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Welcome to the six new subscribers who have joined since the last issue. 117 therapists are reading today’s newsletter. If you’re reading this but haven’t subscribed, subscribe here.
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When people think about a brand, they usually think about a logo, font, and color scheme. But it’s the voice that really brings a brand to life. The brand voice is the personality that carries through every touchpoint with the customer—from the website to emails to posts on social media.
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Whether you operate as a personal brand, a private practice, or a group practice, you should have a clearly defined brand personality with guardrails and constraints, including primary characteristics, supporting traits, and what the brand says and doesn't say.
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One way to think about your brand voice is to think about how you want people to feel when they engage with you online. You should always strive for EAT (expertise, authority, trustworthiness), but your voice is entirely unique because every therapist has their own style.
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There’s no right or wrong brand voice. What’s most important is to be consistent with the voice you’re using. Is it funny or serious? Personal or clinical? Spiritual or academic? If you’re not sure, here’s a quick thought exercise.
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​How would you define your brand voice in three words?
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​Now come up with 3-4 supporting traits for each characteristic. How do these characteristics and traits show up in your communications? How do they come across in the content you’re creating?
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Once you’ve defined your voice, it can be helpful to create a simple brand voice chart with four columns for characteristic, description, do, and don’t. Here’s an example from the Content Marketing Institute.

Creating a chart like this and updating it regularly as things change will help you to decide whether or not something is “on brand.” It can also guide contractors and freelancers if you decide to outsource your marketing in the future.
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Have a question? Hit reply. I read every email.
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Until next time,
Michael
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P.S. If you learned something new, please consider forwarding this email to a friend or colleague.