Creating content with AI requires more than just generating text, at least it should if you want Google to accept your content. You need to consider the main aspects of content: tone, style, and voice. Content that reaches and engages with an audience needs a message that resonates effectively. No bumbling around. No long drawn-out paragraphs that change tone and style from one sentence to another. A real human writer understands the importance (and professionalism) of literary consistency.
Whether you’re crafting educational articles, persuasive marketing materials, or engaging blog posts, maintaining a consistent tone across all your content will help develop your authority.
Tone
Define the tone of your content and make sure your AI tool produces content with a consistent tone across all pieces. If you’re using AkzisAI, this is where Brand Voices makes a huge difference. But if you’re using ChatGPT or Gemini (or anything else), just make sure your AI tool’s output aligns with the tone you always want – every sentence. Here are the most popular tones to consider and when you should use them along with a quick example of each:
Example Sentence: “Our company offers innovative solutions tailored to meet your business needs.”
Formal: Formal content has a serious, professional tone and is often used in academic or business settings. It uses precise language and avoids contractions and slang. Ideal for an educational blog post or an instructional webinar where the goal is to inform the audience about the company’s offerings in a clear, authoritative manner.
“Our company specializes in creating innovative solutions that are customized to fulfill your business requirements.”
Informative: Informative content is focused on providing information or educating the reader. It is often used in blogs, articles, and how-to guides. The tone is authoritative, but not overly formal and works well in a company blog or a customer service chatbot, where engaging and speaking directly to the reader creates a friendly rapport.
“Looking for something tailor-made for your business? Our company has just the right innovative solutions for you.”
Conversational: Conversational content has a friendly, approachable tone and is designed to engage the reader in a conversation. It uses a more relaxed style and often includes personal anecdotes or stories. This tone works well in a company blog or a customer service chatbot, where engaging and speaking directly to the reader creates a friendly rapport.
“Looking for something tailor-made for your business? Our company has just the right innovative solutions for you.”
Persuasive: Persuasive content is focused on convincing the reader to take a specific action or adopt a certain viewpoint. It is often used in marketing and advertising and uses emotional appeals to persuade the reader. Perfect for sales pitches or promotional emails where the objective is to convince potential customers of the value of the company’s offerings.
“Transform your business today with our customized, cutting-edge solutions that promise to meet all your needs.”
Humorous: Humorous content uses humor and wit to engage the reader and make them laugh. It is often used in social media posts, memes, and comedic articles. Effective in a social media campaign or an ad where humor can grab attention and make the brand more relatable.
“Need a business solution that actually fits? Our tailor-made, innovative fixes might just do the trick!”
Empathetic: Empathetic content is focused on showing empathy and understanding for the reader’s struggles or pain points. It is often used in content related to mental health, self-care, and personal development. Suitable for customer support communications or content aimed at businesses struggling during tough times, where showing understanding and support is vital.
“We understand the challenges you face in your business, which is why our tailored solutions are designed to help you succeed.”
Inspirational: Inspirational content is designed to inspire and motivate the reader. It uses a positive, uplifting tone and often includes stories of triumph over adversity. Great for motivational speeches at a conference or in inspirational content that aims to uplift and energize the audience.
“Empower your business to reach new heights with our innovative, customized solutions designed for your success.”
Style
If you’re working with AI-generated content, you can’t let the AI dictate your writing style for you. That’s a guaranteed way to end up with boring copy that no one wants to read. You’ll need to select a writing style that aligns with your objectives and audience. To do that, you’ll have to set clear guidelines on sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation so that your content is not only consistent but also effective in conveying your message. Understanding different writing styles will help you tailor your content to suit various contexts, from academic papers to business reports.
Once again, I’ve included use cases along with an example of each specific style.
Narrative: Narrative writing tells a story or describes a sequence of events. It can be fictional or non-fictional and is often used in novels, short stories, and memoirs. This style is perfect for engaging blog posts or brand storytelling where the history or evolution of a product is narrated to capture the audience’s imagination.
“Once upon a time, a company was born, ready to revolutionize the industry with innovative, tailor-made solutions just for your business.”
Descriptive: Descriptive writing uses sensory details to create a vivid picture of a person, place, or thing. It is often used in poetry, travel writing, and creative non-fiction. Ideal for travel blogs or product descriptions where vivid imagery enhances the reader’s experience and connection to the subject.
