The power of a tone of voice audit

When I’m working with a brand who has been around a while, they usually need me to codify their existing tone of voice or guide them into a refresh or update. Either way, my first step is to run a tone of voice audit.

This is my chance to understand what’s going on in the brand’s copy so that I can help them strengthen it...or change it completely. 

But what do we learn? What do we do with the information and, most importantly, is it worth it? Let’s find out.

Why do a tone of voice audit?

Let’s say you’re a successful brand with a killer voice. Customers recognise your stuff wherever you go, you stand out in your category and your sales are through the roof. The trouble is, Jenny is the only person who can write in the brand voice. You urgently need to codify it so that when Jenny goes on holiday, or...God forbid...leaves, you’re not screwed. 

Or perhaps you’re expanding from a company of one. You’ve always done your own copy and it’s performing well. Now you’re bringing on a copywriter, marketer and a social media team, you need them to have the key to unlock the copy magic you’ve created. 

Equally, if there are niggles in your brand, let’s say your web copy is storming but your emails are tanking. Or you’re wondering how to increase engagement on your sales pages, an audit can help with that too by highlighting strengths and areas of opportunity. 

How a tone of voice audit works

Step 1: Find our source material

First things first, we choose the copy to audit. I suggest a range that covers the platforms, purposes and any audience sectors your brand targets. I’ll ask you to have a hand in picking these pieces to make sure we see a good slice of everything you’re up to. 

Step 2: Analysis

I’ll analyse each piece of copy in turn for a set of criteria. Usually they will include voice, tone, style, grammar and format. Although it will vary depending on your goals. I’ll be noting down personality traits on display (and key quotes that demonstrate my findings), how the tone varies between different platforms and end-uses, specific stylistic consistencies (and inconsistencies), grammatical choices and notes relating to format. 

Step 3: Conclusions

I’ll pull all this information together into a summary that I’ll share with you. If we’re looking to codify your tone of voice, we’ll start to talk about what makes your copy unique and how to turn this into guidelines anyone can follow. 

If we’re looking to make a change, I’ll recommend what that might look like based on what’s working and what’s not. If the audit has pulled up inconsistencies or areas for improvement, I’ll highlight those and suggest a direction to take. 

Is it worth it? 

Imagine your tone of voice audit like the MOT for your car. You wouldn’t just replace the lights and tyres if it didn’t need it. First you want to go in under the bonnet and see what’s going on before you start tinkering to make things better. It’s an old-school but infallible way to really understand your brand’s relationship with words before we set things in stone or throw the whole lot out and start again.