If your brand guidelines use the word “professional” more than twice, we need to talk.
Because “professional” isn’t a voice. It’s a default setting. It’s what people say when they want to sound safe, neutral, and—unintentionally—forgettable.
The brands that thrive online aren’t the ones that sound perfect. They’re the ones that sound particular. They have personality, confidence, and rhythm in their words. You don’t need a copywriter who writes like everyone else. You need one who writes like you after your second cup of coffee.
Why “professional” became a problem
The corporate internet used to reward sameness. Everything was templated: clean fonts, polished jargon, LinkedIn-speak. But digital audiences evolved. They want energy, humanity, humor, and emotion.
We don’t remember brands because they feel official. We remember them because they made us feel something.
Apple doesn’t sound “professional.” Nike doesn’t either. Neither does Wendy’s on social media, and that’s on purpose—they’ve realized that memorability multiplies reach.
You’re not trying to impress a hiring committee. You’re trying to charm someone scrolling in line at Target. So why are you still writing like a textbook?
The psychology of brand recall
Memory thrives on friction—the little quirks or tonal patterns that make your words feel alive.
When every brand says, “We deliver innovative solutions to complex problems,” the audience’s brain files all of them into one faded mental folder labeled “corporate mush.”
But when a line makes them smirk—something like, “We fix the messy business stuff so you can actually breathe”—their brain pings. Emotion unlocks retention.
That ping is what marketers mean by brand voice.
How to start building your real voice
Forget the buzzword bingo. Your voice lives at the intersection of your values, audience, and culture.
Ask three questions:
- If your brand were a person, how would they talk? Smooth operator? Blunt realist? Hype friend?
- What do your clients actually respond to? Do they click on buttoned-up emails or conversational ones?
- What does your team sound like when they’re excited about their work? (That’s often your best tone.)
Your voice should sound like your best self—authentic, not artificial.
Action steps: how to capture tone
Let’s get practical. If you can’t articulate your brand voice, you can’t scale it.
Create a Voice Quick Sheet that defines:
- Core voice pillars: e.g., Approachable, Bold, Insightful.
- Vibe description: “We sound like your witty marketing friend who actually knows what they’re doing.”
- Forbidden phrases: Words that make you sound stiff or robotic (“leverage synergies,” “thought leadership”).
- Signature language: Catchphrases, memes, or phrases your brand naturally uses (“Keep it flyt,” anyone?).
Test every piece of content against that checklist. If it wouldn’t make sense coming out of your mouth, it doesn’t belong on your page.
The balance of personality and professionalism
Being distinctive doesn’t mean being disrespectful. You can have fun and stay credible. The secret lies in tone layering.
Your voice should flex based on context:
- Website homepage → lively and confident.
- Legal contract → direct and restrained.
- Email newsletter → friendly and personal.
The key is consistency in your underlying values, not identical voice in every format.
What AI means for brand tone
AI content tools are great for speed but terrible at nuance—unless you teach them your tone rules.
Feed your style back into your prompts. Give examples of your voice used right (“We explain like your cool coworker, not your boss”) and wrong (“Corporate brochure energy”).
AI learns from tone modeling, so the more examples you provide, the more natural it becomes. You’re not giving up human voice to machines—you’re training them to echo your personality.
How tone boosts trust and authority
Audiences don’t equate “formal” with “trustworthy” anymore. They equate clarity, honesty, and humanity with it.
A strong brand voice:
- Makes complex ideas digestible.
- Signals confidence without ego.
- Builds emotional resonance faster than discounts ever could.
When your tone reflects conviction, your audience absorbs your message quicker and remembers it longer. That’s marketing gold.
Common voice mistakes
If your content team is still writing like it’s 2012, here’s what to stop doing:
- Starting every line with “We’re passionate about…” (Everyone is.)
- Using buzzwords that say nothing.
- Copying your competitors’ tone.
- Sounding too interchangeable to be memorable.
Your brand should never feel like it came from a B2B template pack.
Key Takeaways
- Professional isn’t a personality. Drop the boardroom voice.
- Voice = memory. People remember how you made them feel.
- Write to be read, not recited. Conversational wins.
- Consistency tells your story. Don’t chase trends; hone style.
- AI can echo your tone—but only if you train it.
Your voice isn’t just what you say—it’s how your brand makes people feel. And in a world of sameness, feeling something is the whole point.
