“Brand voice type” is really two decisions stacked on top of each other: the register you write in (formal or informal) and the tone you carry inside it. Below are the eleven types this tool works with, what each one actually sounds like, and the ten language dimensions that make two brands using the same tone still read completely differently.
A brand voice type is a durable choice: it describes how your brand sounds everywhere, all the time. Tone of voice in the narrower sense shifts by situation — the same brand is warmer in an apology than in a spec sheet. A voice type is the thing that stays fixed while that shifting happens.
It is also not a personality adjective picked in a workshop. A voice type is only useful once it is written down as rules a person (or an AI tool) can follow: what to say, what never to say, and a worked example of each. That is the difference between “we’re friendly but professional” and a guide someone can actually write from.
All eleven types of brand voices in one table: two registers, five tones that belong to a register, and four that work in either. Sound, best fit, and the failure mode each one has when it is pushed too far.
| Type | Sits in | Sounds like | Overshoots into |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formal | Register | Structured, polished, considered. | Corporate boilerplate |
| Informal | Register | A person talking, not a press release. | Careless, or overfamiliar |
| Authoritative | Formal | The expert in the room, with the evidence to hand. | Overbearing — and unsubstantiated superlatives |
| Serious | Formal | Measured and earnest. Substance, no flourishes. | Joyless |
| Persuasive | Formal | Compelling, moving the reader towards a decision. | Pushy, or manufactured urgency |
| Friendly | Informal | Warm and welcoming, writing to one person. | Chummy |
| Playful | Informal | Light, funny, willing to be cheeky. | Unserious where it matters |
| Confident | Either | No hedging, no apologising for the product. | Arrogant |
| Sympathetic | Either | Sees the customer’s actual situation first. | Pitying, or performative |
| Consumer-centric | Either | Everything framed around the reader’s need. | Flattering and hollow |
| Sarcastic | Either | Dry wit and irony, for brands with an edge. | Cold — and unusable in support |
Each type is written out with an example line below. If you would rather start from a longer vocabulary than eleven labels, 150 brand voice adjectives covers the same ground word by word, each paired with its own overshoot.
Every voice type starts here. Everything else is a modifier on this choice.
Structured, polished, professional. The baseline for considered, credible communication.
“We are pleased to present our award-winning product range.”
Relaxed and conversational — like a person talking, not a press release.
“Honestly? We’re kind of obsessed with what we’ve made here.”
Three tones sit inside the formal register, two inside the informal one. Pick at most two, or the voice stops being distinctive.
Confident and expert — the trusted voice in the room.
“Award-winning. Expert-approved. The results speak for themselves.”
Measured and earnest — no fluff, just substance.
“We take quality seriously. Every detail has been considered.”
Compelling and action-driving — nudging toward a decision.
“Join over 50,000 customers who’ve already made the switch.”
Warm and approachable, making people feel welcome.
“Hey you! Ready to try something you’re going to love?”
Fun, light-hearted and not afraid to be cheeky.
“Your taste buds called. They want this. Like, yesterday.”
These four sit on top of whichever register you chose — a formal brand can be confident, an informal one can be sympathetic.
Bold and assured — no hedging, no apologies.
“This works. We know it. You’ll know it too.”
Empathetic and understanding — you see the customer’s world.
“We know how hard it is to find something that ticks every box.”
Everything revolves around the customer’s needs.
“Built around you — your needs, your lifestyle, your way.”
Dry wit and irony — for brands with a sharp edge.
“Another great product, right? Except this one actually delivers.”
Tone names get you to the neighbourhood. These ten sliders get you to the house — they are what separates two “friendly” brands that sound nothing alike, and they are what a brand voice audit measures your published copy against, dimension by dimension.
| Dimension | One end | The other end |
|---|---|---|
| Perspective | 1st person (“I / we”) | 3rd person (“customers”) |
| Language type | Expository (facts) | Narrative (story) |
| Register of vocabulary | Everyday language | Scientific language |
| Technicality | Non-technical | Technical |
| Emotion | Neutral / anonymous | Emotive |
| Fluency | Calm & fluent prose | Short sentences & lists |
| Figures of speech | Plain language | Figurative / rhetorical |
| Sales argument | Rational arguments | Emotional arguments |
| Tense | Past tense | Future tense |
| Readability | Complex (low Flesch) | Simple (high Flesch) |
Readability is the one dimension that isn’t a judgement call: it is the Flesch Reading Ease score, calculated arithmetically from your sentence and syllable counts rather than estimated. See each dimension written out at both extremes →
Picking a type is the first ten minutes. The output that matters is a written guide: tone rules, do/don’t pairs, example copy in your own words, platform-by-platform mockups, and ready-to-paste prompts for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini so AI-written drafts come back in your voice rather than the model’s default one.
The survey walks the three steps above — brand basics, register and tones, the ten dimensions — and generates that guide at a shareable link. See a finished sample guide →
Tone names, descriptions and example lines on this page mirror the options in the brand voice survey. Example copy is illustrative and written for demonstration — some of it (award claims, customer counts) is exactly the kind of line the compliance checker flags for substantiation.