Brand Voice Refresh Workshop: 8 Exercises When Your Messaging Needs Revitalization
Ever caught yourself reading your own brand messaging and thinking, "Who the hell wrote this?". Or perhaps you've noticed your once-vibrant brand voice has gradually morphed into the linguistic equivalent of beige wallpaper – technically present but making absolutely zero impact.
Your brand voice is the personality that makes customers choose YOU over the sea of competitors shouting into the void. And if yours needs a refresh, you're in exactly the right place.
Because what if I told you that a strategically revitalized brand voice could actually make your messaging more magnetic, more human, and a whole lot more profitable?
Let's dive into eight powerhouse exercises guaranteed to breathe new life into a tired brand voice and give your messaging the spark it's been desperately missing.
6 signs your brand voice might need a refresh
Before we jump into the exercises, let's address the elephant in the room – how do you know when your brand voice needs revitalisation? Here are the telltale signs:
Your content sounds like everyone else's. If you could swap your copy with a competitor's and nobody would notice, you've got a problem. 💡 Pro tip: Take your homepage copy and place it alongside three competitors. Ask someone unfamiliar with the companies to match copy to brands. If they can't identify yours, it's refresh time.
Engagement metrics are dropping. People aren't responding to your content like they used to.
Your team struggles to write consistently. Different people create wildly different content because your voice guidelines are vague or outdated. 💡 Interview your content creators about pain points in applying your current brand voice guidelines. Their frustrations are gold mines for your refresh.
Your brand has evolved, but your voice hasn't. Your products, services, or audience have changed, but your messaging sounds stuck in the past.
You dread writing content. Creating copy feels like a chore rather than an opportunity to connect.
Your conversion rates are stagnating or falling. Despite traffic increases, people aren't taking action.
Sound familiar? Don't panic. Brand voice refresh is very normal and even necessary for growth. According to a 2023 study by the Brand Strategy Institute, 78% of successful brands refresh their voice every 2-3 years. The marketplace evolves, audience expectations shift, and frankly, we all get a bit bored with saying the same things the same way.
Exercise 1: The "we are/we are not" declaration
Ever tried to explain your personality in a dating profile? Awkward, right? Brands face the same challenge. This exercise cuts through the fluff by forcing you to take a stand.
How to do it:
Create two columns: "We are" and "We are not"
Fill each with 5-10 adjectives that describe your brand's personality
For each positive trait, add the negative opposite in the "We are not" column
For each pair, write a practical example sentence demonstrating both traits in action
Example:
We ARE: Bold, transparent, playful, straightforward, passionate
We are NOT: Timid, secretive, boring, complicated, indifferent
Practical application:
We ARE straightforward: "Our software has three pricing tiers based on features you'll actually use."
We are NOT complicated: NOT "Our holistic SaaS solution leverages cutting-edge algorithms to optimize cross-functional workflows."
Pro tip: After completing this exercise, audit your most recent content. Highlight every sentence that contradicts your "We are/We are not" declarations. You'll be shocked at how often brands unconsciously violate their own voice principles.
The magic happens when you get specific. "We are helpful but not patronizing" gives your writers much clearer guidance than just "we are helpful."
After implementing your refreshed voice, survey customers with simple A/B tests. Show them old content and new content, then ask which better represents the traits in your "We are" column. Aim for at least a 70% preference for your refreshed content.
Exercise 2: The tone scale calibration
Your voice stays consistent, but your tone changes depending on context. This exercise helps you map exactly how your brand should sound across different scenarios.
How to do it:
Choose 3-4 core voice attributes (e.g., "friendly," "authoritative")
For each attribute, create a scale with your desired trait in the middle and extremes on either end:
Too formal ⟵ Professional ⟶ Too casual
Too serious ⟵ Confident ⟶ Too arrogant
Place an X on where your brand should sit for different content types (social media, crisis comms, product pages)
Why it works: It prevents the all-too-common mistake of having a brand that sounds schizophrenic across different channels. Your social media shouldn't sound like a different company than your email newsletters.
