What tone of voice should I use?
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A fintech startup and a luxury hotel shouldn't sound the same. That's obvious. What's less obvious is that forced tone is worse than genuine tone. If you're not naturally casual, don't pretend. Readers sense inauthenticity faster than you'd think.
Your tone should match three things: what your audience expects, where your brand sits in the market, and what you're asking them to do. B2B enterprise software? Readers expect professionalism and competence, maybe with a touch of warmth but not jokes. D2C lifestyle brand? Your audience likely wants conversational, relatable, possibly playful language. Transactional emails? Skip personality entirely and be clear and helpful regardless of brand identity.
And Here's the hard truth: the best tone is one you can sustain consistently. If your company includes four different writers, they can't all sound different. That creates confusion. Document your voice guidelines so everyone writing for your brand sounds coherent. Include examples of what "our tone" looks like (and what it doesn't). Show the difference between what you do and what you don't.
Your tone isn't separate from your brand. It's part of your brand promise. When a customer reads your email, they're forming an impression of who you are. Make sure that impression is intentional.
Spend an hour this week documenting three things: your brand's personality in three words, examples of language that fits your voice, and examples of language that doesn't. Share this with anyone who writes email copy for your company. Test variations if you're uncertain whether your tone resonates with your actual subscribers.
Related: writing effective marketing email copy | A/B testing email variations.
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