Brand Voice: Why "Sound More Professional" Isn't a Real Instruction
Content Creation ·
"Make it sound more professional."
"Write in a friendly tone."
Both communicate a general preference, but neither explains exactly what should change.
"Professional" could mean formal and precise for one brand and confident but plain-spoken for another. "Friendly" might mean conversational language, warmth, humor, direct address—or something else entirely.
Why Broad Adjectives Leave Room for Interpretation
Words such as "professional," "friendly," "bold" and "approachable" describe an impression rather than the writing choices that create it.
Two pieces of copy can both plausibly be described as friendly while sounding completely different.
More concrete direction reduces that ambiguity.
Dimensions That Can Help Define a Voice
Vocabulary. Does the brand use specialist terminology? Does it deliberately avoid jargon? Are there words it prefers or avoids?
Sentence style. Short and direct, or longer and more layered? Are fragments acceptable, or should sentences remain conventional?
Formality. Are contractions appropriate? What about slang, titles or internet-native phrasing?
Warmth. Does the brand address readers personally? Is humor appropriate? If so, what kind?
Directness. Does the writing state things plainly, or use more qualification and explanation?
Rhythm. Does the writing favor compact lines or more connected paragraphs?
Specific language choices. Are there recurring expressions the brand deliberately uses—or ones it does not want associated with its voice?
Audience expectations. The same degree of informality or directness can be interpreted differently by different audiences.
Turning Vague Feedback Into Specific Direction
If a draft doesn't sound right, identify which observable choices are creating the mismatch.
"Too professional" might mean the vocabulary feels unnecessarily formal.
"Not friendly enough" might mean the writing lacks direct address or warmth.
"Too corporate" might refer to long sentences, abstract terminology or impersonal phrasing.
Naming the specific issue gives a writer—or an AI tool—more actionable revision direction than repeating the original adjective.
This is the same broader principle explored in Iterating on AI Output: A Refinement Framework, Not Guesswork: useful revision feedback identifies what should actually change.
Once a voice is defined in concrete terms, it can also be incorporated into instructions used repeatedly across different content tasks. The Ultimate AI Prompt Vault provides structured prompts and educational guidance for applying clearer direction across content and other business use cases.