Brand voice worksheet

"Make it sound like us" is the hardest feedback in the world to act on. It is a feeling, and feelings do not survive a handoff to a new writer, a freelancer, or an AI tool.

This worksheet fixes that. It breaks voice into four axes you can actually dial. For each axis you pick a point on a one-to-five scale, write the rule, and steal the example copy. Do it once, as a team, and "sound like us" becomes something anyone can check their own draft against.

How to use this

1. Pull up three pieces of copy you are proud of and three that felt off-brand.
2. For each axis below, read the two extremes and mark where your brand sits, one to five.
3. Write the one-sentence rule in your own words.
4. Keep the example you like. That example is now your reference, not a vibe.

A brand does not have to sit at an extreme. A 3 is a real, defensible choice — the point is that it is chosen, written down, and applied consistently.

Axis 1 — Formality

How close the writing sits to how a sharp person actually talks.

• 1, Formal: "Our organization delivers comprehensive solutions designed to optimize stakeholder outcomes."
• 5, Conversational: "We build the thing, ship it, and stick around to make sure it works."

Most B2B brands overshoot toward formal because it feels safe. It mostly reads as distant. Pick the lowest number you can defend to your most buttoned-up customer.

Your rule: ________________________________________________

Axis 2 — Warmth

How much the writing centers the reader versus the company.

• 1, Reserved: "Submissions are processed within five business days."
• 5, Warm: "Send it over — we will get back to you within a week, and a real person will read it."

Warmth is mostly a pronoun choice. Count your "we" against your "you." If "we" wins by a lot, the copy is talking about itself. Most brands want to land warm without tipping into chummy.

Your rule: ________________________________________________

Axis 3 — Precision

How concrete and specific the writing is versus broad and aspirational.

• 1, Abstract: "We help businesses unlock their full potential."
• 5, Precise: "We rebuilt their checkout and cut cart abandonment by 31% in six weeks."

Precision is the single biggest lever on B2B trust. Numbers, names, and specifics beat adjectives every time. There is rarely a good reason to choose a 1 here — but a brand selling vision over proof might earn a 2.

Your rule: ________________________________________________

Axis 4 — Confidence

How much the writing asserts versus hedges.

• 1, Tentative: "We think we might be able to help with some of your marketing challenges, depending on fit."
• 5, Assertive: "We will move the number you care about, and we put a guarantee behind it."

Confidence is where brands leak the most authority. Hedging words — "we think," "perhaps," "in many cases," "help you to" — quietly tell the reader you are not sure. Cut them and the same sentence carries weight. Confident is not cocky: back the claim with a number from the precision axis and you have earned it.

Your rule: ________________________________________________

Turn it into a one-line voice statement

Once you have your four numbers, write them into a single sentence the whole team can carry:

We write [formality], [warmth], [precision], and [confidence] — for example: conversational, warm, highly precise, and assertive.

Then build a short "we say / we do not say" table from your examples. That table is what you paste into a brief, hand to a contractor, or feed to a writing tool — so the next person sounds like you on the first try, not the fifth.

When you want a second set of eyes on the voice — or a brand built to carry it — book a call or read more about how we work.