Why your brand story and tone of voice matters.

A tone of voice document forms the heart of your copy and the way you present yourself online authentically. You brand story is about why you exist, who you are here to serve, and how you connect with your audience.

Tone of voice is the way you say something. Think, the way a character talks, particularly how they talk about the things they really care about and want to share with their audience.

The language you use matters. You wouldn't expect a kids brand to say, "It's time to leisurely relax around the pool with carefully selected, age-appropriate blow up pool toys. Feast your eyes on our joyous selection, perfect for the jet-setting season." You might, however, expect them to say, "Buy our hours-of-fun kids toys designed by our experts and chosen by little-ones for your little-ones! Get ready for the summer holiday of your kids' dreams with our colourful blow-up pool toy collection."

So what's brand story? A brand story dives in even deeper than just your tone of voice. A brand story looks at the "why", not just the "how" of your brand. Your brand story articulates who you are, allowing you to be consistent and authentic across everything you do, positioning yourself uniquely against your competitors so you can cut through the noise and pin-point your personality.

Tone of Voice

Who's this for?

Tone of voice is for everyone, but especially for those who are at a point where they have a website, social platforms, perhaps a blog, newsletter and number of people working on the brand and need a defined voice to use and refer to at all times.

What does it include?

• Workshop to clarify your brand, goals, personality and USP.
• Tone of voice guidelines to refer to ongoing, cutting down copywriting costs for the future and helping keep your brand and team aligned across website, socials, newsletters and other channels.

The deliverables
Internal PDF document including:

• Your brand, defined
• Who you are and aren't as a brand
• How you speak and how you don't speak online
• Social post examples
• Web copy examples
• Voice style guide
• Practical examples
• I can also work with you in-house designer to agree on visual branding elements if helpful to include

Tone of voice guidelines are essential tools for how you speak and why you sound the way you do. They help you to stand out, support your team, share your story and guide your audience.

I can also provide website copy to align with your tone of voice if you need help with this.

Costs
​Dependent on your exact needs, how established your brand is (or isn't!), and the turn-around time, there will be slight cost adjustments. Overall, I tend to charge around £900 for a project of this size, and take a turnaround time of roughly three weeks.

Brand Story

Who's this for?

Brand story is for when you need direction and definition. My brand story process will dig deep into who you are. I ask a lot of questions! A bit like a therapist, I come in and help you uncover the who, that what, and the why.

What does it include?

• Workshop to clarify your market position, your audience, your goals, your USP's and your personality.
• Brand concept, key messages, internal and external headlines, brand personality, competitor research.
• Final copy to include on your website "about" page and other key touch-points.
• Tone of voice guidelines to refer to ongoing, cutting down copywriting costs for the future.

The deliverables

• Competitor research
• Social and website audit
• Your brand identity, concept, USPs and positioning
  
• Your target audience
  
• Key messages
• Internal and external headlines
• Brand personality
  
• Who you are and aren't as a brand
  
• How you speak and how you don't speak online
• Social post examples
• Web copy examples
• Voice style guide
• Practical examples
• I can also work with you in-house designer to agree on visual branding elements if helpful to include
• Website and key-touch points copy
  

Brand story forms the heart your copy, the core of who you are, why you exist, and the way you speak across all of your platforms. At the end, you will have an easy to read guide to share with designers, writers, social media managers, and other members of your team. 

Costs
Dependent on your exact needs, how established your brand is (or isn't!), and the turn-around time, there will be slight cost adjustments. Overall, I tend to charge around £1,250 for a project of this size, and take a turnaround time of three to four weeks.