There are a thousand ways to interact with your readers. But bloggers face decision-making issues all the time. What should the tone and voice of the blog be! To include emojis or not. To crack a joke or not. To use jargons or not. These are questions that lie at the heart of a blogger’s tone and voice. In order to effectively communicate and build lasting relationships with your readers, you need to nail down what you want to say and how you want to say it.
What are tone and voice exactly?
Tone and voice go hand in hand. Put simply, your blog’s voice is your own personality. Educational. Smart. Funny. Satirical. Formal. Your tone impacts the voice that is heard through the blog. This interpretation may vary with certain audiences, for different situations. For example, if your blog’s voice is funny, much of your communication will include humor. However, if you’re blogging about a product malfunction, your tone would be slightly more serious. In any case, the emphasis is on being respectful to people at any point.
Here are a few things to consider when nailing your own blogging tone and voice:
Find your audience
You need to know who your readers are and what they’re expecting from your blog. For example, if your niche is comical or satire and most of your social media audience is generation Z, then perhaps a more casual or playful tone would be a better fit than something overly formal.
Be purposeful
Your blog’s tone and voice should be purposeful. Try to converse more and reach out to your audience by telling them stories and watch your voice and particularly tone with respect to how to interact with them. Introspect. Answer some self-reflective questions to nail down your voice. Nail down answers to two basic questions:
•How do you want your blog to make people feel?
•How do you want to answer your readers when they interact with your blog?
Once you’ve determined your blog’s voice and various tones, lay it out in a guide for your research. Use it as permutations and combinations to reach to the level where you are comfortable voicing your opinions and that makes them comfortable as well.
With the right tone and voice, you’ll be able to engage your customers in an optimal manner and that will build a long-term loyalty.