Post on 10-Mar-2018
Voice and ToneCreating content for humans
@katekiefer
voiceandtone.com mailchimp.com
Find your voiceSpeak onto the page
Watch your toneKnow when to keep a straight face
Be honest
Find your voiceSpeak onto the page
Watch your toneKnow when to keep a straight face
Be honest
Ask questionsWhat does your company do?Why did you start your company?Why do people visit your website?Who are your customers?What other companies do you admire?
If your brand were a person, how would you describe them?
Show me a few examples of content that suits your brand.
What other companies do you admire?
How do you want people to feel when they visit your website?
Ask questionsIf your brand were a person, how would you describe him or her?Show me a few examples of content that suits your brand.How do you want people to feel when they visit your website?
MailChimp is
fun but not childish.clever but not silly.powerful but not complicated.smart but not stodgy.cool but not alienating.informal but not sloppy.helpful but not overbearing.expert but not bossy.
Design persona (Aarron Walter)
Voice guidelines
company's missioncontent typesspeci!c content examplesbrand traitspersonality explanationreader/customer typesvisual guidelines
Yaaaawn.
styleguide.yahoo.com
"It is insight into human nature that is key to the communicator's skill. For whereas the writer is concerned with what he puts into his writings, the communicator is concerned with what the reader gets out of it. He therefore becomes a student of how people read or listen."
William Bernbach
Find your voiceSpeak onto the page
Watch your toneKnow when to keep a straight face
Be honest
"A good teacher I know, Jennifer Auger, has a simple but e!ective technique for the writing classroom. When her students have blah voiceless writing, she makes them speak the following words to her before reading their text: 'Listen to me, I have something to tell you.'"
Peter ElbowVernacular Eloquence: What Speech Can Bring to Writing
Jerrold, a Nerdbot
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Any questions?Next up:Watch your toneKnow when to keep a straight faceBe honest
Find your voiceSpeak onto the page
Watch your toneKnow when to keep a straight face
Be honest
Style guide: content types
"e app
"e application is MailChimp’s heart. Its language helps people along as they create, send and track email campaigns. People using the app already know and love MailChimp, so we can have a little fun with the language–though our priority is helping them get their work done quickly.
Why we do it: Duh.
Microcopy
Microcopy is that small but oh-so-important instructional copy that you usually see in forms and feedback messages. It might remind a user that her password has to contain a number or explain that email communication will only be used regarding a speci#c order. We also call it “help text,” and you see it both in the app and on the public site. It’s short and to-the-point.
Why we do it: To help users complete tasks.
MailChimp newsletter
MailChimp’s email newsletter is a company update written by our CEO, Ben. It’s full of photos, stories, experiments, links and announcements for customers who want to know more about MailChimp. It’s casual and entertaining.
Why we do it: To give customers more MailChimp news and provide an occasional behind-the-scenes look at how the company works. We are an email service, after all.
Mascot’s jokes: an extra layer of humor
Compliance alert: bad news
Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions
"If advertising had a little more respect for the public, the public would have a lot more respect for advertising."
James Randolph Adams
To determine your tone of voice, consider:
1. Content type2. "e reader's emotional state
Ask yourself
What situation is the reader in that's bringing her to this content?What situation will this content put her in?How does the reader feel right now?How will this content make her feel?What can I do to maintain the reader's state of mind or put her in a better one?
Touchy subjects
health and medicinereligionpoliticsmoney and bankingprivate informationfundraising
Sensitive content types
help contentcontact pageFAQformsprivacy policies and terms of usefailure messages and alerts
"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."
Robert Frost
"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."
Robert Frost
Tufts University’s voice and tone guidelines
Tufts University’s voice and tone wiki
wikis.uit.tufts.edu
Tufts University’s voice and tone guidelines
wikis.uit.tufts.edu
Indiana University Alumni AssociationIU Alumni Association’s word oppositions
alumni.indiana.edu
be.macmillan.org.uk
Macmillan Cancer Support’s writing guide
be.macmillan.org.uk
Gov.UK’s style guide
Some examples(and mistakes I’ve made)
WRONG tone of voice
Playful tone of voice
Obama campaign’s unsubscribe screen
$ickr.com/whitehouse
Romney campaign’s unsubscribe screen
Photojojo’s unsubscribe form
Photojojo’s unsubscribe screen
Tea Muse’s unsubscribe screen
""e consumer isn’t a moron. She is your wife."
David Ogilvy
Find your voiceSpeak onto the page
Watch your toneKnow when to keep a straight face
Be honest
Current 404
mint.com 404
404 reject
Woot’s product description
woot.com
Woot’s contact page
woot.com
More questions!Next up:Be honest
Find your voiceSpeak onto the page
Watch your toneKnow when to keep a straight face
Be honest
Warby Parker’s roots
warbyparker.com
Warby Parker’s library
warbyparker.com
Warby Parker’s writing guide
Warby Parker’s story page
warbyparker.com
Oh, really?
makersmark.com
“We’re humbled by your overwhelming response and passion for Maker’s Mark. While we thought we were doing what’s right, this is your brand – and you told us in large numbers to change our decision.
You spoke. We listened. And we’re sincerely sorry we let you down.”
Maker’s Mark’s apology
"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Maya Angelou
Thanks.
@katekiefer
voiceandtone.com mailchimp.com