How to keep a consistent brand voice with AI
Write your voice down before you ask AI to use it: three to five traits, words you use and avoid, and two or three example posts you love. Place it on the four tone dimensions (funny or serious, formal or casual, respectful or irreverent, enthusiastic or matter of fact), then check every draft against that sheet.
Describe your voice on four dimensions
Nielsen Norman Group describes tone of voice along four dimensions, each a spectrum:
- Funny or serious
- Formal or casual
- Respectful or irreverent
- Enthusiastic or matter of fact
Mark where your business sits on each. A bakery might be casual and enthusiastic; an accountant formal and matter of fact. Both can be warm.
Build a one page voice sheet
- Three to five traits, each with a short "this, not that" example
- Words and phrases you use, and ones you never use
- How you refer to customers, your team and your products
- Two or three past posts that sound exactly right
- Rules on emoji, hashtags and punctuation
Give this sheet to any person or AI tool that writes for you, and keep it with your other brand assets.
Keep the voice, adjust the tone
Your voice stays the same; your tone moves with the moment. A reply to a complaint should be more serious than a launch post, while still sounding like you.
Consistent everywhere, including your profiles
Use the same name, description and details across channels and listings. Google's Business Profile guidelines ask businesses to represent themselves as they are consistently represented in the real world, across signage, stationery and other branding.
Check voice as part of every draft review, and keep captions accurate as well as on brand.
Key takeaways
- Write your voice down before asking AI to use it.
- Place it on four dimensions: humor, formality, respectfulness, enthusiasm.
- Voice stays constant; tone adjusts to the situation.
- Use the same name and details everywhere customers find you.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make AI write in my brand voice?
Give it a written voice sheet: traits, words you use and avoid, and two or three example posts. Then check each draft against the sheet and correct it until it sounds right.
What is the difference between brand voice and tone?
Voice is your consistent personality. Tone is how that voice adjusts to a situation, such as more serious when answering a complaint than when announcing something new.
What are the four dimensions of tone of voice?
Funny or serious, formal or casual, respectful or irreverent, and enthusiastic or matter of fact, as described by Nielsen Norman Group.
Sources
- The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice, Nielsen Norman Group
- Plain language guide series, Digital.gov
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google, Google Business Profile Help