Honing Your Unique Voice & Tone

Have you ever read a company’s Instagram caption and thought, “Wow, that sounds exactly like how I pictured them?” That’s not an accident—it’s voice and tone at work.

A really fun example is the perfectly curated voice and tone of the National Park Service. If you don’t already follow them on your favorite platform, you’re missing out.

It’s truly so much fun that we even did a little analysis below, but first, let’s go over the basics of what a voice and tone is, why you need one, and practical steps to get started.

Why a Voice & Tone Guide is Crucial for Your Brand

A voice and tone guide helps businesses stay recognizable and trustworthy across all marketing channels. Whether someone reads your website copy, stops on your Instagram post, or gets an email from you, they should feel like they’re hearing from the same brand every time.

And to be clear, consistency isn’t just about looking polished—it’s about building relationships. When your messaging feels familiar, your audience is more likely to connect with your brand, trust what you say, and ultimately, choose you over the competition. A solid voice and tone guide ensures that no matter who on your team is writing content, your brand always sounds like you.

Voice vs Tone

“But what is a voice and tone guide” you ask? 

TL;DR

Voice = Consistent in all communication across all platforms

Tone = How you express feeling in different circumstances

Your voice is…

The consistent personality your brand embodies. It is the thing that makes up your brand’s unique personality. Voice helps readers identify you quickly and reflects your core values. The important thing to note is your voice doesn’t change because it is rooted on who you are.

Example:

Yellow Lime Creative’s voice is casual and slightly millennial, with a pop culture twist. The three pillars of our voice are: Clarity, Radiance, and Honesty. 

Clarity: We are marketing experts but what’s the use in knowing a lot if we don’t communicate it in a way people understand? (Hint: not much use at all). When we explain something we do it in an accessible way so that it’s easy to understand and relate to.

Practical ways we do this:

• Highlighting main points or action steps
• Writing with easy-to-skim information
• Avoiding jargon (or explaining terms when necessary)

Radiance: There’s enough doom-and-gloom marketing in the world, so we’re here to radiate positivity and good vibes with our friends and partners. When you’re with Yellow Lime, you’re standing in the sunshine.Practical ways we do this:

• Focus on the positive first, rather than the problem
• Write with a listening ear, so friends feel heard and cared for

Honesty: Honestly is one of our values, so we won’t hide behind anything. We’ll have hard conversations, set healthy boundaries, admit what we don’t know, and always tell the truth.Practical ways we do this:

• Write pieces that are easy to understand and invite collaboration
• Show radical candor in all conversations

Your tone is…The adjustments you make based on the situation. Your writing can and should lean into each tone depending on the emotions you want your readers to feel. This means your tone can vary depending on our audience, the medium, or the event (just like it would if you’re having a hard day or a great one, or if you’re presenting at a conference or chatting with a friend afterward). For us, our tone is often relational, cheeky, and/or refreshing. We lean into each of the three identified tones depending on the situation and where we are communicating.

Tips for Crafting Your Voice & Tone Guide

‍Creating a voice and tone guide doesn’t have to be complicated. Think of it as defining your brand’s personality—just like you would describe a friend. Here’s how to get started:

Discover Your Secret Sauce

Your voice should reflect what makes your brand unique. Ask yourself:

• What are the core values that drive your business?
• How do you want customers to feel after interacting with you?
• If your brand were a celebrity, who would it be?

‍Pinpoint Your Audience

Know your audience like you’d know your best friend. Are you speaking to busy moms, startup founders, or Gen Z trendsetters?

• What language and style resonate with them?
• Do they prefer casual, friendly messaging or more professional, authoritative language?
• What problems do they need you to solve?

Psst. We wrote a handy little guide on how to create your brand personas, check it out here.‍

Choose Key Adjectives

Narrow your core voice down to 2-3 defining words that act as your North Star. Some simple examples:

• Mental Health Therapist: Empathetic, knowledgeable, and empowering
• Coffee Shop & Roastery: Witty, irreverent, and bold
• Local Bank: Professional, trustworthy, and reassuring

Now consider different situations you might need to shift your tone and write out what tones you want to lean into.

• Mental Health Therapist: Encouraging, Relatable, Supportive, Calm
• Coffee Shop & Roastery: Energetic, Confident, Punny
• Local Bank: Reassuring, Community-focused

National Park Service 

 Okay, you’ve made it to the end of the blog, here’s a quick off-the-cuff description of how we might describe the National Parks Service's distinctive voice and tone:Voice Characteristics

• Informative and Educational: Provides valuable insights about parks, wildlife, and safety guidelines.
• Approachable and Relatable: Communicates in a manner that feels friendly and accessible to a broad audience.
• Humorous and Witty: Incorporates humor to engage followers and make content more memorable.

Tone Variations

• Playful and Lighthearted: Utilizes humor to convey messages, making content enjoyable.
• Cautionary yet Amusing: Delivers safety warnings in a humorous way to ensure adherence
• Clever and Engaging: Crafts captions that are both entertaining and informative.

By blending educational content with humor and relatability, the NPS effectively engages its audience, making information about national parks both enjoyable and memorable.Now It’s Your Turn!Your business already has a voice—it’s just waiting for you to define it. Let your personality shine, and the right people will always find you. Need a hand? You know who to call 👻