Does Your Brand Actually Sound Like You? Here’s How to Tell

When I started moving my subscribers from “people who signed up because they like me” to “people I can provide solutions for” I suddenly thought my regular voice — the one people know to be authentically me — didn’t sound official enough. My brilliant solution? Write everything in a weird “marketing” voice. I started using business buzzwords to sound more profesh. More legit. You know the types of words I’m talking about. They’re always slightly vague…and possibly engineered to make you feel like an outsider who needs The Experts.

What I forgot is that everyone hates being talked to like they’re a target audience. People want to be talked to like…people. Derp.

The reality is that it’s surprisingly hard to write copy in your own voice. There’s something about (metaphorically) picking up the mic and talking about your business that brings out the awkward middle schooler in all of us. A lot of us battle imposter syndrome already, so if we’re not super confident in the way we write, it gets easier and easier to move marketing copy to the “finish later” or “finish one day” pile.

But here’s the thing: As AI-generated copy saturates the marketing world like a full can of Coke soaks into apartment carpet, your voice matters more than ever. You need to stand out, especially if you’re a personal brand. Information has literally never been easier to get in the entire history of the world. That means people are going to pay closer attention to how you deliver your knowledge, your wisdom, your story of how you got where you are, etc. Your voice is absolutely essential for consistent brand messaging. It should be immediately recognizable in all your content.

And even if you decide you want to use AI to write your copy (don’t recommend, but ok) you’re still going to have to customize it. You’re going to have to know your brand voice inside and out before you can hope to get decent results from Lil Ms. GPT.

So, does your brand actually sound like you? Could you identify your brand voice in a lineup? If an easy answer doesn’t pop up right away, here are a few creative ways to audit yourself and get a clearer picture (clearer audio?) of what you sound like.

Reverse Engineer Your Best Content

A great way to discover the Venn diagram of “what my audience resonates with” and “what feels natural to me” is to have a look at your top-performing posts. Choose the platform where you feel most like yourself, whether that’s Instagram, LinkedIn, or whatever. Look at the posts that have solid engagement; the ones that have done really well in terms of likes, shares and comments.

Then ask yourself questions like:

• What tone did I use? Would people describe it as funny? Inspiring? Conversational? Get as descriptive and specific as you can.

• Are there words and phrases that come up often in my posts?

• How did I connect emotionally? What made people stop what they were doing to take action and like or comment on my post?

Identify Your “Anti-Voice”

Sometimes it’s actually easier to define your voice by ruling out what you don’t want to sound like. As a Certified Person With Lots of Opinions™️ this kind of exercise is really fun for me. Set aside some time — maybe 30 minutes — to think about brands, influencers or even big corporations whose tone annoys you. Maybe they’re too corporate, too bubbly, too cool, too bubbly, too casual — you get the idea. Find those posts that leave you squirming in your seat.

Then write down exactly why their style doesn’t resonate with you. Again, get as specific and descriptive as possible. For example, there’s a copywriter I had to unfollow because I find the tone of her content downright mean. I don’t like shame-based marketing tactics from anyone. But there’s something extra gross about doing this when you provide a service that requires your clients to be kind of vulnerable. It’s weird to sell your work by essentially saying “HEY, STUPID. STOP DOING ALL THE STUPID THINGS YOU’RE DOING IN YOUR STUPID WRITING.”

Where was I? Oh, right.

Once you’ve got a couple of examples of “yuck” copy, put your thing down, flip it and reverse it. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) Write down why you want to be the opposite of the examples you collected. Why does it matter to you? Why does it matter to the audience you attract? For example, if you hate overly formal jargon, commit to using approachable, conversational language. Use this as a “anti-voice” as a guide to help you write your future copy in your brand voice.

Record Yourself Talking About Your Business

Your natural, actual voice is often the best starting point. When you aren’t worried about who’s listening and you’re just yapping about your brand, you’re often at your best and most genuine.

Try this: Set a timer for 2 minutes and record yourself explaining what you do, why you love it, who you help, what kind of transformation your product or service provides, and so on. Don’t write a script! This is you speaking from the heart. Don’t overthink it either. Just talk like you would talk to a friend.

As you listen back, jot down any recurring words or phrases. Also make a note of the general vibe. Do you sound funny? Direct? Empowering? Sassy? Do you occasionally throw in another language you or your audience speaks? This can be a foundation for writing copy that sounds authentically “you.” It’s a great way to figure out how to create consistent brand messaging.

Write a “Dear Diary” Entry as Your Brand

Let me warn you right now that this feels a little silly to me. But — deep sigh — I’ve discovered that sometimes the things that make us feel silliest are the ones that deliver real results. So if you’re not afraid of a little cringe, let’s go.

The idea here is to personify your brand and give it a voice of its own. (This brand voice exercise is especially helpful for business owners with a small team or VA who writes copy and captions that aren’t quite right.)

Imagine your brand as a person. How would they talk? What would they care about? How would they describe themselves? You get the idea, right? Then write a diary entry in their voice about a day in the life of your business.

An example might be something like this:

Dear Diary,

Today I helped a local Pilates studio plan their social content for all of Q1. I had so much fun strategizing with them. My favorite part was ideating all the social images. Canva may be my one true love.

It felt so good to flex my creative muscles. When I showed them the caption for their “Abs-olutely Fabulous Friday” Reels, they laughed so hard they almost fell off their mats.

I’m starting to realize this is my thing — helping brands find their groove on social.

Anyway, gotta go. I’ve got a very hot date with a cup of coffee and the silly little NYT games app.

Love, Brand

Make a “Word Mood Board”

Have you ever undertaken a huge home renovation? Or even just redecorated a bathroom? You definitely have an idea what you want the room to look like and, more specifically, what you want the vibe to be, right? Paris Apartment. Coastal Chic. Idaho Grandma. (I made that last one up.) That vibe you’re going for influences paint colors, textiles, flooring, window treatments, artwork — everything.

It’s the same with your brand voice. Think of your brand voice as an aesthetic and then find the words that fit.

Start by brainstorming adjectives that describe your vibe. For example, bold, quirky, nurturing, confident, etc. Then pick 3-5 “power words” that sum up your brand’s essence. You can then use these words almost like a filter for your copy. If you write something that doesn’t align, rewrite it until it does, babe!

In Concluzies

Like I said at the start, it’s actually a lot harder to write copy in your own voice than you might think. Because you’re trying to sound like yourself while also being strategic, persuasive and engaging. It’s a lot but you can do it!

Still not sure if your brand voice is on point? My Copy Audit helps you refine your messaging and create copy that feels authentic and connects with your audience. Let’s make your words work for you!