“Our company, nestled in the heart of innovation, crafts solutions, each meticulously tailored to echo the unique needs of your bustling business.”
Expository: Expository writing explains or informs the reader about a specific topic or idea. It is often used in textbooks, scientific papers, and news articles. Suitable for educational content, help articles, or anywhere factual clarity is required to inform the reader comprehensively.
“Our company specializes in creating solutions that are designed to meet specific business needs by utilizing innovative technologies and strategies.”
Persuasive: Persuasive writing is used to convince the reader to take a specific action or adopt a certain viewpoint. It is often used in advertising, political speeches, and opinion pieces. Particularly effective in sales copy, marketing emails, or ad campaigns where convincing the reader to make a decision or take action is the goal.
“Discover how our company’s cutting-edge, customized solutions can propel your business ahead of the competition. Don’t settle for less.”
Technical: Technical writing is focused on explaining complex information in a clear and concise manner. It is often used in user manuals, scientific reports, and technical documentation. Used in user manuals, FAQs, or technical guides where detailed, precise instructions or explanations are necessary.
“Our company develops solutions, employing advanced technological frameworks and methodologies, to meet defined business objectives.”
Academic: Academic writing is used in scholarly contexts and is focused on presenting research and analysis. It is often characterized by its formal tone, rigorous research, and use of citations and references. Best for academic papers, journal articles, or detailed reports where analytical depth and citations are essential.
“This company offers a range of solutions, tailored specifically to address the diverse needs of businesses, as evidenced by multiple case studies.”
Business: Business writing is used in professional contexts and is focused on conveying information in a clear and concise manner. It is often used in emails, memos, and reports. Primarily used in internal communications, executive summaries, or professional proposals where clarity and brevity are valued.
“Our company delivers tailored, innovative solutions to effectively meet your specific business needs.”
Voice
Voice in writing is the key element that breathes life into your content. It reflects the personality behind the words, shaping how your audience perceives and interacts with your text. It makes you either a trustworthy expert, or an incompetent amateur. A well-defined voice ensures consistency across all content, enhancing brand recognition and engagement. Developing a unique voice involves choosing the right tone, style, and perspective to make your writing resonate with your target audience.
Authoritative: An authoritative voice is confident and knowledgeable. It is often used in academic or technical writing, where the writer is an expert on the topic. This voice is suitable for white papers, research publications, or any context where the writer needs to establish credibility and expertise, such as in academic or technical settings.
“Our company is a leader in delivering innovative solutions specifically designed to meet your business’s unique needs.”
Conversational: A conversational voice is informal and friendly, as if the writer is having a conversation with the reader. It is often used in blog posts and other informal writing. Great for blog posts, customer emails, or social media where the aim is to make the reader feel at ease and engaged in a friendly dialogue.
“Hey there! Our company creates cool, innovative solutions perfect for sorting out your business needs. Let’s get you set up!”
Personal: A personal voice is subjective and often uses first-person pronouns. It is often used in personal essays, memoirs, and other forms of creative nonfiction. Ideal for personal essays, memoirs, or opinion columns where the author’s individual perspective and experiences are central to the content.
“In my experience, finding the right solutions for your business can be a game changer, and that’s what our company aims to provide.”
Humorous: A humorous voice uses humor and wit to engage the reader. It is often used in satire, comedy writing, and other forms of entertainment. Perfect for entertaining content, comedy sketches, or any media where humor is used to engage and amuse the audience.
“Tired of the same old bland business solutions? Our company whips up something a little zesty and tailored just for you.”
Professional: A professional voice is formal and polished. It is often used in business writing, such as emails, reports, and proposals. Used in business communications such as corporate emails, professional reports, and formal proposals where a clean, respectful tone is necessary.
“Our company is committed to providing tailored, innovative solutions that address your specific business requirements efficiently.”
Empathetic: An empathetic voice is compassionate and understanding. It is often used in content related to mental health, self-care, and personal development. Suitable for support content, mental health discussions, or customer service interactions where showing understanding and compassion is key.
“We understand the challenges you face in today’s market, which is why our company offers solutions designed to meet your unique needs.”
Persuasive: A persuasive voice is focused on convincing the reader to take a specific action or adopt a certain viewpoint. It is often used in advertising, political speeches, and opinion pieces. Highly effective in marketing materials, campaign speeches, or advertisements where the goal is to influence the reader’s decisions or opinions.
