Which of the 9 brand voices are you? Voices of Authority, Outlook, or Accessibility

Today, I’ll be talking about the nine voice types in more depth and give a few examples of what they are.

Thanks to Brand Voice Academy, for these brand voice wisdom nuggets!

(This post is a part 2, so if you haven’t read part 1, go back and read that now.)

There are nine voices, three voices in each category.

The first category is the Voices of Authority.  

The voices of authority lead with expertise and they’re seen as the absolute authority on a matter, making them perfect for industries that want a strong, knowledgeable presence.

And these are the voices that you could imagine if you’re at a conference. They’d be lecturing up on the stage and commanding people’s attention. 

Voice number one under this category is The Translator.  

The translator, as you can probably guess, is all about making complex topics simple.  The voice takes challenging topics and breaks them down for everyday people to understand.  

Often the tone is quite empathetic, the cadence is short, and the vocab is pretty basic. 

A good example of someone who uses this type of voice is Bill Nye the Science Guy or Neil deGrasse Tyson, who explains scientific, complex topics in a way that it’s accessible and even children can understand.

A translator voice is great for an audience that might feel overwhelmed by complex topics. 

Audiences seeking something that’s really clear, and simplified, or maybe people who want to learn a bit more about an industry that they don’t have any prior knowledge.

Next up in the authority subtype is The Parent. Or The Auntie because sometimes people are a bit meh about parents.

The Auntie acts really as a voice of experience, saying that I’ve been where you are and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. They have that real nurturing vibe to them. 

They’re cautionary, but they’re empathetic and they share a lot of their experiences. So the cadence is medium, and the vocab is generally pretty basic. Oprah Winfrey is an example of this voice who shares life’s lessons and wisdom with her audience in a caring and supportive manner.

Dove could be an example of this type. 

In terms of therapy, Brené Brown might fit here as well, because Brené uses her experience as a way to explain her research.

And the third voice in this category is the Voice of God, which is a voice I don’t really like writing for because it reminds me too much of writing academic papers. 

Unlike the translator or the parent, the Voice of God voice is not trying to make the complex simple. They’re actually doing the opposite.

They want to present complex information without diluting it and they expect their reader to be able to keep up.  

This type of voice can be quite helpful in industries where someone has a lot of credentials or they want to be seen as quite authoritative and show their expertise.

So often there’s a serious tone, they have longer sentences and really advanced vocab.

A good example potentially is any academic journals or even some medical companies. 

This voice is ideal for professionals, academics, and those who respect authority and complex topics—people who seek detailed and sophisticated information.

The second type of category is the Voices of Accessibility.  

The voices of accessibility are more approachable and relatable, and they want to make topics enjoyable and easy to understand.

These are the brands that will be sitting down in the audience and giving a speech, or maybe even sitting somewhere where there’s only a small group of people, so it’s more intimate.

First up, the friends at the bar.

The Friends at the Bar is a bit like talking to your friend about something cool you just discovered. So it’s really casual, engaging, might use slang and filler words. 

I was trying to think of an example in terms of therapy, and I thought of Lori Gottlieb’s voice in her book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. Lori shares her experiences of being a therapist and a patient, and the idea of the book is to make therapy more approachable in a conversational and engaging way. 

Another example is probably Hamish and Andy, who are Australian radio and TV personalities–they’re known for their casual, humorous and engaging style. Other brands could be M&M’s or potentially even Duolingo and Ryanair. 

They’re definitely about engaging their audience and being more relatable.

This type of voice does well with an audience who are looking for a more relaxed approach to learning or engaging with brands. 

Maybe people who are seeking entertainment, relatable advice, and maybe that sense of camaraderie, friendship or being a part of a community.

Next up in the Voice of Accessibility category is Learning as We Go. 

So this voice is really about curiosity and exploration and being in the middle of learning something. 

The voice is similar to the parent because it’s about their experiences, but they’re in the midst of their experiences. They’re not on the other side just yet. 

The tone is generally curious. The cadence is quite long because they’re still working things out. So they might ramble a little and then get to their point at the end of the sentence. 

(I think Healers with Hustles is definitely in the Learning as We Go phase because I’m still working out what the brand is and what the podcast particularly is.)

