Tone of Voice

Your tone of voice is how you communicate with your audience.

The way you sound, or write, directly affects how people will respond to you. If your tone of voice doesn’t match your brand, or it sounds ‘off’, it can deter people.

But, if it’s unique, trustworthy and authentic, people are more likely to read more.

In all honesty, your brand should write how you talk – within reason.

So, if your tone isn’t hitting the right tone with your audience, it probably needs some tuning.

Let’s Talk Tone

What is a Good Tone of Voice?

Tone of voice refers to the style and personality of your copy. It’s how you sound to your audience.

For example, if Danny Dyer was hired to play Mr Darcy in the new Pride and Prejudice, it probably wouldn’t go down well with the audience. Why? Because as great as Danny is, he doesn’t have the tonal accuracy or nuance to sway the audience into making them believe he’s a Victorian heart-throb.

Your tone of voice should merge seamlessly with your brand image and resonate with your target audience.

Let’s look at a brand that’s currently nailing its tone of voice

Dr Squatch burst onto the market with their manly soaps in 2020 and they’ve been bathing in luxury ever since.

They are known for their humorous tone of voice and absurd, memorable adverts. Phrases like ‘shower like a champion’, and ‘stop scrubbing your body with toxic goo’ is all very tongue-in-cheek and are reminiscent of Old Spice – and we know how successful that brand is.

Why is Tone of Voice Important in Copywriting?

A brand without a tone of voice, or worse, the wrong tone of voice is jarring.

Having an accurate and tonally-appropriate way of communicating with your audience is the difference between people trusting and buying from you, and thinking ‘Nope, not for me’ and closing the page.

How you decide to shape the words and images of your brand will dictate how people view your brand.

And this is crucial. In fact, 88% of respondents in a recent survey said that they’re more likely to buy from brands they trust.

Trust is the Core Pillar of the Buyer’s Journey

Remember what I said about how your brand should write how you talk? Let’s put this into practice.

Say you’re suffering from tooth pain and you require a dentist. Before you call or book your appointment, it should be immediately clear that they are an expert in their profession and are empathetic to your concerns, one of which may be a fear of dentists.

So you head over to a dentist’s website and the copy looks something like this:

“Hey there! Need some dental work? Well, you’ve stumbled upon the right place. We buy the best equipment to get the best results, and we’ll do our best fix whatever tooth problem is bothering you.

Book an appointment now and let the adventure begin!”

We don’t have to analyse this too much to know it is wildly inappropriate. Repetition, overly conversational tone, and phrases like ‘stumbled upon’ and ‘we’ll do our best’ don’t exactly promote confidence or expertise.

Now, look at this:

“Brighton Dental Clinic is a multi-award-winning dental practice that prioritises patient comfort and safety above all else. Our modern facility is equipped XoGen Mapping technology to guarantee exceptional results on a wide range of treatments.

Book your appointment today or speak to one of our friendly members of staff for more information.”

Of course, not all copy will be as black and white as the above. Even so, the devil is in the details with tone of voice, and having something that is genuinely authentic and brand-accurate will reinforce trust and authenticity in your business.