My 9 ways to define your brand's copywriting tone of voice

A recent Upwork client seeking email marketing strategy, layout design and copywriting specifically asked "How do you decide what tone of voice to write in?", which I think is quite a good, self-reflective question that any company, freelancer or writer should ask themselves. It's also a commonly asked question for Upwork submissions.

It may be that writing is something that comes naturally to you, and you revert to your own style for all clients, or you systematically define these for each client.

Last updated 30/01/25

Anyway, this is what I said:

Documentation: If available, refer to existing brand guidelines and tone of voice briefs.

Review: Look at existing email marketing copy for a gauge on how messages have been landing: opens via subject lines, clicks via copy and call to actions.

Absorb: I have a thorough read across website and other materials, including blogs, brochures and social posts.

Market research: Mirror the vernacular and values of the consumer via existing replies, CRM data and public reviews (Google, Trustpilot/Feefo, social media).

Listen: Pay attention to the people in the business and their verbal and written communications. The marketing should really reflect the tone and values of those who are in customer facing and leadership roles.

Compare: What are your competitors' tones of voice? How could you be different and stand out? It's not just about the choice of words, phrasing used and the overall energy you give off, but also in the selection of the content or perhaps the angle of the content. Are you able to be opinionated? How honestly and originally can you reflect on the common pain points of the industry? Can you pull this off effectively and tastefully without putting off potential customers and partners?

E-E-A-T: With each service provider I’ve partnered with, I’ve worked with dedicated, experienced professionals with a solid track record. To borrow from Google, most professional services or SaaS content warrants a tone of experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trust. I think you can also add ‘confidence’ to EEAT. Please see below.

Confidence: Don’t be afraid to add confidence to your tone of voice. Publicly praise your team in your campaigns and segue effectively to the products and services available i.e. “well done to our X team for completing X no. of deliveries this month“ or “our X team have recently gained X qualification”. Be authentic. It shows acumen and that the company is a supportive environment for both staff and customers. For addressing customer requirements, I believe specialist companies can adopt a professional but reassuring tone and, depending on the sensitivity of the subject matter, you can try some tasteful humour.

Company narrator: I also have an approach for companies of certain sizes and perhaps with several distinct services. In my latest in-house role I acted as the ‘voice of the company’ akin to ‘admin’ on typical social media channels. I find that it provides ‘distance’ and ‘authority’ that enables multiple services to be publicised simultaneously and also a plethora of industry topics can be curated. When drafting copy, this combines writing in the 1st (we, the brand), second (you, the customer), and third person (they, the team).

Overall, I stay conscious of tone of voice when drafting, self-critiquing and leaning on the above.

Contact me for any advice or support with your brand's copywriting or tone of voice by emailing themarketingsub@gmail.com or calling 01202 980927.