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Voice and Tone
Creating content for humans

@katekiefer


voiceandtone.com
mailchimp.com
Find your voice
     Speak onto the page
      Watch your tone
Know when to keep a straight face
          Be honest
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
Ask questions
What 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?
Ask questions
If your brand were a how would youhow would you
     If your brand were a person,
                                  person, describe them?
describe him examples of content that suits your brand.
     Show me a few or her?
     What other companies do you admire?
Show meyou fewpeople to feel whenof content that
               a want examples they visit your website?
     How do
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 mission
content types
specific content examples
brand traits
personality explanation
reader/customer types
visual guidelines
AMPERSANDS                               DATES
           Don’t use them. Type the word            Spell out the day and abbreviate the
           “and.”                                   month

           CAPITALIZATION                           DOLLARS AND CENTS
           Use common sense. When in doubt,         Use a dollar sign. Don’t include cents
           don’t capitalize.                        on round dollars, and spell out




Yaaaawn.
                                                    “cents.”
           ese words shouldn’t be capitalized:
           website, internet, online, email.        $35

           COLONS                                   $35.50

                                                    $35 million
           Use a colon if you’re telling people
           what comes next in the first part of     35 cents
           the sentence.

           You can choose from three support
                                                    ELLIPSES
           options: online chat, email support or
           MailChimp’s Knowledge Base.              Use ellipses (...) to show that you’re
                                                    omitting words or trailing off before
                                                    the end of a thought. Don’t use an
           COMMAS                                   ellipsis for emphasis or drama.
           Use the serial/Oxford comma.
"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 voice
     Speak onto the page
      Watch your tone
Know when to keep a straight face
          Be honest
"A good teacher I know, Jennifer
Auger, has a simple but effective
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 Elbow
Vernacular Eloquence: What Speech Can Bring to Writing
Jerrold, a Nerdbot
Find your voice
     Speak onto the page
      Watch your tone
Know when to keep a straight face
          Be honest
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
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 specific 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 type
2. 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?
Sensitive subjects    Sensitive content types

health and medicine   help content
religion              contact page
politics              FAQ
money                 forms
private information   privacy policy
translation issues    failure messages and alerts
Friendly reminder from the Fake AP Stylebook
"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."
"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader."

Robert Frost
Robert Frost
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
Tufts University’s voice and and tone wiki
Tufts University’s voice tone guidelines




                                  wikis.uit.tufts.edu
Tufts University’s voice and tone guidelines




                                    wikis.uit.tufts.edu
Indiana University Alumni oppositions
  IU Alumni Association’s word Association




                                 alumni.indiana.edu
be.macmillan.org.uk
Macmillan Cancer Support’s empathetic writing guide




                                      be.macmillan.org.uk
WRONG tone of voice
Obama campaign’s unsubscribe screen
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
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 voice
     Speak onto the page
      Watch your tone
Know when to keep a straight face
          Be honest
mint.com 404




Current 404
404 reject
Woot’s product description




                             woot.com
Woot’s contact page




                      woot.com
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
Find your voice
     Speak onto the page
      Watch your tone
Know 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
Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)
"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

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Voice and Tone: Creating content for humans (Kate Kiefer Lee)

  • 1. Voice and Tone Creating content for humans @katekiefer voiceandtone.com mailchimp.com
  • 2. Find your voice Speak onto the page Watch your tone Know when to keep a straight face Be honest
  • 4. Ask questions What 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?
  • 5. Ask questions If your brand were a how would youhow would you If your brand were a person, person, describe them? describe him examples of content that suits your brand. Show me a few or her? What other companies do you admire? Show meyou fewpeople to feel whenof content that a want examples they visit your website? How do suits your brand. How do you want people to feel when they visit your website?
  • 6. 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.
  • 8. Voice guidelines company's mission content types specific content examples brand traits personality explanation reader/customer types visual guidelines
  • 9. AMPERSANDS DATES Don’t use them. Type the word Spell out the day and abbreviate the “and.” month CAPITALIZATION DOLLARS AND CENTS Use common sense. When in doubt, Use a dollar sign. Don’t include cents don’t capitalize. on round dollars, and spell out Yaaaawn. “cents.” ese words shouldn’t be capitalized: website, internet, online, email. $35 COLONS $35.50 $35 million Use a colon if you’re telling people what comes next in the first part of 35 cents the sentence. You can choose from three support ELLIPSES options: online chat, email support or MailChimp’s Knowledge Base. Use ellipses (...) to show that you’re omitting words or trailing off before the end of a thought. Don’t use an COMMAS ellipsis for emphasis or drama. Use the serial/Oxford comma.
  • 10. "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
  • 11. Find your voice Speak onto the page Watch your tone Know when to keep a straight face Be honest
  • 12. "A good teacher I know, Jennifer Auger, has a simple but effective 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 Elbow Vernacular Eloquence: What Speech Can Bring to Writing
  • 14. Find your voice Speak onto the page Watch your tone Know when to keep a straight face Be honest
  • 16. 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 specific 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.
  • 17. Mascot’s jokes: an extra layer of humor
  • 20. "If advertising had a little more respect for the public, the public would have a lot more respect for advertising." James Randolph Adams
  • 21. To determine your tone of voice, consider: 1. Content type 2. e reader's emotional state
  • 22. 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?
  • 23. Sensitive subjects Sensitive content types health and medicine help content religion contact page politics FAQ money forms private information privacy policy translation issues failure messages and alerts
  • 24. Friendly reminder from the Fake AP Stylebook
  • 25. "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." Robert Frost Robert Frost
  • 32. Tufts University’s voice and and tone wiki Tufts University’s voice tone guidelines wikis.uit.tufts.edu
  • 33. Tufts University’s voice and tone guidelines wikis.uit.tufts.edu
  • 34. Indiana University Alumni oppositions IU Alumni Association’s word Association alumni.indiana.edu
  • 36. Macmillan Cancer Support’s empathetic writing guide be.macmillan.org.uk
  • 37. WRONG tone of voice
  • 44. "e consumer isn’t a moron. She is your wife." David Ogilvy
  • 45. Find your voice Speak onto the page Watch your tone Know when to keep a straight face Be honest
  • 51. Find your voice Speak onto the page Watch your tone Know when to keep a straight face Be honest
  • 52. Warby Parker’s roots warbyparker.com
  • 53. Warby Parker’s library warbyparker.com
  • 55. Warby Parker’s story page warbyparker.com
  • 57. "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