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5 brands nailing their tone of voice (and what you can learn from them)
Leah Crisell - Founder of Brandloop.ai
25 March 2024
Your tone of voice is more than just the words you use — it’s how you make people feel. It’s what turns a logo into a personality and a product into a brand people trust, follow and tell their friends about.
But crafting the right tone (and using it consistently) isn’t always easy, especially when your team is juggling growth, content and brand consistency across multiple platforms.
So let’s break it down. Here are five brands that are absolutely nailing their tone of voice, and exactly what you can learn from them.
1. Duolingo – Bold, playful, unapologetically weird
Duolingo’s tone is instantly recognisable: It’s snarky, unfiltered and leans all the way into meme culture. Their social media presence, app notifications and even their error messages all sound like that cool European friend who already speaks five languages and really wants you to learn Spanish because, ugh, how do you only know English!!??
What Duolingo teaches us (apart from, you know, language skills):
Commit to your tone. Duolingo doesn’t water down their voice depending on the channel — they double down.
Don’t be afraid to entertain. Personality creates engagement. People remember how you made them feel.
2. Mailchimp – Friendly, clear, confident
Mailchimp’s voice is what every startup wants to sound like: Approachable, a little quirky, but always professional. In other words, Mailchimp has the confidence of an email that just belongs in your inbox. Their UX copy, emails and product updates are all written with clarity and warmth, helping us feel empowered (not overwhelmed).
What Mailchimp teaches us:
Clarity is a brand advantage. Friendly doesn’t mean fluffy — Mailchimp explains complex tools in plain language.
Consistency builds trust. Every piece of content sounds like it’s from the same thoughtful, helpful source.
3. Oatly – Rebellious, honest, anti-corporate
Oatly breaks every copywriting rule — and it works. Their tone feels like a candid conversation with someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. They’re not afraid to be weird, cheeky or self aware. And their packaging? It talks to you like a person. In other words, Oatley is human.
What Oatley teaches us:
Tone can be the brand. Oatly’s personality is the reason people choose them.
Break the rules — strategically. Know the basics, then bend them to stand out.
4. Notion – Calm, intelligent, empowering
Notion’s tone is minimal yet warm, smart, but never snobby. Their product is complex, but their content makes it feel simple and achievable. From onboarding guides to launch announcements, their voice is all about giving people clarity and control.
What Notion teaches us:
Let your voice reflect your product experience. Notion’s calm, structured tone mirrors its product design.
Educate with empathy. Teach users without overwhelming them.
5. Go-To Skincare – Relatable, real, empowering
Go-To built its brand on conversation. It’s makes us feel understood and seen, every time. Their tone mirrors how their (mostly female) audience talks to each other: Real, confident and inclusive. Product pages, social captions and newsletters feel like they're written by a friend who knows skincare and internet culture. It’s always fun.
What Go-To teaches us:
Talk with your audience, not at them. Mirror their language to build trust.
Your tone is part of your community. When it feels like a two-way dialogue, people stick around.
So, how’s your tone of voice?
If you're a growing brand, you already know how hard it is to sound consistent across teams, campaigns and platforms — especially when you’re scaling fast.
That’s where Brandloop comes in. We help you define, document and scale your tone of voice so it works across content, channels and even AI tools.
Your tone isn’t just an afterthought — it’s your brand, in every interaction.
