brand exists out there in the wild, and it’s a big deal.

The best tone of voice isn’t there to make you sound clever – it’s there to make you sound… well, like you. It builds memory, earns trust, and gives your brand consistency across every moment and message, from your product page to your job ads.

When your tone is right, people start to recognise your voice even before they see your logo. When it’s off, the whole brand feels off. And it’s not just about words. Tone sets the rhythm of your comms. It tells people whether you’re confident or cautious. It tells people whether you take the work seriously or take yourself too seriously. And, it tells them whether you know who you are or you’re still finding your feet.

So why do so many brands get it wrong? Usually because they bolt it on at the end of a rebrand, outsource it to a copywriter without a brief, or write a few guidelines, call it done, and wonder why no one can use them.

Another danger is just blindly running your copy through something like ChatGPT or Gemini. Whether you train it or not on your content, it’s unlikely to get the right level of nuance that your unique voice can give it. You’ll end up with something a bit soulless, designed to cater to everyone, rather than your audience specifically. So if you do go down that route, you need to make sure you give it your own polish.

When a brand voice actually works, it often goes deeper – it’s rooted in your values, audience and intent. It shows up not just in your big hero campaign, but in your 404 page, in the comments you reply to on social, and in your contracts.

You’ve also got the benefit of distinction, memorability, consistency. Your team can make assets faster. Customers feel like they know you – not just what you sell. And it builds internal confidence, too. When the tone of voice is clear, people across the business start writing better – not because they’re copywriters, but because they know how the brand speaks.

And when your brand is making a big change? Tone of voice becomes your signal. Moments of change – a rebrand, a pivot, a reposition – are when the tone does some of its most important work. Because in a time of uncertainty, tone creates familiarity. It helps audiences feel like they still recognise you, or at least understand who you’re becoming. And internally, it helps teams adapt. A clear tone helps people communicate with confidence when everything else is moving.

However, your tone of voice can’t be an ego trip. Startups usually begin with the founder’s voice, which works until the business grows. When that happens, it’s time to think about your team and your audience and define your voice on that basis.

We’ve got a little checklist for you to help you figure out how to build your tone of voice – follow these questions and you won’t go wrong.

• What does your brand believe?
• Who are you talking to?
• What do you want people to feel — not just think — when they hear from you?

The bottom line

Your tone is your brand when no one’s watching.

It’s how you show up in the everyday – in the copy, the emails, the product updates, the out-of-office replies. And if you don’t define it, your audience will. Get it right, and your brand will feel clear, confident and unmistakably yours.

Need someone to help you find your voice, or make it stick? This is the sort of thing we love. Book a call with us today.