How to Set Brand Voice and Tone: A Practical Guide

Simpler: about a brand’s tone of communication

A brand has its own voice — a stable manner of communication: word choice, intonation, rhythm and emotions that are recognizable across channels. In professional contexts this is called tone of voice (ToV).

This is not a logo or colors, but how the company speaks — in a newsletter, post, error notification or support reply.

If the visual style is responsible for how the brand looks, the voice is responsible for how it sounds. Manner of speech is part of positioning: a customer can tell a “corporate bank” from a “bold startup” in a second just by the way it talks, even without seeing the name.

How to distinguish tone of voice, brand voice and tone of speech

These three terms are often confused. Let’s separate them clearly — it makes it easier to know what you’re actually describing.

• Brand voice — the brand’s consistent character and “personality” in text. It changes rarely.
• Tone of voice — the shade of that voice in a specific situation. One voice, many tones.
• Tone of speech — how the brand sounds in spoken delivery: voice assistants, TTS, radio, IVR.

Mini‑glossary:

Term	What it describes	Does it change
Brand voice	Brand character, who we are	Almost never
Tone of voice	Tone in a specific context	Yes, by situation
Tone of speech	Oral delivery, voice, pace	Yes, by channel

Why a brand needs a voice: how tone affects perception and conversion

A unified communication style solves four tasks: increases recognition, builds trust, speeds up the team’s work and directly impacts conversions in emails and pages. When ten authors write “their own way,” the brand blurs. When there’s a tone guide — texts sound like one person.

In B2B and services the effect is especially noticeable: a complex product is easier to sell if the voice reduces anxiety and speaks the customer’s language instead of bureaucratic jargon.

Four tone dimensions: formality, humor, respectfulness, enthusiasm

A practical NN/G model suggests evaluating any text across four scales:

1. Formality — from businesslike to friendly.
2. Humor — from serious to ironic.
3. Respectfulness — from reverent to cheeky.
4. Enthusiasm — from restrained to exuberant.

Think of the scales as ranges rather than single points. In support you shift toward a calmer tone; in announcements — toward enthusiasm.

Tone types with examples

Besides the scales, there are familiar archetypes — voice characters. Here are common variants with short phrase examples:

Tone type	Character	Example phrase
Formal	Businesslike, restrained	“Благодарим за обращение. Заявка принята в работу.”
Friendly	Warm, on “ты”	“Готово! Мы уже занялись твоим вопросом.”
Expert	Confident, specific	“Разберём по шагам, чтобы вы приняли решение быстро.”
Playful	Humorous, light	“Ошибка? Бывает. Уже чиним — держитесь.”
Inspirational	Emotional	“Вы у цели — остался один шаг.”

(Note: keep original example phrases intact as product/phrasing artifacts.)

How to determine a brand’s tone: a step‑by‑step algorithm

Below is a practical algorithm: from analysis to testing on real texts.

Step 1. Audience and competitor analysis

Describe who you speak to: the customer’s language, their pains, level of expertise, where they read you. Then listen to 3–5 competitors — how they sound, so you can find an unoccupied niche and avoid blending into the market.

Step 2. Articulate values and brand character

Choose 3–5 values and describe the brand as a person: “if the brand were a conversational partner, what would it be like?”. This is the foundation of brand voice, from which the communication tone grows.

Step 3. Set the scales and tone rules

Mark positions on the four scales and write “say / don’t say” rules: which words to use, which are forbidden, how to address people (“ты” or “вы”), how to write about errors and prices. This is the core of the brand’s editorial policy.

Step 4. Test on real texts

Rewrite 5–7 real fragments in the new tone: a greeting, an email, an error notification, a post. If it sounds natural and recognizable — the tone is found.

Before/after examples:

Before	After (friendly‑expert)
«Произошла ошибка. Повторите попытку.»	«Что-то пошло не так — попробуйте ещё раз, мы уже смотрим.»
«Оплата не была осуществлена.»	«Платёж не прошёл. Обычно помогает другая карта.»
«Уведомляем о поступлении заказа.»	«Ваш заказ у нас — собираем и держим в курсе.»

Template for a voice & tone brandbook

A voice & tone skeleton you can assemble in a day:

1. Who our audience is (1 paragraph).
2. Brand character (3–5 adjectives).
3. Values (3–5 items).
4. The four tone scales with marks.
5. “Say / don’t say” rules.
6. Before/after examples by channel.
7. Marker words and stop‑words.

Examples of effective tone: brand breakdowns

• Яндекс — simple, calm, a “human” tone in interfaces: helpful without lecturing.
• Тинькофф — confident and friendly, on “ты”, with light humor.
• Aviasales — bold and ironic, leaning on colloquial speech.
• Mailchimp — a benchmark of friendly yet professional voice in English‑language segment.
• IKEA — warm, caring, simple language instead of bureaucratic phrasing.

Different characters — each recognizable from the first line.

Common mistakes when implementing ToV

• A voice meant for presentation, not real texts.
• Copying someone else’s tone without linking it to your values.
• One tone for all situations — no channel adaptation.
• Rules without examples: the team doesn’t know how to apply them.
• No owner of the ToV — the style disperses after six months.

How to roll out tone of voice in the team: guide and checklist

Checklist for rolling out to marketing and product:

1. Tone guide is documented and accessible to all writers.
2. Workshop held with before/after examples.
3. A bank of good and bad formulations exists.
4. A pre‑publication checklist is introduced.
5. A person responsible for the brand voice is assigned.
6. Regular text audits are configured.
7. Metrics are defined: audience reaction, tone of incoming requests, email conversion.

Mini questionnaire to self‑define the tone

Answer five questions and mark positions on the scales:

1. Do we address the customer as “ты” or “вы”?
2. Is humor appropriate in our error messages?
3. Do we explain as an expert or as an equal friend?
4. How emotional are our announcements?
5. What would we never say?

The sum of answers gives a rough tone profile — then refine it on real texts.

Table: comparison of tone typologies

Approach	What it offers	Format	Useful for
Cambridge / dictionaries	Linguistic definition	Term	For basic understanding
Grammarly	Tone in writing: formal/friendly	Example emails	For copywriters
NN/G	4 tone dimensions	Scales	For UX and product texts
Marketing guides	10–16 tone types	Catalog of characters	For branding and SMM

Conclusion: dictionaries explain “what it is,” Grammarly and NN/G provide assessment tools, and marketing catalogs offer ready‑made characters. For a brand it’s useful to combine: take NN/G scales as measures and one or two tone types as character references.