The Must-Know Info on Sticky Brand Voice Strategy: In 3 Parts
I spend an awful lot of time talking about sticky brand voice.
But I’m not just shouting about brand voice for no reason – I truly believe (and after 10 years in the copywriting business can prove) that the stickier and more refined your brand voice, the simpler it is to find aligned customers ready to whip out their credit cards and pay you for your expertise.
That’s a bold claim, but stick with me.
The stickier your voice, the more recognizable you are. I don’t care what you do; at this point, we’re all working in saturated industries – the more recognizable you are, the better.
I have this theory that your brand voice is like a neon welcome sign.
Imagine your
You can see it, right?
Seeing it is one thing. Refining your voice to be so damn sticky is another.
So where do you start? This blog will break down the three must-know elements of a sticky brand voice – start here!
(P.S., each section links to a reel on each part, if that’s more your speed for learning! Feel free to scroll and take a peek!
LIL KEY TAKEAWAYS: THIS BLOG AT A GLANCE
Sticky Brand Voice = YOU + YOUR AUDIENCE: Find the sweet spot between who you naturally are and who your dream clients need you to be.
Messaging vs. Brand Voice: Messaging is the WHAT; brand voice is the HOW. Add your quirks, energy, and personality to make your copy unforgettable.
Tone Keywords are Gold: Identify the words and phrases that capture your voice—use them everywhere to stay consistent and sticky.
Consistency is Key: Sprinkle your sticky voice across every platform so your dream clients recognize, trust, and remember you.
Refine & Refresh: Your brand voice isn’t static. Use tools, guides, and mini-courses to keep it bold, magnetic, and perfectly “you.”
The Must-Knows of Sticky Brand Voice: What Every Biz Owner Should Know About Brand Voice Strategy
Full disclosure, I already have a sticky Brand Voice 101 blog that you should absolutely read if you’re new to brand voice. This blog? It’s all about the must-know highlights – the top three things I think everyone should know about brand voice before they dive into refining their own.
Brand Voice Must-Know #1: Sticky Brand Voice = Who You Are + Who They Need You to Be
Let’s address the elephant in the room: you hear “brand voice” and think… crickets. It makes sense in theory, but the second you have to make it concrete, poof – it disappears.
Here’s the truth: brand voice is the perfect little fusion of who you already are and who your dream audience needs you to be.
You’re not putting on a character or faking it. This isn’t a costume party. Your voice is yours – with a plot twist. That plot twist? It’s you at your absolute best, speaking directly to your people’s wants, needs, and desires in a way that sticks.
Your voice should flip on the neon welcome sign for your people – the part of your brand they connect with, trust, and remember.
And the sticky part? It’s your unique quirks, humor, and phrasing, consistently showing up wherever you show up.
Brand Voice Must-Know #2: How Brand Voice Actually Works in Your Copy
Brand voice isn’t just a fun exercise; it’s the secret zip that makes your copy pop. Here’s the breakdown:
Messaging = the WHAT. Your POVs, promises, transformations, and facts. Boring by design.
Brand voice = the HOW. Your personality, energy, and quirks sprinkled over that messaging to make it stick.
Quick lil example time with my own bio for reference:
Messaging: “I’m Hanna, a copywriter helping brands sell to their clients.” It’s accurate but yawn – no one will remember that when a ton of other copywriters do and say the same thing.
With Sticky Brand Voice: “Hey pal, I’m Hanna – founder & head copy gal behind Boundless Copy. I help brands flip on their neon welcome sign to their dream people with their sticky words.” Now that sticks.
Sticky brand voice turns your clear, strategic messaging into memorable, magnetic copy that your dream clients can’t help but notice.
Pro tip: A brand voice guide or dictionary makes this repeatable across all your platforms—so your “sticky-ness” isn’t just a one-off magic moment.
Brand Voice Must-Know #3: Finding Your Sticky Sweet Spot with Tone Keywords
Here’s the magic trick: the stickiest brand voice lives in the overlap between who you already are and who your dream people need you to be. To figure out how that sounds, you need to figure out your tone keywords (lil clues that remind you how you’re supposed to sound!)
Here’s how to figure out those tone keywords with a Voice Venn Diagram.
Step 1: Draw a Voice Venn Diagram.
One circle = “Who I already am” (your quirks, energy, personality).
Other circle = “Who my people need me to be” (their pain points, fears, and desires).
Step 2: Fill it in honestly. What’s the “you-ness of you”? What do your dream clients need most?
Step 3: Find the overlap. That sweet spot is where your tone keywords live—the descriptive words that remind you how your brand voice should feel.
Example from me:
Me: hyped, outgoing, super friendly, glass-half-full energy
Dream audience: intimidated by copywriting, need support & positivity
Overlap = energetically friendly, confident, optimistic → that’s my tone in action
That overlap is your sticky brand voice. Use it consistently, sprinkle it across all your copy, and watch your audience notice, connect, and remember you.
How to Refine Your Sticky Brand Voice: A Few Options
Think it’s time for you to refine ‘n’ refresh you own sticky brand voice? The good news is I’ve got a ton of ways you can do that – done with you, done for you, or DIY!
There’s no right or wrong way to do this – it’s very choose-your-own-adventure. So take a peek at how you can refresh your sticky voice and choose what works best for you!
Brand Voice Bootcamp: The FREE Way to Go From Blaaah to Bold
Blaaaah brand voice? Not on my watch, pal. You want words that flip on the neon welcome sign for your dream people, right? In this *FREE* 5-day email challenge, we're takin' your brand voice from blaaaaah to bold.
You’ll get one email a day with quick and easy actions to refine and refresh your brand voice!
Brand Voice Roundup: Learn How to Build & Use Your Custom Brand Voice Guide
This is my fun and fast mini course that shows you how to build – and use – your custom brand voice guide! This notion-hosted course walks you through five fast videos that guide you through filling out your own brand voice guide template. Then, you learn how to use the guide you just built so that you can stick with your dream people!
1:1 Brand Voice Strategy: A Done-FOR-You Brand Voice Offer
This is my done-for-you brand voice strategy service where I meet with you one-on-one, ask you all sorts of fun questions, do a ton of research, and then create your own custom Brand Voice Guide and Brand Voice Dictionary.
What’s fun about this? You’re involved – but only to get to know you! I’ll do all the heavy lifting to create a guide and a dictionary for you. But I won’t just leave you hanging – I teach you how to use both resources so that writing in your brand voice feels natural, easy, and oh-so sticky!
Brand Voice Dictionary: The Easy Hack for Sticky Consistency
I talk a big game about being sticky – but half the battle of a sticky brand voice is a consistent brand voice. That means saying the same words, phrases, and sentences over and over.
But what do you do if you don’t know what your sticky lil phrases are? You start with a Brand Voice Dictionary! Here’s my free resource on building your own brand voice dictionary!
^ P.S. I’ve got a reel that takes you through the step-by-step process if that’s an easier way for you to learn!
Brand Voice Basics: Your Free Go-To Guide for Brand Voice 101 Info
Need a lil 101 before you take the next step? My Brand Voice Basics eBook is a free first step for anyone just dippin’ their toes into sticky brand voice!
