Creating custom guide using Tone wizard

Defining your brand’s custom tone of voice with the tone wizard takes just a minute. It is a perfect tool for making a solid base for your tone compliance.

Later you can fine-tune and update it to reflect changes in your understanding of style.

Click on the “Tone Wizard” in the upper part of Textok’s page.

Tone wizard in Textok

While Textok has more than 80 rules that influence style and tone, Wizard simplifies the process of creating your custom tone of voice.

It consists of four blocks and in each of them you will have to make a couple of decisions.

• Overall text style

• Emotions

• Relationship building

• Discriminatory and harsh language

Overall text style

Formality level (choose between four levels)

By choosing the optimal level of formality, you forbid or allow the use of words and expressions that are considered too formal or too informal for a particular level.

Forbid marketing cliches (yes/no)

Using marketing cliches, such as "bespoke quality" or "elevate your game", can make a brand's communication seem generic and unoriginal.

By forbidding the use of these cliches, a brand can create a unique voice that stands out from its competitors.

On the other hand, using such well-known phrases or expressions that consumers have encountered numerous times, can be helpful in communicating the brand’s message in terms customers are used to.

Cliches often convey complex ideas or emotions in a simple and concise manner.

Brands may use them to quickly communicate a message or evoke a specific feeling without the need for extensive explanation.

Text complexity (choose complex, easy to understand or not to control)

Allowing or forbidding the use of long and complex words, incomplete sentences, limiting the number of words in a sentence or controlling the number of commas or brackets in a sentence — all that will reflect on how your text is perceived.

Choose between a simple, easy—to-understand and concise style or more elaborative, descriptive style.

Use best practices to improve text readability and flow (yes/no)

Switch on to improve your flow through the control of the adverb use, forbidding noun strings, word repetition, use of “there is”, minimizing the use of prepositions, and other parameters.

Leave off if your style is more to the unconventional side or if you want to set these parameters in a more nuanced manner later.

English language variation (American, British or not to control)

If a brand's target audience is primarily based in the UK or in the US, or other parts of the world where British or American English is the standard, using the exact variety of English can help the brand communicate more effectively with its audience.

This can help to improve customer engagement, trust and loyalty.

Emotions

Show emotions in text (choose between three levels)

Depending on your brand's overall image and messaging strategy, you may want to require high levels of emotion or limit the emotionality of your texts.

Emotionally charged content tends to be more memorable than neutral content and can help to create a strong connection between your brand and its audience.

While less emotion is usually associated with a more formal, professional, objective tone of communication, so if these are brand associations you want to cultivate, choose and customise this option.

Balance negative emotions with positivity (yes/no)

Sometimes companies have to deliver bad news to their employees, customers or partners, be it price rises, unsatisfactory quarter results or other problems. This rule requires balancing bad news with a positive note. In other cases, emotional mix can be inappropriate. The choice depends on the types of text this tone of voice is aimed at.

Show empathy (yes/no)

Empathetic communication that acknowledges feelings and places an emphasis on care and human connection can be particularly effective in handling layoffs and application rejections, and in resolving conflicts and complaints, by showing that the brand is listening and taking the customer's perspective into account.

In other cases, emphatic texts may come across as too emotional and unprofessional. The choice depends on the types of text this tone of voice is aimed at.

Overall tone (choose confident, light-hearted or not to control)

A light-hearted tone (defined as the expression of positive emotions) can help to create a positive brand image by conveying a sense of approachability, friendliness and humour.

While confident communication can make a brand appear knowledgeable, reliable and authoritative, which may be necessary in some contexts and undesirable in others.

Urgent-sounding CTAs (choose between require, forbid or not to control)

Urgent-sounding CTAs can create a sense of urgency in the reader, encouraging them to take action more quickly.

At the same time, they can create a sense of pressure and urgency in the reader, which may be off-putting or unappealing to some audiences.

Choose the option that suits your audience best.

Relationship building

Ask questions (choose to require, forbid or not to control)

Questions are powerful tools for engaging an audience and encouraging interaction. Require the use of questions for stimulating critical thinking and evoking emotional responses.

Forbid it if you are aiming at establishing a more authoritative or assertive tone, as questions can be perceived as less direct or straightforward compared to declarative statements.

You can also choose not to control the use of questions in text.

Direct address to audience (choose to require, forbid or not to control)

Directly addressing the audience creates a sense of personal connection and intimacy.

At the same time, brands operating in certain sectors may choose to avoid direct address as it can be perceived as overly casual or informal. You can also choose not to control this parameter.

Write about company or brand in first person (choose to require, forbid or not to control)

Writing in first person can create a sense of authenticity and humanize the brand.

At the same time, by avoiding first-person language, brands create a more formal and authoritative tone, which may be appropriate for certain industries or target audiences.

You can also choose not to control this parameter.

Discriminatory and harsh language

Forbid slang and profanity (yes/no)

Slang refers to informal language that is often used within a specific group or community. It can include words or phrases that are not considered standard or formal language, and may change frequently over time.

Profanity refers to language that is considered vulgar, obscene or offensive. It often includes curse words or other expressions that are considered socially unacceptable in polite conversation.

Slang and profanity can be disrespectful to the general public and may cause offense. At the same time, if you are aiming at a niche audience that uses slang and some profanity, allowing it can help your brand create relatable content and authentic relationships with customers.

Forbid words that come across as gendered or homophobic (yes/no)

By forbidding words that may be perceived as gendered or homophobic, you can make sure your brand's communication does not alienate certain groups of people, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals.

By forbidding gendered or homophobic language, companies can mitigate the risk of negative publicity and maintain a positive public image.

Leave off if you want to define “forbidden words” later yourself using a custom dictionary.

Forbid words that come across as ageist (yes/no)

Ageist communication includes language, behaviours or attitudes that discriminate against or stereotype individuals based on their age.

Forbidding ageist language in corporate communication can help companies promote inclusivity, protect their reputation, improve employee morale and avoid legal issues.

Leave off if you want to define “forbidden words” later yourself using a custom dictionary.

Forbid words that come across as racist (yes/no)

This rule forbids language that stereotypes individuals based on their race or cultural background. Examples of racist language can include slurs, derogatory terms and offensive jokes that target individuals or groups based on their race or ethnicity.

Colonial language, on the other hand, refers to language that reflects and reinforces power imbalances between colonizers and colonized peoples.

Such language is often used to justify or rationalize colonialism, imperialism and other forms of oppression.

Leave off if you want to define “forbidden words” later yourself using a custom dictionary.

Forbid words that come across as ableist (yes/no)

Ableist language is language that is offensive or derogatory towards people with disabilities or that reinforces negative stereotypes about disability.

Ableist language can have harmful impacts on individuals with disabilities, including reducing self-esteem, creating social isolation and perpetuating discrimination.

That is why brands may choose to exclude words that can be perceived as ableist from their communication.

Leave off if you want to define “forbidden words” later yourself using a custom dictionary.

Forbid the use of skin-colored emojis (yes/no)

Skin-coloured emojis are designed to represent different skin tones, but the default colour for these emojis is often a light beige or peach tone that does not accurately represent the diversity of human skin tones.

This can lead to unintentional bias and the exclusion of individuals with darker skin tones.

By forbidding the use of skin-coloured emojis in corporate communication, companies can encourage the use of more inclusive language and imagery that does not perpetuate racial bias.

Leave off if you want to use skin-colored emojis on purpose.

If you are not sure about any on these rules just yet, you can always fine-tune them later in tone of voice editor.