Brand voice is one of those things that everyone nods about in meetings. Yes, yes, we have guidelines. We have a tone. We even have a PDF to prove it. But then you look at the work, and it doesn’t sound like anyone, let alone your brand.

If your brand voice isn’t sticking, it’s not because your team can’t write. It’s because your voice was never built to last in the first place.

You Can’t Be Everything to Everyone

A lot of brand voices get watered down at birth. Someone says, “We want to be professional, but also playful. Serious, but approachable. Bold, but safe.” Congratulations, you’ve just described absolutely nothing.

When your voice tries to cover every mood and market, it turns into beige wallpaper. It’s technically there, but easy to ignore. A strong voice has an opinion. It makes choices. It might not be for everyone, and that’s the point.

Guidelines Aren’t Gospel

I’ve seen brand books that are longer than Russian novels, complete with “approved adjectives” and color-coded charts. And yet, no one actually uses them. Why? Because a voice can’t live in a binder.

If your writers and designers don’t see how the guidelines translate into real-world copy (i.e., headlines, captions, web pages, etc.), they’ll default to whatever feels safe. A brand voice should be a living thing, not a dusty manual that gets cracked open once a year for an MLR review.

You Skipped the Human Part

The best brand voices work because they sound like someone you’d actually want to talk to in real life. Not “a market segment.” Not “a category leader.” An actual person.

If your voice feels hollow, ask yourself: who would your brand be if it walked into a room? Would anyone notice? Would anyone want to sit next to it? If the answer is “no,” your voice has an empathy problem. And empathy, more than adjectives, is what makes a brand relatable.

Consistency Beats Cleverness

Clever is fun. Clever wins awards. But clever without consistency is just noise. If your social sounds quirky, your website sounds corporate, and your emails sound like they were written by a chatbot, then your audience is already confused.

A sticky brand voice shows up the same way everywhere. It doesn’t mean repeating the same tagline until everyone’s numb. It means carrying the same personality into every channel so that it becomes recognizable.

How to Fix It

If your brand voice isn’t sticking, start here:

• Simplify it. Cut the overcomplicated string of adjectives and brand persona nuances. Pick three qualities and mean them.
• Make it human. Write as if you’re talking to one person, not a committee.
• Show, don’t tell. Swap the PDF for real examples your team can copy and build from.
• Commit. Stop reinventing the voice every quarter. Consistency builds memory, and memory builds loyalty.

What Does All of This Mean?

A sticky brand voice isn’t about sounding trendy. It’s about sounding true. If people can recognize your brand without seeing your logo, you’ve nailed it. If they can’t, it’s time to stop hiding behind guidelines and start writing like you mean it.

Because in the end, your voice doesn’t need to be everything. It just needs to be unmistakably yours.