“I copied my competitor’s tone of voice and now I have no personality. Help?”

The Brand Shrink, Series #1, Part 1

Oh dear. You’ve caught a classic case of Brand Identity Crisis—don’t worry, it’s more common than you think.

In the wild, wild world of branding, mimicking a competitor’s tone of voice might feel like a shortcut to relevance. After all, if it worked for them, so why not us? But what you end up with is a copy of a copy—slightly blurry, slightly off, and entirely forgettable.

Ok so, let’s unpack this together.

1. Why Copying a Competitor’s Tone Doesn’t Work

First, tone of voice isn’t just about sounding cool or polished—it’s the expression of your brand personality. It’s how your brand shows up in the world. Copying someone else’s tone is like borrowing their clothes and hoping it fits your lifestyle. Spoiler: it rarely does.

Your competitor’s tone might be confident and irreverent. But if your product, team, or culture isn’t built the same way, that tone will ring hollow. Audiences are sharp—they can smell inauthenticity a mile away. And nothing erodes brand trust faster than sounding fake.

2. Symptoms of a Brand Without a Distinct Voice

So how do you know if you’ve lost your brand voice? Let me help you out by sharing a few telltale signs:

• Your content reads like a knockoff of your competitor — recognisable, but missing the soul.
• You’re using buzzwords you’d never say in a real conversation
• Internally, your team struggles to write anything that “feels right”
• Your audience engagement is flat or seems confused

All these speak to the underlying issue that you might’ve skipped the hard work of defining your brand strategy—specifically, what you stand for and how you want people to feel when they interact with you.

3. Reclaiming Your Voice: A Branding Prescription

And since we’re doing this shrink-thing, why not do a little brand therapy while we’re at it. Here’s how I would suggest that you get your brand back on track:

Step 1: Revisit Your Brand Foundations
Go back to the basics. What’s your brand purpose? What do you believe in? Who are you really here to serve? Define your core values—these will help shape a tone of voice that is both authentic and sustainable. Frankly, this first step is numero uno on the long list of things I ask every single one of my clients that want to achieve clarity in their branding.

Step 2: Clarify Your Brand Personality
Are you warm and nurturing, or bold and provocative? Do you want to inspire, reassure, challenge? Pinpoint 3–4 traits that describe your ideal brand personality. This becomes the bedrock of your tone.

Step 3: Find Your Voice Through Language
Now comes the fun part: wordplay. Translate your personality traits into actual writing styles. If you’re ‘candid’, maybe you favour short, punchy sentences. If you’re ‘cheeky’, perhaps you lean into puns or pop culture references.

Pro tip: Build a tone of voice guide that includes dos and don’ts, sample lines, and writing prompts. It helps internal teams stay aligned and ensures consistency across all touchpoints.

Step 4: Audit, Edit, Evolve
Do a content audit. Rewrite anything that doesn’t feel like you. Be brutal. It’s better to have fewer pieces of content that sound truly “on brand” than a ton of bland copy that fades into the void.

4. Remember: Personality Builds Loyalty

The best brands aren’t the loudest—they’re the most consistent. People come back to brands that sound like trustworthy friends. So stop trying to be someone else’s BFF and just be your own.

This isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about impact. A strong, distinctive tone of voice builds brand recognition, deepens audience trust, and strengthens long-term brand equity. That’s the kind of ROI no mimicry can buy.

My Parting Words

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Stop copying and start excavating. Your brand’s real personality is in there somewhere—quirks, odd turns of phrase and all. And when you find it? That’s when the real magic (and marketing traction) begins.

Yours in branding breakthroughs,