Brand Voice + Tone Guide

What is the Brand Voice and Tone Guide?

A voice and tone guide defines the stable personality behind all brand communications (voice) and how that personality adjusts its register for different contexts, a crisis response versus a product launch, a support email versus a social post (tone). The most effective guides include concrete before-and-after examples and channel-specific notes. Without examples, every writer interprets the "speaker" differently.

When should I use the Brand Voice and Tone Guide?

• When multiple writers produce content that sounds correct and on-topic, but clearly not the same brand.
• During a rebrand or pivot after audience feedback.
• To onboard freelancers, agencies, or new team members quickly and with shared reference points.

Learn more & sources

• CoSchedule, brand voice guidelines template
• Semrush, how to define your tone of voice

Related tools

• Brand Archetypes, Twelve universal characters that give a brand a personality people recognize.
• Core Strategy Statement + Messaging Framework, The single document that tells every writer what to say and in what order.
• Voice-of-Customer / Message Mining, Extracts exact customer language from reviews, calls, and support tickets.