There’s no point in pulling your brand voice out of your arse.

You might be keen to sound quirky or sarcastic or outrageous. But if you’re slinging funerals or educating pre-schoolers, those tone-of-voice markers probably aren’t right for you.

You need to do the strategy before you start mouthing off.

But I get it: Brand voice feels abstract. How do you even define a “voice”? There are a few ways, but I’m just sharing one of them—because I think it’s the most fun way to get the ball rolling.

This method starts with defining your personality (are you bubbly, fun, formal, smart, ambitious, etc.?) and then finding overlaps in other parts of the world.

Read on to start thinking laterally. The best inspiration is hiding in the places you aren’t looking.

Other brands

Let’s get the most obvious inspiration source out of the way.

Existing brands are always a part of the conversation when you’re developing your tone of voice. Even if you’re simply talking about how you don’t want to sound, this exercise comes in handy.

I recommend a couple of approaches for this part of the process.

First up, have a look at the brands in your industry. Analyse what they’re saying and how they’re saying it. Most industries are full of copycats, so you’ll probably notice some trends. Does everyone sound bone-dry? Are there lots of quirky, innocent-esque voices? Do they all claim to be the best at one certain thing?

Good.

Because now there’s a vacancy for you to shuffle into. You can start setting your brand apart from everyone else in your space with a unique voice and a positioning that makes you the only (or best) choice for one particular thing. You start to build associations. You become that brand that does x.

Next, gather brands you like outside of your industry. Have a look at their terminology and sentence structures, and notice any emotions that bubble up when you interact with them.

But hold your horses. Don’t go emulating any old brand you like.

What matters here is finding the brands that share personality points with you.

So, you might say your brand’s personality is nostalgic, funny and frank. That means you want to find multiple brands that fall under each: Brands that do nostalgia well, funny brands, and frank, no-nonsense brands.

The beauty of this exercise is that no other brand is likely to share all of the same personality points as you. So, you can absorb how one brand nails nostalgia, how another uses humour, and how another is to-the-point. 

Blending parts of those other brands helps create your one-of-a-kind voice.

“But where the helly can I find brands that match my personality traits?” I hear you cry.

You’re in luck.

I’m in the midst of putting together a massive database that matches real brands with almost 100 personality points. It’s going to be unreal when you need brand voice inspiration for your business or your clients’ businesses.

It’s called Brand Voice Potpourri, because you can use it to sprinkle your own brand with inspiration.

Get your name on the list, and I’ll let you know when it’s available.

Film & TV characters

Linking your brand voice to characters you already know is like a magic trick to turn abstract into concrete.

Because happy/creepy stock photos are fine. But how much can you really learn about a person from that?

Getting inspired by film or TV characters adds shape and colour to your brand voice.

So think of a character who shares parts of your brand's personality. Now think about their:

• Mannerisms
• Sayings
• Repuation
• Tone of voice (assertive, raspy, fast, etc.)
• Accent
• Style (sarcastic, warm, professional, etc.)

Here’s an example.

I worked with a couple of co-founders who compared their brand to Wilson from Home Improvement. We summarised him as the trusty neighbour, listed his personality traits, gathered clues about his background and emotional drivers, and outlined his language style (he’s someone who listens more than he speaks and packs value into every sentence).

Wilson brought some life to the voice and gave us a steer for our message. With Wilson in mind, we could ask, “How would your trusty neighbour say this?” with every sentence we wrote.

This was the perfect way to begin personifying the brand.

Places

Which cities, countries, lakes or football stadiums are you most like?

Hear me out: Places have associations.

So:

• Paris feels luxurious
• London feels trendy
• Marakesh feels magical
• Berlin feels edgy
• Detroit feels gritty
• Lake Como feels romantic
• India feels spiritual
• Liverpool feels friendly (not biased, me)
• And so on…

Get as specific or as vague as you like.

Once you’ve found the place that feels most like your brand, do a little research into it. What do people think about that place? How do you feel when you visit? How is it spoken about in books and films? (Goodreads and Spruce are good starting points.)

Another example...

I wrote website copy a while back for a company offering luxurious, over-the-top events, and we made Paris our muse. 

I collected quotes about the city and spun them into phrases that made sense for the client.

So, I took this Thomas Jefferson quote: “A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and the point of Life.” 

And I turned it into this line: “Every event is a lesson in drama, extravagance and daring to blow minds so that they’ll never be the same again.”

Film directors

Are you more Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, Alfred Hitchcock or Walt Disney?

Tarantino is an incredible storyteller, Anderson’s style is quirky and whimsical, Hitchcock tends to be darker, and Disney’s all about magic.

My homework for you here is to grab popcorn and watch films directed by the person you feel resonates most with your brand.

I don’t have any practical steps to help you embody that style, soz, but just absorb the vibe and see how it triggers inspiration for your brand’s tone of voice.

Your mum/friend/neighbour

Often, the world’s most interesting people are in your inner circle.

Maybe the newsagent at the end of your road has a catchphrase you find hilarious. Maybe your nan knows exactly how to convince you to have a cuppa. Maybe your tutor’s words inspire you into action, without fail.

Take in the people around you.

You might find some of them are perfect to model your brand voice on.

I’m not saying you’ll be able to turn one whole person into your brand. But picking out certain personality traits and speaking styles could add an edge to your brand voice that no other business could possibly latch onto.

Fictional worlds

Immerse yourself in books, films and theatre shows.

If real places like Paris and Detroit aren’t triggering anything, it’s time to explore fictional worlds. 

What world would your brand fit in? The Wizard of Oz? Shantaram? The Simpsons?

This was another reference point for the events brand I mentioned before. We used Wicked the Musical because of its magic, mystery and opulence. The show talks about what’s behind the emerald curtain… and that influenced a few of our CTAs.

Emerald green felt rich and luxurious. Plus, it was already part of the client’s visual identity.

And so: “Pull back the emerald curtain…” was a perfect fit for the brand.

Behance

Here’s another method based on vibes over systems.

If I’m ever lost for words (rare, but still) I often turn to images.

Behance is a treasure trove of amazing, under-the-radar brands. You can search for your brand personality points, like “bubbly” or “premium”, and see how creatives interpret your adjectives.

Take the pressure off the brand voice stuff for a moment and let the moodboards flow over you. They could give you the burst of inspiration you’re looking for. 

Get first dibs on my Brand Voice Potpourri

Select and sprinkle inspiration from other brand voices while you build your own.

The Potpourri will cover almost 100 personality points, linking you to existing brands that already match those points in some way or another.

*You’ll also be signed up to The Loop-de-Scoop. It’s 2-3 short emails a week, packed with copywriting and brand voice tips. I aim to be the loveliest, funniest, and most human email in your inbox.