Voice matchingWhen you write for several clients, you have to become an expert in switching between brand voices. Client A may want an authoritative, formal, dry voice laced with long, complex sentences for a highly educated audience. Client B caters to young adults, and asks for short blocks of text with plenty of bullets and light, airy prose. Between a handful of brand voices, it’s easy to get turned around. I tend to mimic the style I read, so when I’m writing for a patient-facing publication, I have to be careful not to get too stuffy after reading a dozen research papers. In the checklist I follow for every 2nd draft, I include “TONE.” Yes, in all caps. As I edit, I remind myself who will be reading this. For example, when I’m writing about cancer, I arrange my words to capture a reader’s attention and offer compassionate, helpful, actionable health information. Here are some tips I use to consistently match my client’s brand voice: Before I start writing my first draft, I read a few recently published intros from that client’s website. I choose music that matches the vibe — like Vitamin String Quartet for more chill, casual client voicing, or the Game of Thrones soundtrack for more formal voicing. As I write, I flag anything I’m not sure about — style guide quirks like US vs U.S. or how the pub wants me to talk about ethnicity. During my second draft, I review relevant areas from the style guide to double check I’m writing how my client wants.
If I ever get a specific voice note from an editor, I add it to my final checklist so I never make that mistake again. After a while, you get used to a client’s desired brand voice and don’t have to do as much rechecking. I’d love to know your voicing tricks — reply and let me know!
|
