How To Liven Up Your Brand Voice

Branding is one of my pet topics. It makes me feel like a therapist for marketers and writers. Who are you? Who do you want to be? How does [X] make you feel?

A unique and engaging brand voice is essential. It conveys your brand's personality, values, and mission, allowing you to build connections with your audience. People might scan an issue or two out of curiosity, but they’ll keep coming back to your newsletter because they trust you to provide them with content they want to read.

So how can you find your voice? 

How can you craft a memorable and compelling voice that people want to hear? 

Please, come in. Lie down on my couch and let’s talk about you.

What Makes a Good Brand Voice?

A good brand voice should be unique, authentic, consistent, and clear. You want to communicate with your audience, using a style that resonates and language they understand. 

There are as many good voices as there are good brands. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution; and if you look for one, you’ll probably wind up with bland content. 

How Do You Develop a Voice for Your Brand?

To develop a voice that's unmistakably "you," start by examining your company's mission statement and goals and then think about the personality traits that make your brand unique. Should your voice be professional or cheeky? Authoritative or open? 

Then, think about the other side of communication – the audience. What do they value? What turns them off? 

From there, it's a matter of consistency. That doesn’t mean that every piece of content will sound exactly the same. Always consider purpose and context to ensure that a piece is appropriate to its purpose. 

Medium matters, too. The heart of your brand should be consistent across channels, but you might adopt more or less casual tones depending on the platform.

What Are the 3 C's of Brand Voice?

One way to think about brand voice is through the three C's model. To create a compelling brand voice, aim for clarity, consistency, and character.

Clarity

Clarity is about making sure your message is easily understood by your target audience. In most cases, that means you should:

• Use simple, everyday language.

• Avoid industry jargon or explain it, if necessary.

• Be direct and to the point.

That said, different audiences may have their own tastes, needs, or backgrounds. Focus on what your audience finds compelling and clear. For example, if you write a niche newsletter for elite coders, don’t condescend them by overexplaining basic concepts.

Consistency

Consistency reinforces your brand identity, helping customers recognize your content no matter where they encounter it. It also builds trust as customers know what to expect from your brand.

To maintain consistency in your brand voice:

• Develop brand guidelines that detail your brand's voice and tone.

• Regularly review your content to ensure it aligns.

Some people have a strong voice but struggle to articulate it. If you have representative content and want help, try using AI to create a style guide.

Character

Character is what makes your brand voice unique. It's the personality that shines through in your communication, making your brand memorable and relatable.

How would you define your brand? Are you inspiring and bold, the Nike of publications on adult education? Or maybe you’re a funny, relatable guide for novice investors. 

One beehiiv success story, Enjoy Basketball, built a following when they realized a need for positive, fun coverage of the sport. 

What Are the 4 Key Areas To Define a Brand’s Tone of Voice?

In a now-classic article, the Nielsen-Norman Group identified four dimensions to help you articulate your tone of voice. These will help you with the trickiest of the three C’s – character. You need to understand your brand identity in each of the following areas.

Humor

Humor can be a powerful tool in your brand voice arsenal, making your brand feel more human and relatable. You can use it to diffuse tension or make complex topics more accessible. Other situations and topics require a more serious approach. 

Think about when and how you want to use humor as well as what your target audience will likely find funny.

Formality

The level of formality heavily influences how your audience perceives your brand. A more formal tone conveys serious-minded professionalism, and a more casual approach allows for more personal, approachable communication. 

Formality is a spectrum, and few brands dwell (at least not comfortably) at either end. Strike a balance that aligns with your personality and resonates with your readers.

Respectfulness

Sigh. Respectfulness is the word used by the original article and quoted since. I think it’s misleading. All brands (and people) should be respectful. Have respect for your readers — and for those people who aren’t your readers. Also have respect for the planet, the future, and any alien life forms you may encounter. In short, there’s no need to be a jerk.

A better word is reverence, which allows for a spectrum of attitudes. You can adopt an irreverent tone toward a subject, treat it as gospel, or find a position between the two.

Enthusiasm

How much passion and excitement do you want to convey? An enthusiastic tone can be infectious, helping to inspire and motivate your audience, but overly enthusiastic messaging can come across as insincere or overwhelming. 

Breathe Life Into Your Brand Voice

Developing a unique and engaging brand voice is essential for creators. It helps you connect with your audience, build trust, and ultimately drive newsletter growth, but we brand therapists don’t give you the answers. We just ask the right questions. (Sorry, not sorry.) You’ll need to experiment and reflect until you find the right voice for you. 

If soul-searching and journaling aren’t helping you answer the questions posed above, try finding a piece that makes you proud — content where you got it right. Use it to guide your answers or browse the content of some of our most successful creators. What resonates with you? What would engage your audience?

Our session is almost over, so please, tell me: How do you feel?

Why Trust Us

beehiiv knows what makes for a good newsletter brand. We’ve helped guide many creators as they develop successful publications. As for me, I’m a content creator and digital marketing professional who often writes about branding and storytelling.