9 Emails in 9 Voices
Hello and welcome, to the first (and so far, only) episode of The Voice Show with Julia (not to be confused with The Voice with all those famous singing folks).
In this inaugural episode, I’m going through the 9 different voice types – as outlined by Justin Blackman and Abbey Woodcock in Brand Voice Academy – and showing you what each one looks like in action!
And for this particular endeavor, I decided not to create emails for my own business… but instead to write 9 emails for a fictional sock company.
Because, ya know, socks are cool!
I was also inspired by my recent discovery of the real-life brand Darn Tough Socks – if you haven’t treated yourself to any yet, I’d seriously recommend it!
That being said, they have no idea I’ve invented a fictional spin-off version of their company, so remember that anything you read in these email examples is MADE UP, and not anything to do with any real sock company out there.
Now, to write these emails, I didn’t – in fact – channel the spirits of 9 different sock aficionados.
*All* I did was adjust the 4 dials of my Brand Voice Biometrics framework: Words, Tone, Cadence, and Style.
As you read through the emails, you’ll intuitively “hear” the different voices, and will likely identify one (or a couple) that are close to your own voice.
The trick, though, is being able to go beyond intuition and recognize the linguistic patterns that make your voice yours.
“But wait!” you exclaim, “That’s it? I don’t get to see HOW it all works? I just have to study the emails and guess as best I can??”
Well.
You certainly could do that.
Orrrrrr… you can join my email list with the opt-in at the bottom of the page, and get my video-recorded, behind-the-scenes tell-all about the making of the 9 emails.
(That option. You should pick that option).
Not only will you get my recorded breakdown of each of the 9 emails and voices, you’ll also get my regular emails chock full of stories, rants, and brand voice ideas & inspiration.
PLUS you’ll get the chance to book some of my snazzy brand voice services ;)
As Micheal Scott would say, “It’s a win-win…win!”
So, without further ado: The 9 Emails in 9 Voices…
1. Friend at the Bar
Hey there,
New Tough Socks copywriter here – I’m briefly coming out from behind the scenes today to share my (perhaps inappropriate) love of these socks!
At present count, I have about 20 pairs of socks in my drawer.
But funnily enough, I really only wear 2 pairs over and over again: my Tough Socks.
And the reason is simple: they’re the best!
As someone who works at a sock company, I’ve learned to grade socks on 4 things, and these ones come out on top in each category.
They’re the comfiest – they hug my feet and have just the right amount of cushion on the bottom, making them warm without being bulky.
They’re durable – even after weeks of wearing them (constantly!), they still look and feel like new. Plus, I’m not worried about wearing them out, thanks to their lifetime guarantee.
They’re responsibly made – I don’t have to feel guilty about my life of warm-footed luxury. As a Certified B Corporation, Tough Socks is evaluated by an outside party to make sure they’re keeping things classy when it comes to how they treat people and the environment.
They’re cute – just this weekend I added the second pair to my wardrobe, this time in a deep forest green with a cheeky raccoon eating a jelly sandwich next to a bowler camper (I mean, come ONNNNN, it doesn’t get much cuter than that!).
If you’re looking at the dropping temperatures with dread, wincing at the thought of cold feet in your sad, stretched-out socks…
Then do yourself a favour and order some Tough Socks pronto.
Plus, while you’re picking out some pairs for yourself, you can check your holiday shopping off your list!
I just gave a pair to my mother-in-law for her birthday, and they were a HUGE hit.
You can check out our entire winter 2023 collection here: Tough Socks Winter 2023 Collection
Happy shopping!
Warmly, (pun intended)
Julia and the Tough Socks team
PS. I kinda just breezed by this earlier, but they really do come with a lifetime guarantee.
If by some flaw in the universe you manage to wear a hole in yours, just send us a message and we’ll send you a new pair.
No return-shipping hassle, just a pair of new socks delivered straight to you.
After all, these socks are meant to be worn, not relegated to the back of your sock drawer ;)
– – – – –
When you measure this voice you see:
Words: Reading level grade 6-7
Tone: Cheerful, casual, excited
Cadence: Average 16 words per sentence
Style: Moderate (some bold, italics, all caps, but not TONS)
2. Learning as We Go
Hi there,
For the last 6 years here at Tough Socks, we’ve been experimenting to figure out exactly what goes into making a winning sock.
A sock that’s warm enough for winter weather, yet slim enough to fit in your regular shoes.
A sock that’s so soft and comfy it’s the pair you always reach for.
A sock that’s so well-made we guarantee it for a lifetime.
And each year, we get just a *little* closer to achieving…the all-time best sock ever!
