Voice, tone, and the death of AI slop
Your voice and tone are more than oxford commas.
AI can generate words at scale — polished, plausible, passable. It almost feels like relief. Finally, something that clears the blog backlog.
But good enough numbs your audience—unable to feel, react or think.
You can't have an abundance of great content without first defining your brand's voice and tone.
And because every company has access to the same tools, and the same prompt libraries from LinkedIn bros who will unlock the magic if you comment, "SOUL," most AI-assisted content sounds like grey-painted walls — blending in, but never memorable.
How can you begin to solve this differentiation problem? A brand voice and tone guide is the first step.
What is voice and tone?
Your voice is your brand's personality — the constant. It's how you sound when you show up in the world. Confident or curious, witty or wise, sharp or soft — it's the way people recognize you, even when your logo's nowhere in sight.
Your tone is how that voice flexes. It shifts with the moment. A launch email sounds different from a support reply; a headline sounds different from a policy update. The tone adapts, but the voice stays true.
Together, they're what make your brand feel human.
They're a reflection of how your brand thinks, feels, and decides what to say — and what not to say.
They're not an optional garnish; they're the system that keeps authenticity intact when AI efficiency threatens to erase it. And in an age of infinite content, that authenticity might be the last thing left that still sounds human.
My favourite voice and tone example
It's a dramatic contrast, but for anyone confusing an Oxford comma for voice and tone, this should clear it up.
Martha Stewart may have been in jail, but she’s no thug
Two cookbooks. Hundreds of recipes.
Everyday Food promises great food fast and recipes for easy, delicious meals all year long.
Thug Kitchen promises you'll eat like you give a f*ck.
Squash the beef
Martha Stewart (left) uses polished language, emphasizes technique, and subtle flavour notes: "Substitute other available squashes", "Cook the onion until fragrant", "until the squash is tender". Its audience feels like someone who enjoys cooking, values presentation and nuance, and cares about cleanliness—someone who "covers the whole with a dish towel".
Thug Kitchen (right) uses informal, conversational and bold language, "where most of its badass antioxidants hang out", "In a large soup pot", Use an immersion blender and blend until that son of a bitch looks nice".
Thug Kitchen says to add more of your favourite shit and serve right away, whereas Martha Stewart says to add pumpkin seeds, if desired.
Thug Kitchen speaks to the reader with "You," whereas Martha Stewart keeps it generic.
| Feature | Martha Stewart | Thug Kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Tone | Refined, calm, instructional | Bold, irreverent, conversational |
| Language | Proper sentences, subtle adjectives, “texture”, “flavour notes” | Slang, direct address, expletives, humour |
| Audience | Home cook who values technique, elegance, and maybe entertaining | Someone wanting unpretentious, fun, approachable cooking |
| Category | Voice & Tone Style Guide | Brand Style Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The personality and emotional delivery of your brand’s communication. How you sound and feel when you speak or write. | A comprehensive manual defining how your brand looks, sounds, and behaves across all media. |
| Scope | Linguistic and emotional — focuses on language, word choice, cadence, and attitude. | Holistic — includes visual, verbal, and behavioural elements (logo, typography, colours, imagery, formatting, grammar, tone, etc.). |
| Purpose | To ensure your brand sounds consistent and human across all content. | To ensure your brand appears and communicates consistently everywhere. |
| Core Components |
– Voice pillars (e.g., confident, conversational, expert) – Tone guidelines by context (e.g., formal in reports, friendly on social) – Example phrases, do’s/don’ts |
– Visual identity (logo, colours, fonts, imagery) – Editorial rules (grammar, punctuation, spelling) – Messaging framework (mission, tagline, key copy blocks) – Voice & tone section (as one part of it) |
| Ownership | Often managed by content, editorial, or brand communications teams. | Owned by brand, marketing, or creative leadership — covers multiple departments. |
| Consistency Goal | “We always sound like the same person.” | “We always look, sound, and feel like the same brand.” |
| Deliverable Format | Short guide or section — often 1–3 pages within a larger style guide. | Full document or system (10–50 pages or interactive) that houses all brand rules. |
| Change Frequency | Updated as messaging or audience evolves. | Updated during rebrands or major design overhauls. |
| Example in Practice | A “Voice and Tone” guide tells writers: “Use contractions, speak directly, avoid jargon.” | A full “Style Guide” shows: “Use Proxima Nova font, #FF6600 as accent colour, Oxford comma preferred, CTA buttons have 8px rounded corners.” |
| Analogy | Like a singer’s voice and emotion in a performance. | Like the entire stage production — lighting, costume, script, and set design. |
How voice and tone help you differentiate
Brands that master voice and tone create a moat that competitors can't cross.
You build sustainable differentiation by sounding—and thinking—like yourself.
Voice is how you express who you are. Tone is how you connect that truth to the way your audience thinks and feels.
When your voice reflects your values and your tone meets your audience where they are, you stop selling features and start building a connection. Customers don't just recognize you; they relate to you.
That's how loyalty forms.
That's how brands turn transactions into trust.
With that foundation, let's look at how great brands use voice and tone to stand apart.
Examples of brand voice and tone to help you see how each company's positioning, voice, and tone shine through
Think of your voice as your brand's fingerprint.
