How it works

The 16 tone of voice profiles explained

In 2016, the Nielsen Norman Group research team published The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice.

It was an intriguing report, suggesting that a company’s tone of voice - the way they communicate their message - could be characterised using four distinct dimensions:

These dimensions represent bipolar scales, with each pole representing a different preference in tone.

The four tone of voice dimensions

The first dimension, Formality, represents the level of formality employed in the content. A formal tone adopts a professional, structured and polite approach, while a casual tone uses a more relaxed, conversational and friendly style.

The second dimension, Humour, signifies the degree to which humour is incorporated into the content. A funny tone utilises jokes, puns or witty remarks, while a serious tone focuses on delivering information without the use of humour.

The third dimension, Respectfulness, reflects the attitude of the content toward the subject matter. A respectful tone treats the topic with due reverence and consideration, while an irreverent tone may employ sarcasm, satire or playfulness, potentially challenging conventional perspectives.

The fourth dimension, Enthusiasm, captures the level of excitement or emotion expressed in the content. An enthusiastic tone conveys passion and energy, while a matter-of-fact tone focuses on delivering information in a straightforward, unbiased manner.

The 16 tone of voice profiles

In 2023, this research was built upon by Oli West, a copywriter who’d spent the previous 10 years working with startups (many of whom hadn’t identified a clear tone of voice and whose existing content provided customers with an inconsistent customer experience).

He realised that by combining the four tone of voice dimensions, brands could create one of 16 tone of voice profiles that would align with their personality and provide a clear framework to help improve how they communicated with customers.

Familiar with the Myers Briggs concept of 16 personality types based on four dimensions, Oli created a similar system to transform Nielsen’s Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice research into a practical tool.

The results were as follows:

  • CSRE (Casual, Serious, Respectful, Enthusiastic)

  • CSRM (Casual, Serious, Respectful, Matter-of-fact)

  • CSIE (Casual, Serious, Irreverent, Enthusiastic)

  • CSIM (Casual, Serious, Irreverent, Matter-of-fact)

  • CFRE (Casual, Funny, Respectful, Enthusiastic)

  • CFRM (Casual, Funny, Respectful, Matter-of-fact)

  • CFIE (Casual, Funny, Irreverent, Enthusiastic)

  • CFIM (Casual, Funny, Irreverent, Matter-of-fact)

  • FSRE (Formal, Serious, Respectful, Enthusiastic)

  • FSRM (Formal, Serious, Respectful, Matter-of-fact)

  • FSIE (Formal, Serious, Irreverent, Enthusiastic)

  • FSIM (Formal, Serious, Irreverent, Matter-of-fact)

  • FFRE (Formal, Funny, Respectful, Enthusiastic)

  • FFRM (Formal, Funny, Respectful, Matter-of-fact)

  • FFIE (Formal, Funny, Irreverent, Enthusiastic)

  • FFIM (Formal, Funny, Irreverent, Matter-of-fact)

Oli analysed each combination of tones and gave a suitable name to describe the resulting tone of voice profile.

For example, CSRE (Casual, Serious, Respectful, Enthusiastic) would be known as the Earnest Ally. And FFIM (Formal, Funny, Irreverent, Matter-of-fact) would be known as the Insightful Disruptor.

The copy style guide

Having written for many startups and small businesses, Oli also understood the value of a copy style guide, which outlines a company’s tone of voice and writing style. But he was frustrated that so few businesses had one, which made the task of writing effective copy more difficult.

So he incorporated the 16 tone of voice profiles into 16 copy style guide templates that explain how to implement a company’s tone of voice into their copy across all touch-points, from web content and product copy to emails and social media posts.

He then created a tone of voice test - 24 questions to help businesses identify their tone of voice and choose the right copy style guide for them.

This all culminated in the launch of CopyStyleGuide.com, which enables startups and small businesses to identify, evaluate and maintain a consistent tone of voice throughout their content, ensuring that their brand's personality resonates with their target audience across every channel and touchpoint.

Discover your company’s tone of voice

Empower your team to write consistent, compelling, on-brand copy by investing just 10 minutes of your time.