What makes a TOV guide really work?

Once you’ve worked out a tone of voice (TOV), you obviously need to show how to apply it. Over the last 25 years, I’ve worked with hundreds of TOV guides. While some have clearly given little thought to how they really sound, some have maybe thought about it waaay too much and stuffed in every guide they could possibly think up.

If you want writers and non-writers to really use your guide, then the simplest advice is – don’t make it complicated. Your TOV needs to be so simple and intuitive anyone can ‘get it’. Here’s my take.

A few TOV pointers:

1. Make it idiot proof

Make it super simple to understand. You want people to get the idea in one or two sweeps. If they’ve got to keep referencing the guidelines, it’s too complicated.

2. Cut the waffle

You might have tons of insight, but this isn’t the place for it. People just want to know how to turn A into B.

3. Keep it real

Take existing copy examples and rework them. If you make them up it doesn’t really show how the tone has moved on.

4. Use your TOV for the whole guide

Why limit your new tone to specific examples? Use your new TOV throughout the guide and make it the benchmark.

5. Don’t try and be cute

Forget about trying to create acronyms for tone descriptors. Or giving them all the same starting letter. Just make your descriptors easy to understand and interpret.

Sound reasonable? Let me know what you think makes a good tone of voice guide. Are there some things that really drive you mad?