Mailchimp vs HubSpot
Mailchimp's playful, encouraging voice makes email marketing feel approachable, achievable, and focused on the outcome. It comes across like a friendly, creative partner who's supportive and fun. There's a sense of optimism that brings warmth and light-hearted humour to the technical subject of email marketing.
HubSpot, on the other hand, is professional, educational, helpful, and leans towards a corporate tone. It is informative and well-structured, giving a sense of authority and reliability. The tone fosters trust. They act as the teacher, and you are the student eager to learn and enhance your skills.
HubSpot is your coach —"Here's how you do it" — whereas Mailchimp is your cheerleader —"You've got this."
Mailchimp is emotive and approachable, and HubSpot is instructional, helping pros feel informed.
Mailchimp credit Richard Garrett Smith, Hubspot credit: Hubspot
Mailchimp's voice and tone guide is frequently regarded as the best publicly accessible one. Have a look.
Patagonia vs. Mountain Equipment
Patagonia's authentic, activist voice positions it as an environmental warrior, whereas Mountain Equipment feels more technical.
credit: Patagonia, Mountain Equipment credit: Scott Berry
Patagonia’s personality is ethical, activist, and purpose-driven. They’re your moral guide, using commerce as a tool for change. In this context, their tone is self-critical and provocative, challenging consumerism and highlighting environmental sustainability.
Mountain Equipment sells technical precision and expertise. They blend mountaineer with engineer, prioritizing performance and safety. With this ad, they’re confident, informative, and reassuring.
Patagonia’s brand archetype is the Sage or the Rebel who disrupts that status quo and teaches you to think differently. In contrast, Mountain Equipment’s brand archetype is the Expert Explorer, having mastered the craft and able to guide you with knowledge and experience.
Patagonia doesn’t have their style guide online, but you can access its core values, which are critical to its brand voice.
Uber vs. Lyft voice and tone
Uber's personality is confident, efficient, and, thanks to its Black tier, sophisticated. At the same time, they're a calm operator whose tone shifts between enthusiastic, matter-of-fact, light, serious, casual, and formal. They prioritize emotional and situational appropriateness. They're confident, but not arrogant. Direct, but not harsh.
Lyft is casual, conversational and friendly. They're warm, approachable and people-first. Their tone stays consistent: friendly, human, and inclusive. They write like humans, for humans. They're genuine, not sloppy.
For brand archetypes, Uber is The Ruler—structured, confident, forward-moving —whereas Lyft is The Friend—warm, supportive, people-centred.
Uber positions itself as the infrastructure of movement. Lyft is the human side of movement.
Check out Uber's design system "Base," which includes their voice and tone guide.
How to define your voice and tone
Voice and tone are outputs of many brand and positioning exercises, stakeholder and customer interviews, and meetings with departments in search of a loose alignment, before writing the guide, educating, and enforcing it. It's part of the work we do here at Clap Clap.
How to create your brand voice and personality with AI
Working with Clap Clap, you'll know your target audience — demographics, interests, and pain points. Through interviews, we'll bring in the "voice of the customer" (VOC) to ensure their language and word choices are reflected.
You'll also have your defined mission, vision and values. These are not meant to be posters on the boardroom wall; they are for situations where decision-making is critical, and your brand's personality and what your company stands for should be reflected in your voice and tone.
Then, we'll also ask a series of questions that seem innocuous at first, but are wildly helpful in getting your brain to think of great adjectives to describe your brand.
Running low on time? You can quickly create a style guide that outlines your brand's specific voice attributes, including a list of words to use, phrases to repeat, and dos and don'ts for consistency.
Here's how to create your brand voice with AI for a v1:
Use a tool like Gofullpage to grab screenshots of your website. Pick some landing pages and blogs. Grab some screenshots of your social posts so your AI tool of choice understands how you speak on different platforms.
Know your brand personality: archetype and persona.
Include a voice-of-customer analysis or some customer feedback (e.g. testimonials, customer support call recordings, etc.)
Add your brand's mission, vision, and values (if you're a solo consultant, add any Bios you've created as well for an extra boost).
Upload your messaging hierarchy or brand playbook.
If you don't have everything, that's OK. It's why it's a V1.
Use the images and/or PDFs from step 1.
Then, download this JSON prompt (click the image).
NOTE: This surface-level analysis can’t truly capture your brand essence. Here's what AI can't do: tell you when your self-perception doesn't match customer experience, when your voice flattens into "friendly and helpful" like everyone else, or when sounding authentic actually means sounding undifferentiated.
A branding expert knows that voice is a positioning tool, not a writing preference. The JSON is Step 2—it executes brilliantly once you know what you're doing. Step 1 is working with someone who can tell you if you're building the right thing in the first place.
We recommend using Claude, but any will do and this JSON prompt will generate a PDF to accompany your content.
Use AI to run your content through a voice and tone checker
AI can create content. It can also build products that replicate your features and optimize pricing.
It can't replicate the human touch, the taste, or the creative, artistic selection of words that express your brand in the unique way you'd speak to your audience.
So, take your written content, upload the PDF of your voice and tone guide you generated, and get on-brand content with more opportunity to scale every time.