This year, we’ve made a few key tweaks:
All our socks are now made from GOTS-certified organic cotton, putting us over the line to be a Certified B corporation.
We’ve added ¼ inch of padding to even our “every-day” socks, so you can have the comfy, padded foot feel without overheating your tootsies.
We’ve added 6 new patterns based on your artwork submissions, and man oh man are they cute. (Don’t worry, though, our classic patterns are still on the roster).
We’ve added a mid-rise style for those of you who want a little more than an ankle sock but not quite a medium calf length.
You can see all these changes in action in our Winter 2023 Collection, which is available now!
Check them out here (and don’t forget to pick some out as gifts!): Winter 2023 Collection
To warm toes and good times,
The Tough Socks team
PS. Also open right now is the chance to submit your artwork for our Spring 2024 line.
Each time we run these contests we learn more about just how talented our community is (and what weirdos some of you are!).
Remember, we’ve got 3 categories:
The under-10s: we’re scouting for the next Picasso. Any kid under 10 can send us their drawing (it doesn’t count if you’re 37 and still draw like a 10-year-old!).
The over-80s: who doesn’t love a sock designed by a grandma? I swear, though, this is where some of our most outlandish suggestions come from.
The in-betweens: if you’re between the ages of 11 and 79, this one’s for you! Send us your best ideas.
Each season, we pick 2 designs from each category to feature in that season’s collection. Plus the winner gets a lifetime supply of socks (as well as – obviously – lifetime bragging rights!).
You’ve got until January 31st to submit your art, and you can do so here: Spring 2024 Art Submission
– – – – –
When you measure this voice you see:
Words: Grade 5 reading level
Tone: Curious, lighthearted, sincere
Cadence: Average of 13-14 words per sentence
Style: Minimalistic (a few bolded words, the odd asterisk…)
3. Yogi
Hello darlings,
Elevate your experience this winter with Soul Socks’ stunning Solstice collection – a melody of soft textures, warm hues, and tailored styles that add a touch of the divine to this season of rest, reflection, and return to the light.
Each pair is intentionally designed by our founder to honour the specific energy points in your feet that connect to your root chakra – that source of security, balance, and foundational energy.
Leading with the Mudladhara red of your root chakra, each pair is mindfully woven to include different hues from our fair-trade, hand-dye process, as well as meaningful design patterns our founder channels through her meditation practice.
Crafted from the softest, GOTS-certified eco-friendly cotton, Soul Socks protect your feet from any abrasive or itchy fibers – it’s as if you’re wrapping your feet in warm, healing energy each time you slip them on.
As you browse the collection, you’ll be guided to choose from a refined selection of styles, each designed to gently support specific reflexology points in your feet, ankles, and calves.
This season, immerse yourself in the captivating beauty of our Solstice Collection, expertly crafted into extraordinary and distinct pieces of clothing that are certain to leave a lasting impression.
Whether chosen for yourself or as a gift, the feet adorned by these socks will feel immensely treasured.
Browse our Solstice Collection here.
Order online today or contact one of our specialists to select yours.
– – – – –
When you measure this voice you see:
Words: Grade 14+ (is that even a grade??)
Tone: Peaceful, blissful, calm
Cadence: Average of 24 words per sentence
Style: Very minimalistic – only the occasional dash to be found
4. Voice of God
Dear Julia,
From October to February, the average person changes their socks over 100 times.
Every time you choose what socks to wear, you have an opportunity to give your feet the comfort and support they need to keep you warm, stable, and healthy for years to come.
Our Tough Socks design is the first and only on the market to use GOTS-certified cotton in combination with ergonomic shape technology; a pairing that has been shown to give you the same benefits of walking barefoot (including reduced inflammation, improved sleep, and decreased stress levels) all while keeping your feet warm.
Unlike most socks, our patented Ergonomic Shape Technology™ reduces the heel-strike pressure with each step and ensures you maintain your barefoot foot position even while wearing socks.
As the holidays approach, be sure to support your feet (and those of your family and friends) with Tough Socks.
You can choose your pair here: Shop Tough Socks
Sincerely,
The Tough Socks team
PS. We believe choosing clothing that will last is one of the greatest ways to have a positive impact on people and the planet. With that in mind, all our socks are crafted with an extremely high level of care and come with a lifetime warranty.
– – – – –
When you measure this voice you see:
Words: Grade 10
Tone: Authoritative*, neutral, informative
Cadence: Average of 19 words per sentence
Style: Very minimalistic – only the occasional parenthesis to be found
5. Parent
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas…
And therefore, a lot like…stressful shopping!
