In this article · 7 sections
Your tone of voice is how your business sounds in writing: website, WhatsApp, emails, social posts and replies to reviews. When it changes from channel to channel, customers feel they're dealing with different companies.
Pick 3 personality words
Choose three words, and say what each one does not mean:
| We are | But not |
|---|---|
| Friendly | Over-casual or slangy |
| Expert | Full of jargon |
| Straightforward | Rude or pushy |
Write do's and don'ts
- Do use "you" and "we"
- Do give clear prices and timelines
- Don't use ALL CAPS or too many exclamation marks
- Don't promise "100% guaranteed #1 ranking"
- Do say sorry plainly when something goes wrong
Show examples
Same message, wrong and right:
❌ "Dear valued customer, your query has been duly noted and shall be addressed at the earliest."
✅ "Thanks, Amit! We've got your request and will call you back within 30 minutes."
Adjust tone by situation, keep the voice
The voice stays the same; the tone adjusts:
- Celebrating a review: warmer
- Handling a complaint: calm and serious. See replying to negative reviews
- Legal or policy pages: clear and precise
Make it one page
Put personality words, do's and don'ts, 5 example lines, and preferred words ("enquiry", not "query") on a single page. Share it with staff, freelancers and agencies.
Use it with AI tools
Paste your tone guide into prompts so AI drafts start closer to your voice. Then edit them. See ChatGPT prompts for marketing.
FAQs
Does a small business really need this?
Yes, especially once more than one person writes for the business. It takes an hour and saves endless rewrites.
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