Crafting a Brand Voice That Connects With Your Audience
6 min read
Ever scrolled through a website and felt like the brand just got you?
Like they were speaking your language, maybe even reading your mind a bit? That’s brand voice done right.
The way your brand talks: on your website, social posts, packaging, invoices, everything… sets the tone for how customers feel about your business. It builds trust. Creates connection. And, if you get it right, makes you the obvious choice over a competitor who sounds generic, confused, or, worst of all, boring.
The good news? You don’t need to be a copywriter or marketing expert to define your brand voice. You just need a little clarity, consistency, and a bit of confidence.
This post breaks down how to discover and define a brand voice that feels natural, aligns with your personality, and most importantly speaks to the right people.
What Is Brand Voice Anyway?
In plain English: your brand voice is the way your business communicates.
It’s not what you say (that’s your message), it’s how you say it. And just like with real-life conversations, tone matters.
Think of it like this:
A tattoo studio and a yoga retreat might both post about “booking a session,” but the way they phrase that message should sound very different.
A playful coffee roaster might write, “Don’t talk to us ‘til you’ve had your morning fix.”
A high-end coffee subscription might go with, “Start your day with precision-roasted perfection.”
Same goal. Different voice. One attracts the fun crowd, the other appeals to coffee connoisseurs.
Why Brand Voice Matters for Small Businesses
As a small business, you are your brand. You’re not hiding behind corporate layers or automated bots (hopefully). You’re building personal connections. And the way you sound, whether it’s fun, serious, cheeky, or calming, plays a big part in that.
A strong brand voice can:
Make you instantly recognisable
Help customers trust you
Attract the kind of people you actually want to work with
Save you time by making it easier to write consistent content
And yes, it can help sell more. Because people buy from brands they feel aligned with.
How to Define Your Brand Voice in 5 Steps
1. Start With Who You Are (Really)
Your brand voice should be a natural extension of your values, personality, and audience. If you try to sound like someone you’re not, it’ll feel awkward, for you and your customers.
Ask yourself 3 questions:
What’s my personality like?
How do I speak to customers in person?
What do I value most in my business?
Are you warm and welcoming? Straight-talking and no-nonsense? Enthusiastic and high-energy? Honest and nurturing?
The goal here isn’t to invent a character. It’s to amplify your natural voice in a way that resonates with your audience.
2. Define Your Brand Personality (and Own It)
Think of your brand like a person. If it walked into a room, how would it behave?
Would it crack a joke? Give calm, considered advice? Fire off ideas at a million miles an hour?
Try this simple brand voice exercise:
Choose 3–5 personality traits that best describe your brand. For example:
Bold, playful, creative
Calm, minimalist, wise
Fun, irreverent, inclusive
Then define what those words mean for your voice. For example:
Playful: We use light humour, puns and metaphors. Nothing too formal or dry.
Creative: We avoid clichés. We paint vivid mental pictures and describe ideas in unique ways.
Inclusive: We never talk down to people or use insider jargon.
This creates a framework you can refer to when writing anything from a product page to a customer email.
3. Know Your Audience Inside Out
If you want your voice to land well, you’ve got to know who you’re talking to.
Think beyond the basic demographics. Get into the mindset of your ideal customer:
What worries keep them up at night?
What language do they use?
What brands do they already love?
What kind of tone do they trust?
You can even create a quick audience persona, or use our free template to help shape your messaging.
And don’t forget to check out what your competitors sound like. Not to copy, but the opposite, to find gaps. If they’re all using bland, corporate lingo, there’s space for you to sound more human.
4. Create Voice Guidelines (That Aren’t Boring)
Even a loose brand voice guide can be a game changer. It helps you (and your team, if you have one) stay consistent, especially across different platforms.
Your guide could include:
Your brand personality traits (with examples)
Words you love (and words to avoid)
Punctuation rules (are you casual with exclamation marks or strictly full stops?)
Formatting choices (headlines, emojis, emojis never, etc)
Tone variation (do you sound different on Instagram vs your website?)
You don’t have to overdo it. One clear page will do the job if it keeps your tone consistent and recognisable.
5. Put It to Work (And Review Often)
Once your voice is defined, it’s time to apply it:
Website copy
Social media posts
Email newsletters
Packaging and signage
Customer service replies
Consistency builds trust. But don’t worry if it doesn’t feel perfect right away. Brand voice evolves over time, especially as you grow or refine your offer.
Review your messaging every few months. Tweak the tone if needed. You’re not stuck with a voice forever, but the more consistent you are now, the stronger your brand becomes.
Common Brand Voice Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)
Trying to sound like everyone else:
There’s a temptation to play it safe and use generic “professional” language. But that usually ends up being forgettable.
Going too far with tone:
Yes, you want personality. But if your tone overshadows the message or confuses your audience, it’s doing more harm than good.
Inconsistency across channels:
If your email newsletter is warm and friendly but your website sounds like a bank’s terms and conditions, it’s time for a rewrite.
Using tone that doesn’t match your offer:
If you’re a trauma-informed therapist, for example, a hyper-playful tone might not land well. If you’re a pet bakery stall at a weekend market, humour might be perfect.
Examples of Brand Voice in Action
Oddbox (UK veg delivery)
Tone: cheeky, energetic, sustainability-focused
Voice: Casual, funny, passionate about fighting food waste
What it does well: Uses humour to educate and rally people around a shared mission
Bloom & Wild
Tone: warm, heartfelt, helpful
Voice: Clear, kind and emotionally intelligent
What it does well: Balances elegance with a strong emotional connection
Innocent Drinks
Tone: playful, silly, self-aware
Voice: Irreverent but friendly
What it does well: Builds loyalty through humour and conversational charm
Downloadable Worksheet: Define Your Brand Voice
Create a simple brand voice guide using this checklist:
3–5 personality traits that reflect your brand
Voice dos and don’ts (phrases you love, words to avoid)
Tone examples for different platforms (email, social, web)
Competitor tone comparison
Audience persona notes
A sample paragraph in your brand voice
Download our free PDF worksheet to help define your brand voice.
Final Thoughts
Your brand voice is your handshake, your chat over coffee, your first (and second, and third) impression. It’s how people remember you. It’s how they decide whether they like you, trust you, or scroll past you.
The trick is to make it authentic, consistent, and aligned with your audience. You don’t need to be the loudest voice in the room, just the one that sounds most like you.
And if you’re still not sure how to nail it, don’t stress. I’ve helped loads of creative business owners find their voice, one that feels good to use and makes sense to their customers. If you’re ready to craft a tone that actually connects with your audience, get in touch and we’ll shape it together.