Going further: For each point on your scale, write a sample sentence for the same message:
Too formal: "We regret to inform you that your subscription will terminate on June 1st."
Professional: "Your subscription ends on June 1st. Here's how to renew."
Too casual: "Heads up! Your sub's about to expire, mate!"
Implementation checklist:
Create a shared document with tone scales
Add real examples for each point on the scale
Review your five most important customer touchpoints
Align each touchpoint to your desired tone position
Train content creators with before/after examples
Exercise 3: The celebrity spokesperson debate
If your brand were a person, who would it be? This exercise cuts through jargon and gets to the heart of your brand's personality.
How to do it:
Ask team members to independently write down 3 celebrities who could authentically represent your brand
Share and discuss the nominations
Analyze WHY certain names came up repeatedly
Create a "voice attribute map" for the top 2-3 nominated celebrities, listing their specific speech patterns, vocabulary choices, and communication quirks
Why it works: It's far easier to write in someone's voice when you can picture them. This gives your team a shortcut to understanding how your brand should sound.
Going even further: After identifying your celebrity archetypes, create a "speech pattern inventory" documenting:
Typical sentence structures they use
Vocabulary preferences (formal/casual, technical/simple)
Signature phrases or speech patterns
Emotional tone markers (enthusiastic, measured, provocative)
After implementing your refreshed voice based on celebrity attributes, track how often customers use similar descriptors when talking about your brand. This "perception alignment" is a powerful metric for voice effectiveness.
For example: If half your team suggests David Attenborough and the other half suggests Amy Schumer, you've got some serious brand voice alignment work to do! Use this disconnect as an opportunity to clarify which audience segments you're prioritizing and which brand attributes truly matter most.
Exercise 4: The content autopsy
Sometimes the best way forward is to dissect what you've already done.
How to do it:
Collect 5-10 pieces of existing content – social posts, emails, web pages
Highlight passages that perfectly embody your desired brand voice in green
Highlight off-brand language in red
Analyse patterns in both categories
Add a third color (yellow) for "almost there" content that has potential but needs refinement
Why it works: Rather than starting from scratch, you build on what's already working. This anchors your refresh in reality rather than aspiration.
Select content pieces based on performance metrics, not just convenience. Include:
Your 2 highest-performing content pieces (by engagement)
Your 2 lowest-performing pieces
Content from different channels (social, email, website)
Content for different customer journey stages (awareness, consideration, loyalty)
This structured sampling provides insights into what's actually resonating with your audience, not just what you think sounds good.
Going further:
Create a "voice pattern library" from your green-highlighted sections
Develop a list of specific words/phrases to avoid from red sections
Create before/after makeovers of your yellow sections as training materials
💡 Pro tip: Pay special attention to your highest-converting pieces, regardless of whether they perfectly match your aspirational voice. Sometimes what converts best contradicts what we think our brand should sound like – be willing to learn from these insights.
Plus, seeing real examples helps team members understand the difference between "on-brand" and "off-brand" language in practice.
After your content autopsy, create a one-page "voice cheat sheet" with three columns: "Say This" (green examples), "Not That" (red examples), and "Instead of This, Try This" (yellow examples transformed). Distribute this to all content creators as an immediate reference guide.
Exercise 5: The dinner party persona
If your brand was at a dinner party, who would they be? This exercise humanizes your brand in a way that pure adjectives never can.
How to do it:
Describe your brand as a dinner party guest:
What stories would they tell?
What drinks would they order?
Who would they gravitate toward?
What topics would they avoid?
How would people feel after talking to them?
Write a 60-second dialogue snippet between your brand persona and a typical customer at this dinner party
Why it works: This creates a three-dimensional persona that guides content creation. When your team gets stuck, they can ask, "What would our brand persona say in this situation?"
This exercise taps into narrative psychology – humans process information through story frameworks more effectively than abstract concepts. A brand persona story creates emotional memory hooks that make voice guidelines easier to recall and apply.
