Tone of voice
Tone of voice is the consistent way a brand expresses itself in words—on its website, in emails, on social media, and in print. It's not about what a brand says, but how it says it: formally or casually, seriously or with humor, in expert terms or in plain language. Tone of voice is an integral part of brand identity and helps a brand stand out from the competition.
The way a brand communicates has a measurable impact on customer trust and business results:
- Tone of voice shapes brand perception: in a two-part study (including a quantitative survey with 100 respondents), Nielsen Norman Group showed that tone of voice has a measurable effect on a brand's perceived friendliness, trustworthiness, and overall desirability. 52% of the variance in brand desirability is explained by trustworthiness alone (NNGroup – The Impact of Tone of Voice on Users’ Brand Perception, 2016)
- Brand consistency can increase revenue by up to 33%: a Lucidpress/Marq study (survey of 200+ organizations, 2019) found that companies that present their brand consistently—including their tone of voice—see 23–33% higher revenue. Two-thirds of companies that introduced brand consistency programs reported double-digit revenue growth (Lucidpress/Marq – State of Brand Consistency Report, 2019)
- Authenticity is key to trust: the Edelman Trust Barometer (32,000+ respondents, 28 countries, 2024) shows that 73% of people trust brands more when they authentically reflect today's culture (Edelman – Trust Barometer Special Report: Brand Trust, 2024)
- A consistent voice builds relationships on social media: the Sprout Social Index (4,044 consumers, 900 social media marketers, 2024) found that 65% of consumers feel more connected to brands with a consistent presence on social media (Sprout Social – 2025 Index)
FAQ
How do you define your brand's tone of voice?
NNGroup identified four key dimensions of tone of voice: humor (serious vs. funny), formality (formal vs. casual), respectfulness (respectful vs. irreverent), and enthusiasm (matter-of-fact vs. enthusiastic). The right combination of these dimensions creates a brand's unique voice (NNGroup – The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice, 2016).
Does tone of voice have to be the same everywhere?
A brand's core character should stay consistent, but the intensity can adapt to the context. An error message on a website, for example, will be more matter-of-fact than a social media post. A Lucidpress/Marq study shows that 81% of companies still struggle with inconsistent content—and that inconsistency weakens trust and brand recognition.
What's the difference between tone of voice and copywriting?
Tone of voice is a strategic framework—it defines how a brand speaks. Copywriting is the craft of writing specific texts within that framework. In other words, tone of voice is the rule and copywriting is how it's applied. According to Sprout Social, an authentic and consistent voice is among the main reasons consumers follow and trust a brand.
Sources:
- NNGroup – The Impact of Tone of Voice on Users’ Brand Perception (2016) – two-part study, quantitative survey of 100 respondents
- NNGroup – The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice (2016) – research framework for the four dimensions of tone of voice
- Lucidpress/Marq – State of Brand Consistency Report (2019) – survey of 200+ organizations on how consistency affects revenue
- Edelman – Trust Barometer Special Report: Brand Trust (2024) – 32,000+ respondents, 28 countries
- Sprout Social – 2025 Index (2024) – survey of 4,044 consumers and 900 marketers
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