How to develop a brand tone of voice guideline

Ever wondered how some brands have mastered the art of speaking directly to you, no matter where you encounter them? The secret lies in their tone of voice (ToV) guidelines. In this guide, you’ll learn to craft your own, defining your brand’s unique personality and creating a consistent voice that resonates with your audience across all touchpoints.

What is tone of voice, and why is it important?

A brand’s tone of voice refers to the distinctive personality and emotion conveyed through a brand’s communications. It’s how you say what you say, your choice of words, sentence structure, and overall style used across all channels.

But, it’s bigger than that, in fact, “tone of voice reflects your brand personality, helps you connect with your audience, and makes you different from the rest” – SEMrush

A well-defined tone of voice reflects your brand’s values, resonates with your target audience, and distinguishes you from competitors. It can be formal or casual, humorous or serious, empathetic or authoritative—or a unique combination that suits your brand identity.

Companies like Apple, Oately and Dove have a memorable tone of voice because they know what they want to say and how to say it. They’ve built trust, reinforced brand recognition, and created a cohesive customer experience, whether you’re reading their website, social media posts, emails, or product packaging. 

And, while these are excellent examples of how tone of voice has captured your attention, you’ll need to define your own true, distinct personality. Try to be relatable, and consistent, as well as leave a lasting impression on your audience. 

Why do you need brand tone of voice guidelines?

So, how do you do this? You create a brand tone of voice guideline! This is an essential tool that ensures that every piece of copy created – be it internal or external – represents your brand entirely. 

Regardless of what someone’s job is or what they have been asked to write, your tone of voice document should instil confidence in them to be able to translate the brand’s persona and maintain that across all channels. This means going beyond your main platforms, such as your website content, social media posts and product packaging, right down to your less obvious forms of communication like error messages, monthly newsletters, FAQs and automated emails. 

Put simply, they’re all about making it easier for you to translate your brand’s voice. They can be particularly useful for a new copywriter to learn how to craft exciting strap lines or serve as a quick reference for more experienced team members getting to grips with a new channel. 

No matter how you choose to apply your guidelines, a major advantage is that they shift brand voice from being the responsibility of just one person or team to a handy document that belongs to the entire company and is accessible to all. 

What should your brand tone of voice guideline include?

It’s important to not overcomplicate your tone of voice guidelines. Keep them clear, practical, and easy to follow. Here’s what to include within your guidelines that are sure to create a lasting impact:  

Introduce your brand’s tone of voice and tonal values

Introduce your brand’s tone of voice and tonal values, explaining what they stand for and how they support your brand and company mission. Clarify the core elements that define your brand’s voice, such as the emotions, attitudes, and values it conveys. This section should give a clear understanding of how your brand should sound in any communication, from professional to friendly, or authoritative to playful, reflecting your brand’s identity and ethos.

Give detailed, practical support 

Provide actionable guidance on adapting your brand’s tone to various platforms, like social media, emails, and blogs. This part will form the bulk of your guidelines, and it’s something people will be dipping into regularly. Include specific examples, do’s and don’ts, and tips on maintaining consistency while tailoring messages to suit the audience and channel, making sure your brand’s voice is recognisable and effective everywhere.

How to create a strong brand tone of voice guideline:

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to creating a ToV guideline. In fact, here at Distinctly, we like to do things a little differently when it comes to content strategy. Our approach combines collaborative workshops, in-depth research, and direct user feedback to craft a voice that truly resonates with your audience. By following these steps, you’ll develop a unique and authentic tone that sets your brand apart.

Hold a stakeholder workshop

Creating a strong tone of voice guideline starts with holding a stakeholder workshop to find out what makes you different. For companies with established brands and large marketing teams, this process might already be well-defined. However, if you’re starting from scratch, it’s a good idea to gather all the key voices from your company into a room or on a video call. It’s here that you can discuss the story of your business, any strong preferences for how you want to sound, and brands that inspire you.