These days especially, going shopping can feel like more of a moral-pitfall-dodging expedition than an enjoyable experience.
You find something you like (or something you KNOW your friend would love), and think, “Aha! This is it!”
But then, you’re trying to be a better person this year, so you Google the brand…
…only to find out the company is basically doing the equivalent of throwing trash directly into the ocean and kicking puppies.
Yikes!
So then you’re faced with this dilemma:
EITHER YOU buy the gift you know will be a hit and feel guilty about contributing to the world going down the toilet…
OR YOU go back to the drawing board and stress about how on earth you’re going to find a gift that’s:
Something the gift-ee will actually like
Good for the planet and for people
Within your budget
Believe me, we’ve all been there.
The good news is, at Tough Socks, we’ve got you covered!
In fact, a big part of what led to us starting a sock company in the first place was the desire to give responsible people like you a better option – an option that protects the planet, the people on it, and your personal sense of doing what’s right.
Our socks are great any time of year, but when it comes to the holidays, they’re the MVP of gifts.
After all, everyone wears socks (except for maybe your weird uncle who insists on sporting flip flops year round, but we won’t worry about him!).
And while everyone may not have experienced the bliss of a *truly* phenomenal sock, YOU can be the one to gift them that joy.
At Tough Socks, we make it easy to have a stress-and-regret-free shopping experience in a few ways…
All our socks come with a lifetime guarantee. And no need to worry about an annoying return policy, ours is very simple: send us a picture of the problem, and we’ll send you a new pair of socks.
We’ve got patterns for every taste. From classic muted colours to raccoons eating jelly sandwiches in front of a bowler camper, there’s something for everyone!
We’re a Certified B Corporation, meaning a neutral third party has evaluated our business practices and deemed them ethical and sustainable.
Our socks are comfy as heck! We all get seriously grumpy when our feet are cold, so when it comes to making socks, we don’t mess around. You can choose the length (ankle, calf, knee) and level of cushion you want, but whichever one you pick, your feet are in for a treat.
Now, if that sounds like it checks all the boxes on your shopping list, you can see our full line-up (including this year’s patterns!) here: Pick Your Tough Socks
And while you’re there shopping for friends and family, might as well pick out a pair for yourself ;)
To warm feet without regrets!
The Tough Sock Family
– – – – –
When you measure this voice you see:
Words: Grade 6
Tone: Protective, enthusiastic, caring
Cadence: Average of 14 words per sentence
Style: Lavish – we’ve got it all (bolding, italics, all caps, parentheses, lists, asterisks, etc)
6. Translator
Julia,
Everybody knows that to have a good pair of socks, they need to be comfortable, warm, and durable.
But sometimes that can be hard to find.
Sometimes they’re warm but scratchy.
Sometimes they’re soft but too thin or too baggy.
Or sometimes they’re perfect for a week and then get holes in them.
So what do people do?
They just shove the crappy socks to the back of the sock drawer, and cross their fingers the next pair is better.
Here at Tough Socks, though, we have a better idea.
Our socks are the only ones on the market that use organic cotton and foot-shape technology.
They keep your feet warm and protected, for cozy, comfortable feet all day.
No matter your plans, you can slip them on in the morning and be set till bed.
With the holidays approaching, they make the perfect go-to gift for anyone on your list.
You can check out our entire collection here, including our new holiday patterns: Shop Tough Socks
And while you’re there, don’t forget to pick out a pair for yourself!
Warmly,
The Tough Socks Team
PS. All our socks also come with a lifetime guarantee, so you never have to worry about them wearing out. Buy them once, wear them for a lifetime.
– – – – –
When you measure this voice you see:
Words: Grade 4
Tone: Straightforward, direct, informative
Cadence: Average of 12 words per sentence
Style: Minimalistic
7. Eternal Optimist
Hey Julia,
Have you seen the new designs that just dropped here at Tough Socks?
They are cuuuute!!
Plus, as always, we’ve made responsible shopping SUPER easy for you.
Our socks check all the boxes:
✅ They’re durable! They even come with a lifetime guarantee, how cool is that?
✅ They’re adorable! Seriously, some of the designs this year are the cutest yet (like the ones with a raccoon eating a jelly sandwich – I mean…come onnnn)
✅ They’re comfortable! We’re so over bulky, slippy-slidey socks that won’t stay put! Tough Socks have just the right amount of cushion and keep hugging your feet all day.
✅ They’re responsibly made! Tough Socks is a Certified B Corporation, so they’re *officially* good for both people and the planet.