Going further:
Create a visual board representing your brand persona (clothing, environment, accessories)
Write a short "day in the life" narrative for your brand persona
Record a sample "brand voice reading" of key messages in your persona's voice
Include these in your brand guidelines alongside technical specifications
It also helps identify inconsistent messaging. If your brand persona wouldn't brag at a dinner party, why is your website full of boastful claims?
Exercise 6: The translation challenge
This exercise tests how well you understand your brand voice by translating the same message across different formats.
How to do it:
Write a simple message (e.g., "Our product helps you save time")
Translate it into different formats while maintaining your brand voice:
A tweet
Email subject line
Blog post intro
Customer service response
Error message
Add emotional context variables to each format (announcing good news, addressing a problem, making an offer)
Why it works: It proves whether your brand voice is genuinely sustainable across all touchpoints. If you can't write an error message in your brand voice, it might be too narrow or inappropriate for certain contexts.
Going further: Create a brand voice "stress test" with these challenging scenarios:
Writing an apology for a service outage
Explaining a price increase
Responding to a negative review
Writing terms and conditions in plain language
Creating a 404 error page that doesn't break brand voice
The most overlooked touchpoints in brand voice implementation are error states, legal content, and technical documentation. Yet these are often the moments when customers most need your authentic voice! Don't neglect these critical touchpoints in your translation exercise.
Going even further: Create a "voice verification matrix" for each channel that identifies:
Non-negotiable voice elements that must be present
Flexible elements that can adapt by channel
Channel-specific constraints (character limits, formatting restrictions)
Success metrics for voice effectiveness by channel
This also builds your team's "voice muscles" by practicing adaptation while maintaining consistency.
💡 After completing this exercise, create channel-specific templates with "fill-in-the-blank" sections that help team members maintain consistent voice while adapting to different formats. These templates dramatically improve voice consistency during the transition period.
Exercise 7: The competitive voice analysis
Know thy enemy. This exercise helps you carve out unique territory in your market.
How to do it:
Identify 3-5 key competitors
Collect samples of their writing from various channels
Analyze their voice attributes (formal/casual, technical/simple, etc.)
Map the "voice territory" that's unclaimed or underutilized
Create a "voice positioning map" with two key attributes as X/Y axes (e.g., formal/casual and technical/simple) and plot where each competitor sits
Why it works: It prevents you from accidentally mimicking competitors and helps identify opportunities for differentiation. If every competitor is using earnest, sincere language, maybe there's room for a more playful approach?
How to do this: For truly effective differentiation, analyze competitors across multiple dimensions:
Voice characteristics: Formal vs. casual, technical vs. simple, enthusiastic vs. measured
Content patterns: Long-form vs. short-form, educational vs. promotional, emotional vs. rational appeals
Vocabulary analysis: Industry jargon usage, reading level, sentence complexity
Channel adaptation: How consistently they maintain voice across platforms
⬇️
Create a spreadsheet with competitors down the left side
List voice attributes across the top
Score each competitor on a 1-5 scale for each attribute
Identify patterns and gaps
Choose attributes that allow you to occupy distinctive territory
Going further: Based on your competitive analysis, create a "voice differentiation statement" that explicitly articulates how your brand voice differs from competitors and why that matters to your audience. Use this statement to guide all voice refresh decisions.
This also forces you to consider whether your refreshed voice will genuinely stand out or just blend in with the crowd.
The most powerful voice position isn't always the opposite of competitors. Sometimes, the most distinctive approach is to take a familiar attribute to a more extreme position or to combine attributes in unexpected ways. For example, if competitors are somewhat casual and somewhat technical, being extremely casual but still technical creates a distinctive position.
Exercise 8: The reader reaction test
The ultimate test of any brand voice is how it makes people feel.
How to do it:
Create 2-3 versions of the same content in different voice styles
Share with a small test group (ideally actual customers)
Ask specific questions:
How would you describe the company behind this message?
What emotions did this content evoke?
Did this feel authentic or forced?
Would you want to hear more from this brand?
Create a semantic differential survey mapping emotional responses across key brand attributes
Why it works: It provides objective feedback on the impact of your voice, rather than relying solely on internal opinions. The goal isn't just a voice your team likes – it's a voice that resonates with your audience.