“Imagine a future where your business needs are perfectly met with our innovative solutions—make it a reality by choosing us.”
Word Choice
You’ll need to set guidelines for word choice in your content. That includes choosing the right vocabulary that enhances your message, aligns with your audience’s expectations, and reflects the purpose of your text. Here’s how you can fine-tune your word choice, along with a quick example of each:
Audience: Consider your audience and choose words that are appropriate for their level of understanding and familiarity with the topic. Adjust your vocabulary to match the understanding and familiarity of your audience with the topic.
- For a general audience: “Our software makes it easy to track your expenses.”
- For a technical audience: “Our software offers robust expense tracking through advanced analytics.”
Tone: Choose words that convey the appropriate tone for your content. For example, if you’re writing a serious or professional piece, you might use more formal language. Select words that reinforce the tone of your content, whether formal, conversational, or persuasive.
- Formal: “We are committed to delivering superior results.”
- Conversational: “We’re here to make sure you get awesome results.”
Clarity: Choose words that are clear and easy to understand. Avoid using overly technical or jargon-filled language that might confuse readers. Use clear and straightforward language that your audience can easily understand, avoiding ambiguous terms.
- Unclear: “Our solution facilitates operational enhancements.”
- Clear: “Our solution improves your workflow.”
Conciseness: Choose words that are concise and avoid unnecessary repetition or wordiness. Opt for words that communicate your message efficiently, eliminating unnecessary verbosity.
- Wordy: “At this point in time, our company is in the process of implementing changes.”
- Concise: “Currently, our company is making changes.”
Specificity: Choose words that are specific and precise. Avoid using vague or general language that might not convey your intended meaning. Use precise and specific terms that accurately convey your intended message and details.
- General: “Our software helps increase productivity.”
- Specific: “Our software boosts productivity by automating repetitive tasks.”
Emotion: Choose words that convey the appropriate emotion for your content. For example, if you’re writing a persuasive piece, you might use language that evokes strong emotions in the reader, especially in persuasive or motivational content.
- Neutral: “You might like our new product.”
- Emotional: “You’ll love how our new product transforms your daily routine!”
Formatting. Define the formatting standards for your content. Make sure your AI tool follows these formatting guidelines to ensure consistency across all your content.
Here are some formatting standards commonly used in content writing:
Headings and subheadings: Use headings and subheadings to break up the content into smaller sections and make it easier to read. In short, you’re creating digestible sections. Headings should be larger and more prominent than subheadings and should accurately reflect the content of the section. Ensure headings are descriptive and hierarchically structured.
In a lengthy instructional article, use H1 for the main title, H2 for main section titles, and H3 for subsections to guide the reader through a step-by-step process.
Paragraphs: Keep paragraphs short, ideally 3-4 sentences, focusing on a single idea to enhance readability. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that introduces the main idea and supports it with evidence or examples.
In a blog post, start each paragraph with a topic sentence that introduces the idea, followed by supporting sentences with details or arguments.
Bulleted and numbered lists: Use bulleted and numbered lists to organize information and make it easier to read (and scan). Lists should be used sparingly (unless the purpose of the content calls for it) and only when appropriate, and each item in the list should be short and concise.
Use bulleted lists to highlight features or benefits in a product description, or numbered lists for steps in a how-to guide.
Bold and italicized text: Use bold and italic text to emphasize key points or terms but do so sparingly to maintain effectiveness. Avoid overusing these formatting options, as it can make the text difficult to read and looks unprofessional if used too heavily.
In an educational article, bold key terms when first introduced, and use italics for emphasis on particularly important points.
White space: Use white space to break up the content, reduce visual clutter, and make it easier to read. White space refers to the empty space around the text, including margins, line spacing, and the space between paragraphs.
In a report or proposal, ensure that margins are consistent, and that there is space between sections to clearly distinguish different topics.
Font and size: Use a clear and legible font, such as Arial, Helvetica or Times New Roman, and choose a font size that is comfortable for extended reading, such as 14-point or 16-point.
For a corporate website, use a standard, web-safe font like Arial or Times New Roman at 14-point for body text to ensure that it is legible across different devices and platforms.
By following these guidelines and using a style guide, you can ensure that your AI-generated content is consistent, high-quality, and aligned with your brand.
