Ask a business to describe its brand voice and you’ll usually get the same three words.
Friendly. Professional. Approachable.
Which is great. It’s also what everyone says.
If every business is friendly, professional and approachable, none of them sound like anything in particular.
Voice is a behaviour, not a description
I think of brand voice less as adjectives and more as habits.
Do you use short sentences or long ones? Do you ask questions? Do you joke? Do you explain things patiently, or get straight to the point?
Those habits are your voice. And you already have them.
Where to find it
Your voice is hiding in places you don’t think of as “branding.”
- The way you explain your work to a nervous customer.
- The email you wrote quickly, without overthinking, that someone loved.
- The phrase your team uses all the time.
- What your best customers say about you in reviews.
Collect those. Read them together. Patterns start to appear.
A simple exercise
Finish these sentences, quickly:
- “We sound like ___, not like ___.”
- “We would never say ___.”
- “When someone is confused, we ___.”
For example, I want my brand to sound like a friend who happens to be an expert. Not like a corporate manual. I would never say “leverage synergies.” And when someone is confused, I slow down and ask a question.
That’s more useful than any list of adjectives.
A brand voice is just you, on a good day, explaining something you care about.
Write it down, then use it
Once you know your voice, write a short guide. One page is enough.
A few “do” and “don’t” examples. A list of words you love and words you avoid. A sample of how you answer a common question.
Share it with anyone who writes for you. Including the AI tools, if you use them.
Consistency is kindness
When you sound the same on your website, your emails, your social posts and in person, people relax.
They know who they’re dealing with.
And in a small community, that sense of “I know these people” is worth more than any clever tagline.
