Finding Your Brand Voice and Using the Right Tone
My parents reluctantly gave me my first cell phone when I was eleven (in 2011).
I convinced them it was necessary for “safety reasons” (did they want their only daughter to get abducted… walking home alone… in my very all-American…. coastal… hometown? Surely a T-Mobile Sidekick would protect me.) Obviously, the true imperative was the ability to text my friends.
Parents and teachers abounded with warnings about the dangers of the Internet-capable devices they themselves were just learning to use, but my mother’s main concern was neither pedophiles nor credit card fraud.
“Never assume someone’s tone when you’re texting them,” she said.
She was worried this new-fangled form of tween communication would cause drama on scales never before seen. And she wasn’t wrong. My pocket-size QWERTY keyboard was the catalyst for frenemy miscommunications that could have easily been avoided if I’d just taken the landline into my bedroom and dialed Sarah or Olivia or Emma’s home phone number, and heard their tone of voice.
All of this to say: tone is a loaded word.
“Don’t take that tone with me.”
“Watch your tone.”
Like “gaslighting” and “cognitive dissonance,” “tone-policing” has left the therapeutic hour and entered the general population’s average breakup argument.
But I digress. This is a marketing blog.
You’ve probably heard the terms “voice” and “tone” thrown around interchangeably when it comes to brand communication. But they’re not the same thing.
You wouldn’t say. “Don’t take that voice with me,” or “watch your voice.” Those statements feel more like personal attacks, don’t they?
That’s because:
Voice is who we are. Tone is how we show up in the moment.
Voice is your brand’s personality. It’s what makes DEL (Dance Education Laboratory) sound warm, informed and encouraging, Liz Lerman sound expansive and thoughtful, and Jacob’s Pillow sound like an enthusiastic dance historian.
Tone, on the other hand, is context. It’s the filter through which we apply that personality based on who we’re talking to, where we’re saying it, and what’s going on in the world.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Replying to Instagram comments & DMs as @jacobspillow
Say someone replies “OBSESSED” to a behind-the-scenes Pillow rehearsal clip. Our response isn’t a paragraph about the choreographic process. It’s “right???” or “we’re still not over it 🫠.” The voice (joyful, artist-centered, appreciative, a bit reserved) is still there, but the tone meets the moment.
Sending promotional emails for DEL
DEL is launching a new online course. The subject line is engaging, maybe a quote from a past participant or from the facilitator. The preview text emphasizes the registration deadline. The body copy is detailed but skimmable; I’m always thinking about brevity. We know our audience of educators has limited time.
The voice is confident and warm—because we’re excited about the offering and we want readers to be excited, too—but the tone is focused, respectful of attention spans, and oriented toward action: Register here. We’d love to have you.
Crisis communications: Announcing NEA grant cancellations as Dance/USA
In May 2025, Dance/USA responded to news that the NEA was canceling previously awarded grants. It was important to be informative, succinct, and clear without undermining the great loss our community was experiencing or inciting further pain and panic.
The email was short; it contained essential facts, contextualized them within the political climate, and offered clear paths to action. It named the urgency of the moment and pointed readers toward what they could do next. Dance/USA’s voice is direct and grounded, and we worked to maintain that while infusing the message with urgency and empathy.
Knowing when to take a beat: Replying to Instagram comments & DMs as @manhattanbirth
Manhattan Birth is a community, resource, and lifeline for pregnant folks, birth workers, and new parents. Which means people don’t just show up in the comments asking what time the workshop is. They ask the hard stuff.
“Is it normal to still feel grief after my birth didn’t go to plan?”
“What if I don’t want a hospital birth but my partner is scared?”
“I’ve experienced medical racism before, how do I advocate for myself this time?”
These are not casual questions, and the way we respond matters.
The voice of Manhattan Birth is steady: feminist, inclusive, honest, and grounded in trust. We prioritize accuracy and compassion. But the tone—supportive, non-judgmental, community-oriented—shapes how that voice comes across in moments of vulnerability.
Sometimes that means not responding right away, or flagging a DM and checking with the MB team first. Sometimes that means saying, “We see you. This deserves a real conversation, can you email us at support@manhattanbirth.com?” and signing off with our real names, like “Emma for Manhattan Birth,” so the user knows they aren’t DMing with a licensed midwife.
Voice is the “who.” Tone is the “how.”
And when you get them working together, you appear much more trustworthy… because you sound like you.
Want help defining your brand voice or making sure your tone shows up right in the moment?
We’d love to support you. Let’s chat.