Begin by aligning your tone with your mission—if you don’t have a mission statement, now’s the time to draft one. Define your brand’s values and how they should influence your voice. Describe your brand’s personality as if explaining it to a friend, and consider your audience—what types of content do they engage with? Review your current content to assess how your voice is perceived and identify areas that you could adjust. 

Dig deeper with a questionnaire 

Following your initial discussions with the team, it’s important to dig a little deeper into how you’re going to set the right tone. This can be done with a questionnaire, answering questions, such as “What are the main motivators for your audience?”, “What brand voices do you dislike and why?” and “If my brand were a person, what would its relationship be with its audience?”.  

Try to define your brand’s personality with the questionnaire. The Nielsen Norman Group identifies four key dimensions of the tone of voice: formal vs. informal, serious vs. humorous, respectful vs. irreverent, and enthusiastic vs. matter-of-fact. Determine where your brand falls on each of these scales to create a distinct and consistent tone. Once you know your position on each dimension, you can start developing specific tone characteristics. For example, if you choose a humorous tone, should it be dry or witty? 

Keep in mind that your tone will naturally vary depending on the type of communication, the message, and the context. Make sure that your tone feels genuine and not forced—staying true to what your brand genuinely represents.

Conduct competitor research 

Next, conduct competitor research to see what is working for others in your industry. Analyse how competitors communicate, the tones they use, and the content that resonates with their audience. Identify gaps or opportunities where your brand can stand out while still aligning with your target audience’s expectations. 

Consider what unique perspective or personality your brand can offer that others don’t, and use that to differentiate your voice. 

Balancing distinctiveness with relevance means that your brand remains memorable and engaging, while still appealing to the people you want to reach.

Hold user interviews

Lastly, user interviews are essential for crafting a tone of voice that resonates. One way to do this is to engage directly with your customers to understand their preferences, pain points, and what they value most about your brand. You could also ask for feedback, asking someone to describe your business in three words to gain insight into how others perceive your brand.

Listening to real customer feedback can reveal the language they use, the emotions they express, and the content they find most engaging. This insight helps you tailor your copy to be more targeted, relatable, and aligned with their needs. By reflecting your audience’s desires and expectations in your tone of voice, you create a stronger connection and guarantee that your messaging is both effective and impactful.

Create the ToV guideline

Once you’ve gathered all the information you need about your brand’s tone of voice, you can start to put it into your guideline document. This should serve as a practical, user-friendly tool that captures the essence of your brand’s communication style. Think of it as a distilled version of your brand’s personality, laying out the essential do’s and don’ts for every piece of content. Make it visually engaging, using bullet points, examples, and simple language to ensure it’s easy to understand and quick to reference. 

It’s important to note that a tone of voice guideline shouldn’t be confused with a style guide. While both are needed to maintain brand consistency, they serve different purposes. A style guide covers visual elements such as fonts, logos, colours, imagery style, iconography, and typography. Your ToV guideline, on the other hand, focuses on the personality and emotion conveyed through your brand’s written and spoken communications. 

For copywriters, a well-crafted ToV guideline becomes an indispensable daily tool, enabling them to confidently create on-brand content across various platforms, from social media posts to email campaigns. But, not only that, these guidelines can also be programmed into AI tools like custom chatbots, helping to automate content creation while staying true to your brand’s voice. This ensures that every customer interaction—no matter the platform—feels coherent and on-brand, enhancing recognition and trust.

Whether you’re a startup finding your feet, an established brand looking to refresh your image, or simply realising it’s time to formalise your communication style, developing a strong tone of voice guideline is crucial. At Distinctly, we’re passionate about helping brands discover and articulate their unique personalities. Our collaborative approach, combining workshops, in-depth research, and user insights, means that your tone of voice truly resonates with your audience and sets you apart in a crowded marketplace. Contact us today, and let’s work together to craft guidelines that will make every word count – across every platform.