Module 50 — Voice & Tone
Frameworks: Brand voice spectrum (formal <-> casual, serious <-> playful, distant <-> warm, conventional <-> irreverent) · Content-type tone matrix
Goal: Codify the brand's verbal register precisely enough that two different writers produce copy that sounds like the same person. Voice is constant; tone shifts by context (home page vs. error message vs. proposal cover).
Raw
Copy the founder admires (from their own brand or others) — include the source
Copy the founder dislikes or finds "wrong register" — what specifically is wrong?
Words or phrases the brand uses all the time (even informally)
Words or phrases the brand actively avoids
How should the brand sound on: a sales page? an error message? a proposal?
"We always…" / "We never…" statements about how the brand communicates
Synthesis
Voice spectrum (mark the brand's position on each axis)
| Axis | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formal ←→ Casual | ||||||
| Serious ←→ Playful | ||||||
| Distant ←→ Warm | ||||||
| Conventional ←→ Irreverent | ||||||
| Minimal ←→ Expressive |
Voice statement (one paragraph a writer can internalise)
Tone matrix by content type
| Content type | Tone shift | Example phrase |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage headline | ||
| Case study / evidence | ||
| Proposal / commercial | ||
| Error / apology | ||
| Social / informal |
The three things to check every draft against
Open questions / tensions with Module 40 Personality