One big misconception about copywriting is that you have to abandon your own voice when writing for clients. But this simply is not true! The beauty of creative copywriting is that you get to adopt your client’s personality and shape your writing to align with their brand while still bringing something of your own to the work. To borrow (or steal) a musical term, you’re voice blending with them.
What Is Voice Blending in Copywriting?
In music, voice blending is when a group of people sings in perfect unison so well that it sounds like one musical voice instead of many. This is different from harmony, which is when people sing different notes that complement each other to create a richer sound.
When you are writing for a brand, you want to blend and not harmonize. Your copywriting voice IS the brand voice. The goal is to create one unified, seamless, and cohesive voice that speaks to the brand’s customer base.
If you try to harmonize with a brand’s voice, you could end up with a clunker and an unhappy client.
When writing for a client’s website, for example, you’re using their brand and perspective. However, you also incorporate your own creative voice so that it becomes an amalgamation of your style and the client’s point of view. The result is content that feels authentic to the brand with your subtle styling mixed in.
Voice Blending with a Brand
Before you can merge your voice with a client’s, you have to identify their brand’s vocal characteristics. Study their brand and marketing materials to identify important elements that make up their personality, including:
- tone: Much like in music, the tone of a writing voice is what connects a brand with its audience. You can think about it as the “it’s not what you said but how you said it” element.
- personality: Consider the brand’s emotional traits. Are they professional? Witty? Warm and friendly? All of the above?
- vocabulary: Does the client have catchphrases? Seamlessly incorporate their language into your work with synonyms and paraphrasing.
- punctuation: Mechanics are a simple yet effective way to blend your voice with your client’s. Are they an exclamation point brand? Do they prefer commas and coordinating conjunctions or em dashes?
Once you identify these characteristics, it becomes easier to work them into your writing.
Mix It Up
Voice blending in copywriting allows you to create a unique voice for your client that retains a sense of you. Your voice should never over-ride the client’s. Instead, the goal is to write a piece that feels natural and consistent.