Tone Tips: Copywriting for Any Audience

The tone of your writing can make or break your content piece. A tone that hits just right draws in your audience while a tone that misses can send readers running for the hills.

PSA: People like brands that “get them”. Take the time to understand what your audience wants, and how they talk so you can…ya know…”talk the talk” so to speak.

Before we dig into tone tips, let’s take a look at the difference between copy and content. Here’s 4 different ways to give your writing more personality and establish a powerful brand voice to attract readers across any platform.

Copy vs. Content

First things first- let’s talk about the difference between copy and content.

Though similar, copywriting is used to sell a product or persuade your audience to do something. Copy is also typically much shorter and is commonly used on landing pages, and ads.  Content is used to educate and engage people and is typically longer format such as blog posts, ebooks, and white papers.

Your tone should carry across both content and copy. 

Tone Example

Our Marketing AutoMEOWtion ebook uses a fun tone to make the content engaging and accessible to an audience of veterinary professionals. The copy used in the promotional assets mirrored the tone of the content piece.

Set the Tone

Tone is less about what you’re saying than how you say it.

Take a moment to really think about who you’re writing for. Are they busy? Maybe they’re a decision maker? Your tone may sound different for different segments of your audience. For example, we’d write differently for veterinary customer service representatives than veterinary board-certified surgeons.

 Here’s a few questions to ask to get started establishing your voice:

• Do you want to sound more conversational or formal?

• Will you use industry jargon or stick to the basics?

• Does your audience respond to humor?

• Will your tone be different by channel?

Test different messages to see what resonates the most with your audience. You can do this with A/B tested emails or social media campaigns.

Scheduling a brainstorm meeting with your team to discuss how your tone will align with the brand identity and company values. Review your content’s performance metrics to see what is performing best. This can sometimes help zero in on the best tone for your brand.

It also helps to think of your brand as a person. People like to engage with brands that “get them” as a person. Create a persona for your brand and train your team on “who” you are as a brand. What do you like? How do you talk? What are your values?

Establishing your brand archetype during this process can also help identify how your persona fits into the overall framework of your brand.

People want to hang out with people who are like them–make sure your tone matches who your target audience wants to ‘hang out’ with. Think Jake from State Farm, or Mike from Dollar Shave Club. These brands “got” who their audience was and nailed the tone of their messages.

Contractions Are Your Friend

One of the most basic yet important rules for copywriters: drop the formalities (if your tone allows). Balancing the tightrope between professionalism and fun requires you to sound reliable and relatable.

For example, the phrase: 

“I am going to the store because I am hungry” vs. “I’m going to the store because I’m hungry”.

While there is nothing “wrong” with these two phrases, the second feels more comfortable and less robotic. If you’re stuck trying to make your copy sound more conversational, consider running it through Chat GPT and ask it to make it sound more casual.

Long story short, it’s best practice to sound as natural as possible when writing copy (with exceptions to the rule, of course). 

Be Consistent

Nearly 73% of your audience will only skim through your content, according to a new study from Hubspot.  In the age where most people’s attention spans only last a few seconds (or less…depending on the channel), it’s important to make every word count. But how do we reach an audience who will only give us seconds at a time? 

Simple. 
We repeat ourselves. 
We write in short, simple, easy to understand sentences. 
We get right to it.

If you’re a copywriter, you’ve probably already heard of the term “consistency is key”. Consistent messaging is a great way to create a sense of familiarity for readers. We get sick of our own messaging long before the market has ever had a chance to understand it. 

But Also…Switch It Up

I know, I know. We just say to be consistent and now we’re saying switch it up. 🤷

The rules of engagement on social media are…well…different. Every social media platform has unwritten rules that can work to your advantage. Adjusting your tone for social can level up your brand’s presence on social channels.

X (the platform formally known as Twitter) values short, witty, humorous dialogue. Don’t use the same tone on X as you’re using with your LinkedIn posts.

Need help establishing your tone? Drop us a line! 

Red Brick Partners, a veterinary marketing agency with over 14 years of B2B and B2C veterinary marketing experience can help. Whether you are searching for ways to generate leads, automate sales and marketing processes, or boost awareness, we’ve got you! Discover how we help our clients. 

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