A tone of voice guide tells everyone who writes for your business how it should sound. This free template gives you the sections to fill in, with one most guides leave out: the words your customers use. Fill in the boxes, then copy it into Google Docs, Word or Notion. No sign-up.
Your tone of voice guide
[Business name] tone of voice guide
Last reviewed: [date]. Owner: [name and role].
1. Who we write for
Our customers are [who they are, in one sentence]. They come to us when [the moment they need us]. They want [what they hope for], and they worry about [what could go wrong].
2. How we sound
We sound [trait 1], [trait 2] and [trait 3]. Each one has a line we don't cross.
| We are | But never | We write | We don't write |
|---|
| [trait 1] | [the same thing gone too far] | “[a sentence we'd use]” | “[the same idea, not in our voice]” |
| [trait 2] | [the same thing gone too far] | “[a sentence we'd use]” | “[the same idea, not in our voice]” |
| [trait 3] | [the same thing gone too far] | “[a sentence we'd use]” | “[the same idea, not in our voice]” |
3. Words our customers use
The words our customers use about us are the ones new customers trust, because someone like them said them. We collect them from reviews, testimonials, survey answers and emails, and we use them in what we write.
| They say | Where we heard it | Where we use it |
|---|
| [a phrase your customers use] | [review, survey or email] | [homepage, proposals, replies] |
| [another phrase] | [review, survey or email] | [homepage, proposals, replies] |
| [another phrase] | [review, survey or email] | [homepage, proposals, replies] |
4. Words we avoid
| Instead of | We say |
|---|
| [a word only we use] | [what our customers call it] |
| solutions | [what we actually do] |
| leverage | use |
| in order to | to |
| [a word that sounds like everyone else] | [the specific thing we mean] |
5. How we write
- The point first, then the detail.
- Sentences under 20 words, with one idea in each.
- A reading level our customers find easy: [our target].
- “We” and “you”, and who does what.
- [Our own rules: numbers, dates, capital letters, contractions.]
6. How our tone changes
Our voice stays the same. Our tone fits the moment.
| When | Our tone | For example |
|---|
| Someone is new to us | [for example, warm and clear] | “[a sentence]” |
| Something has gone wrong | [for example, calm and direct] | “[a sentence]” |
| There's good news | [for example, pleased and brief] | “[a sentence]” |
7. Before and after
- Before: “[a real sentence from our website or emails]”
- After: “[the same sentence in our voice]”
- Why: [what changed, and why it's better]
8. Keeping it up to date
We review this guide every [six months]. When customers start using new words about us, we add them. When a sentence works, we add it as an example.
This is your guide on one page. Copytone checks everything your team writes against your customers' own words. Start a 7-day trial
What is a tone of voice guide?
A tone of voice guide is a short document that sets out how a business sounds in writing, so everyone who writes for it sounds like the same company. It says who you write for, how you sound, which words you use and avoid, and how your tone changes with the moment.
Voice and tone are not the same. Your voice is who you are, and it stays the same. Your tone is how that voice fits the moment: a reply to a complaint sounds different from your homepage, but both should sound like you.
How to fill it in
- Start with what your customers say. Read your reviews, testimonials and survey answers, and note the phrases they use about you.
- Then, if you like, pick three words for how you sound. For each, say how far is too far: friendly, but never chummy.
- Write one sentence you would use and one you wouldn't, for each word.
- List the words you avoid, with what you say instead.
- Add a before and after from your own website, so people can see the difference.
- Keep it short. A two-page guide people read beats a long one nobody opens.
Why start with your customers' words?
People buy from people. The words your customers use about you are the ones new customers trust, because someone like them said them. Most tone of voice guides start with how a business would like to sound. Starting with how its customers already talk keeps the guide honest, and gives your team phrases your customers already use.
The brand voice checker lists the phrases your customers use in the reviews you paste into it, with how many reviews use each one. To find them by hand, follow the guide to using customer reviews in your website copy.
A guide is a start. Using it is the hard part.
Most guides are written once, shared once, and then writing drifts: a new starter, a rushed email, a page nobody checked. Copytone keeps what your team writes close to your guide and to your customers' own words, before it goes out. See how Copytone works.
More free tools
- Brand voice checkerFind the phrases your customers share, then see if your homepage uses them.
- AI cliché checkerSee which words and phrases make your website sound like ChatGPT, with a plainer way to say each.
- Plain English checkerFind the words and long sentences that make writing harder to read, with what to say instead.
- Readability checkerSee your writing's reading level as a reading age or a US grade, against the NHS, Australia's Style Manual or WCAG.
All free tools
By Owen Fisher, Copytone. Last reviewed 27 September 2026.