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Some brands have a tone of voice that sounds like a friend writing “are you going for coffee?”, while others sound like a corporate robot that addresses you as “you” even in a push notification. And the point is not in the wording, but in the feeling and thought that is left after it.
Tone of voice is how a brand communicates with the user and works on their impression. For example, let’s think about the tone of Starbucks, Grammarly, or Monobank communications, which is the same example of how to communicate with the user in a cool and proper way. But how to do it right and not make mistakes?
So, let’s figure out what are the five common mistakes in tone of voice that scare people away even when they don’t realize it.
This is when a brand tries so hard to be “its own” that it starts to sound like an aunt at a party who suddenly decided to say “yo, bro” and show a “song.” The intention is understandable: such brands want to be closer to the audience. But the result is artificial, uncomfortable, and a little painful to read.
Many companies fall into this trap when trying to catch up with trends. Posts with the words “cringe”, “vibe”, “high”, memes that have long been used in marketing textbooks, and jokes that stopped being funny in the days of Vine appear in the feed. All of this in the hope that young people will say “oh, my”. And young people, instead, just scroll on.
Because the problem is not that the brand says “wrong”. The problem is that it doesn’t feel the context. Youth is not measured by a slang dictionary. When you really understand your audience, you don’t have to “pretend to be young”, you just speak on the same wavelength.
Think about how Monobank communicates with its customers. Simple, clear and human. Their texts are alive because they are written with understanding, not out of fear of looking old-fashioned.
If you have something like “let’s make more memes” in your content plan, it’s best to pause. Think about what you want to say and why.
Start with your tone of voice, not your words. Look at how your audience really speaks: in comments, on forums, in chats. They may joke, but they always remain sincere. And this is exactly what your text should convey.
Read your posts out loud. If you sound like you’re trying to be a “cool teacher” and not a friend, then you need to rewrite it. Because real intimacy with the audience is not about youthfulness. It’s about trust.
There is a type of brand that speaks as if it has just come from the department: calmly, confidently, with properly constructed sentences and absolutely no life. Every word is full of “we know better”, “we are market leaders”, “we will explain to you how to do it right”. And everything would be fine if the audience didn’t run away after the second sentence.
The problem with this tone is that it puts the brand before the person. There is no room for doubt, humor, or naturalness. This is communication from the height of the pulpit, and even if you are really an expert, no one likes to be spoken to arrogantly.
A typical phrase from this arsenal sounds something like this: “We, as industry leaders, are deeply convinced that…” and so on. It’s always about complex wording, bureaucracy, and excessive formality that creates distance. Sometimes it’s enough to remove a few “we believe”, “we carry out”, “we provide” and the text finally starts to breathe. People do not want to hear a lecturer, but an interlocutor.
Look at how leaders in their niches speak. They also teach, but they do it easily, without moralizing. They do not demonstrate intelligence, but share it. And that is why they are listened to.
Instead of a lecture, have a conversation. Don’t be afraid of simple words. Simplicity does not make you less intelligent, it makes you understandable. Imagine that you are explaining something to a friend who is sincerely interested but does not know the topic. This is exactly how the text should sound.
Use the rule of journalists: “Explain it in a way that a ten-year-old can understand, but not feel like an idiot.” If, after reading your text, people want to quote it and not leave the chat, you’re on the right track.”
There are texts that are great on their own – witty, light, with charisma. But at the wrong moment, they turn into a faux pas. Because even the best tone of voice without a sense of context is like a joke on a day of mourning. It’s formally witty, but in fact it’s a joke.
Often brands fall in love with their style so much that they say “the same way always”. They use irony where support is needed. They use lightness in situations where the audience is hurt. Humor is a great tool, but when it’s turned on automatically, it becomes a weapon against the brand itself.
Remember how some companies in the midst of a crisis or war continued to publish funny stories as if nothing had happened. For the audience, it looked like emotional deafness. And it’s not even a matter of lack of patriotism, it’s just that the brand didn’t read the mood.
Sometimes it happens the other way around, when it’s too serious where people want to relax. For example, when a food brand says something like “we create gastronomic experiences that shape meanings” instead of just “order and enjoy”. Formally, it’s beautiful, but you just wanted pizza, not a new worldview.
Remember: tone of voice is not set in stone. It has flexibility, like good communication between people. There is time for humor, there is time for compassion. The main thing is to feel what is happening with your audience and not be afraid to adapt.
In any crisis situation, ask yourself the question: “How would I say this to the person next to me?” If your phrase sounds inappropriate or cold, then don’t post it. Because the worst thing a brand can do is to say something funny when people don’t find it funny.
This is when a brand talks a lot, but about nothing. The texts are correct and balanced, everything is written competently, officially, without mistakes, but without life. It seems that they were written not by a copywriter, but by the board of directors under the dictation of a lawyer.
In such messages from brands, everything sounds the same: “We have developed a solution that optimizes processes”, “Our company is committed to high quality standards”, “We value every client”. People don’t talk like that, and people don’t remember it.
In this case, all brand communication becomes white noise. It seems to be there, but nothing will change if he leaves.
Take off your formal suit and remember that you are a human being (as the classics bequeathed to us). Write as if you were explaining an idea to a colleague or friend, not writing a letter to the Cabinet of Ministers.
If your text can be put on any website and it doesn’t lose its meaning, it means that it doesn’t have your voice in it. A good tone of voice always recognizes the author, even if it’s not signed by the person who wrote it. And this is what distinguishes a brand with a face from a robot brand.
Brands often perceive tone of voice as a set of rules: where to joke, where to put emojis, how to address the audience. But in reality, it’s not about formulas. It’s about attitude. It’s about whether you sound like a real person or like an iron manual.
We don’t remember texts, we remember the feelings after them. Some brands leave us with warmth and trust, while others leave us with the feeling that you’ve just been “treated”. And the difference is not in the choice of words, but in whether we believe the speaker.
So before you polish your phrases, try to answer honestly: What voice would you use if your brand were a person?And would you want to listen to this person.
Because a good tone of voice is not when you have the “right texts”, but when they work for those for whom they are designed.