The methodology: Structure your testing for maximum insight with these advanced techniques:
A/B testing framework: Test voice versions against concrete metrics (click-through rates, time on page, conversion rates)
Sentiment analysis: Use tools to analyze emotional response patterns to different voice styles
Audience segmentation: Test voice variations across different customer personas to identify preference patterns
Longitudinal testing: Track voice perception over time to ensure resonance doesn't fade
Implementation protocol:
Select 3 key touchpoints where voice has highest impact (typically homepage, sales pages, and email)
Create voice variations for each touchpoint
Run sequential tests (one touchpoint at a time) to isolate variables
Document performance metrics for each variation
Implement winning voice elements across all channels
This exercise can save you from a costly rebrand by testing the waters before full implementation.
💡 Pay special attention to negative outlier responses. A voice that strongly resonates with most customers but actively repels a small segment might be preferable to one that gets lukewarm responses across the board. Great brand voices often polarize at the edges.
The bottom line
The exercises in this workshop aren't just about making your copy sound better (though they'll absolutely do that). They're about creating a consistent experience that builds trust, reinforces your positioning, and ultimately drives more profitable customer relationships.
Ready to breathe new life into your brand voice? I'd love to help you develop messaging that's uniquely yours.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brand Voice Refreshes
What's the difference between brand voice and brand tone?
Brand voice is your consistent personality, while tone is how that personality adapts to different situations. Think of voice as your character and tone as your mood. Your voice rarely changes, but your tone shifts based on context (like how you'd speak differently at a celebration versus during a crisis).
How often should we refresh our brand voice?
I would recommend evaluating your brand voice annually and considering a refresh every 2-3 years. However, significant business changes (new audience segments, product pivots, mergers, market shifts) may necessitate more immediate refreshes. The key is matching your voice to your current business reality and audience expectations.
Can a brand voice refresh improve our SEO performance?
Absolutely. A refreshed, consistent brand voice improves engagement metrics like time on page and reduces bounce rates – both factors search engines consider in rankings. Moreover, a distinctive voice encourages more authentic, less formulaic content creation that naturally incorporates semantic keyword variations rather than awkward keyword stuffing.
How do we maintain brand voice consistency across a large team?
Create a comprehensive but practical brand voice guide with plenty of real examples, not just abstract adjectives. Implement a brand voice training program for new team members. Consider using AI tools specifically designed for brand voice consistency checks. Most importantly, designate a brand voice guardian who reviews critical content pieces during the transition period.
What if our team disagrees about our brand voice direction?
This is actually normal and healthy! The exercises in this workshop are designed to surface different perspectives. The key is grounding discussions in customer data, not personal preferences. Try this approach: have each team member bring evidence (customer feedback, successful content examples, competitor analysis) to support their vision, then look for patterns. Remember that customers get the final vote.
Will a brand voice refresh affect our existing customer relationships?
When done strategically, a refresh strengthens relationships rather than disrupting them. The key is evolution, not revolution. Communicate the refresh to customers, particularly if it's part of a larger brand update. Most importantly, ensure your refreshed voice still delivers on your core brand promises – the personality may evolve, but the fundamental value proposition should remain intact.
How do we balance brand voice with SEO requirements?
Modern SEO and distinctive brand voice are allies, not enemies. Search engines reward authentic, engaging content that performs well on user experience metrics. The key is integrating keywords naturally within your voice, not forcing your voice to accommodate awkward keyword phrases. Start with audience-focused content that sounds like your brand, then carefully integrate keywords where they fit naturally.
Sources:
Nielsen Norman Group: "The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice" (2020)
Content Marketing Institute: "Brand Voice in the Digital Age" (2023)
Harvard Business Review: "The Business Value of Brand Voice" (2022)
Journal of Marketing: "Consumer Perceptions of Brand Voice Authenticity" (2023)
SEMrush: "Brand Voice Impact on User Engagement Metrics" (2024)
Forrester Research: "The ROI of Brand Voice Consistency" (2023)