And then another example, potentially Rick Stein, who often explores new recipes on the go. Or he goes overseas and learns about cooking and then makes it on the go. His content shows mistakes, and he’s very, very open.

The voice is all about getting viewers to learn along. Audiences who could do well with this voice are people who are maybe enjoy the process of learning and discovery or being with someone as they’re witnessing something new, experiencing something new. So that might be a hobbyist or lifelong learners or just anyone, like I said, who enjoys experiencing the journey of exploration.

The last one in the voices of accessibility: the Yogi (or the Mystic).  

The brands are quite gentle and calming. Often it’s a voice that’s often used in the self help or life coaching space. 

And the voice is really all about focusing on how something feels or transformation in their self rather than tangible outcomes.

The voice is all about learning about your highest self and spirituality and that kind of thing. And so you can imagine any type of wellness brand often uses this style of voice. 

Audiences do well with this type of voice are people seeking inner peace like that personal growth, interested in spirituality, holistic wellbeing.

The third and final category is the Voices of Outlook. 

Their unique perspectives on the world define these Voices of Outlook. 

It’s more about how they view the world rather than how their audience views them.

Brands, you could imagine if they were giving a speech, they’d be the ones like walking through the audience. 

First up in this category, we’ve got the Underdog. 

And so it’s pretty self explanatory. 

The underdog is really a hopeful, but confident, voice. It’s about preparing for that uphill battle. They know they’re fighting a losing battle, but they’re trying anyway, so they’re hopeful about the outcome.

A good example of a voice would be any hero in a Disney film or any hero in a film. Potentially like Harry Potter as he goes up against Lord Voldemort, so the tone is ‌one that’s hopeful, optimistic, resilient, but it might even include a bit of like humour.

The underdog voice can be helpful for audiences who might feel marginalised. 

So they’re facing significant challenges or maybe they’re looking for a bit of motivation, potentially to overcome obstacles.  

Next, we’ve got the Anti-establishment Voice 

…which is a voice that’s all about challenging the norm.

And they often have bold and unconventional perspectives. 

There is a misconception:

Anti Establishment voice doesn’t need to be aggressive or anything, but ‌that’s often what clients fear is that having an anti establishment voice means they’re angry and aggressive.

I would actually think that Healers brand has a tinge of anti establishment voice because it is all about trying to challenge the status quo or the perception of what health professionals are or what they do. 

Often, the Anti Establishment and Eternal Optimist are a good combo together.  

But the Anti Establishment vibe is a little like F the status quo. 

An example is potentially, The Chaser, the Australian satirical comedy legends. 

Their tagline is striving for mediocrity in a world of excellence. So very anti establishment.

A good example would be an opposite voice, the voice of God. Their tagline would be: “striving for excellence in a world of mediocrity.”

Anti-establishment brands do well with audiences who are maybe like a disillusion with conventional norms and want an alternative perspective.

As anyone who’s maybe drawn to innovative and unconventional ideas, Apple at one stage was quite anti establishment. It’s not really now because it’s quite mainstream. 

And then the final one, the Eternal Optimist. 

The Eternal Optimist is, as you can imagine, all about positivity and uplifting and focusing on the self. 

Just because the voice spreads positivity and inspiration, but that doesn’t mean the voice shies away from deep or tough topics. 

It’s just that the undertone and what they’re saying is things are going to be okay.  

Eternal optimist brands ‌love an exclamation mark or an emoji. 

Eternal Optimist is a fun voice to write for. Michelle Obama would potentially be an example of this voice. So in her speeches, she was about uplifting and inspiring people with a hopeful outlook.

Or potentially, I was thinking even Play School or Bluey would be an example of Eternal Optimist. This voice is ‌good for audiences who might feel down, a bit hopeless, and they’re really hoping for positivity and encouragement. 

Often the Anti Establishment and Eternal Optimist are a good combo together

All right. So there you have it. That’s the three categories.

The Voices of Authority

• The Translator
• The Parent or Auntie
• The Voice of God

The Voices of Accessibility

• Friends at the Bar 
• Learning As We Go
• Yogi or Mystic
  
  

The Voices of Outlook

• Underdog
• Anti Establishment
• Eternal Optimist

Thank you so much for joining me in this second parter. 

P.S. I learned this from the wonderful Justin Blackman and Gill Hill from Brand Voice Academy.  

So a shout out to them!