Just this morning I picked up 2 pairs for myself (and a few more as stocking-stuffer gifts!!).
You can get your own awesome socks here: Let’s see some socks!
Happy shopping!
-The Tough Socks Crew
PS. If you want to go the extra mile, get your Secret Santa a Sock Subscription! Every 3 months we’ll send them a new pair with a just-dropped pattern from that season’s collection.
– – – – –
When you measure this voice you see:
Words: Grade 5
Tone: Bubbly, optimistic, enthusiastic
Cadence: Average of 9 words per sentence
Style: Moderate to pronounced (emojis, dashes, italics, asterisks…)
8. Anti-Establishment
Julia,
I’m going to let you in on a well-known secret: the fashion industry isn’t designed to make clothes that last.
It’s designed to make clothes that wear out, clothes you have to buy over and over and OVER again.
Which is – to put it bluntly – complete bullshit.
ESPECIALLY now that we know fast fashion contributes to approximately 34% of all CO2 emissions going into the atmosphere every year.
It’s irresponsible.
It’s disgusting.
It’s very nearly criminal.
Frankly, I’m sick of it, and I bet you are too.
At Tough Socks, that kind of ues-it-a-couple-times-then-toss-it mindset is exactly what we’re fighting against.
And it’s why we’ve designed our socks to not only be fashionable and oh-so-comfortable, but we’ve also gone a few steps further.
As a Certified B Corporation, we’re proving to the world that you don’t have to be a complete shit to make clothes – you can make high-quality items that are good for both people and the environment.
Each and every one of our socks comes with a lifetime guarantee. We DO NOT want you to buy more of these each year (unless they’re as gifts!). We want these to be the last socks you ever buy.
If you’re ready to give some kick-ass gifts this year – while taking away sales from fast-fahion mongrels – then check out our 2023 Revolution Collection.
To warm feet and taking a stand,
The Tough Socks Team
– – – – –
When you measure this voice you see:
Words: Grade 6
Tone: Argumentative, disatisfied, passionate
Cadence: Average of 14 words per sentence
Style: Moderate
9. Underdog
Hey Julia,
Something you may not know about Tough Socks is it’s the third business I’ve started.
The other two failed miserably…oh so miserably.
But Tough Socks is different, mostly because I’m just the ideas guy, not the one in charge of actually making it happen.
For that, we’ve got a whooollleee lot of people working behind the scenes.
There’s a design team, a marketing team, an accounting team, and an accountability team (yes, that’s different from accounting. More about being good stewards of the planet and all that, less about balancing budgets).
I’m just the one who announced one day, “You know what would be great? Having socks that don’t FALL OFF ALL THE TIME AND GET HOLES IN THEM!”
And my wife looked up and said, “You should make those”.
Now, 5 years later, here we are.
I may have yet to figure out how to balance a spreadsheet or sketch a design, but one thing I DO know is how to find OTHER people who know those things, and pay them to do the best damn job in the business: making the best damn socks in the business.
I’m still surprised it’s working, but again and again, we get customers telling us things like:
These socks are the best, the cutest, the comfiest, they last forever, they’re my favourites, etc.
So I figure we must be doing something right.
Which really shouldn’t come as a surprise, since we have the world’s best sock engineers (that’s not a real thing but I’m making it one) on our team.
Plus, we’ve made some intentional decisions along the way, like:
Becoming a B-certified company to make sure we’re doing what’s best for people and the planet.
Focusing on comfort and durability, so that our easy-return lifetime warranty policy doesn’t get worn out (pun fully intended).
Having fun designs – just because we’re serious about socks doesn’t mean they can’t be friggin’ cute.
In any case, we just launched our newest collection for this winter season, and our team has yet again knocked it out of the park.
So I figured I’d do my part and tell you about it (oh, and my marketing team wanted me to make sure I tell you to buy some as gifts too, not just a pair for yourself ya selfish doink).
You can check them out here: Tough Socks Winter 2023 Collection
To warm tootsies,
Jed and the Tough Socks team
– – – – –
When you measure this voice you see:
Words: Grade 7
Tone: Humble, baffled, bumbling
Cadence: Average of 16 words per sentence
Style: Minimal to moderate
Well, there ya have it, folks! Nine emails, in nine voices.
Just reading through those again made me realize how much goes on behind-the-scenes when it comes to brand voice… but writing that out would make this post EVEN LONGER THAN IT ALREADY FREAKIN’ IS!
So to spare you (and myself) another 3200+ words, I’ve recorded the behind-the-scenes tell-all as a video :)
In it, I reveal:
The three categories each of the 9 voice types fall into, and how they change your entire approach
A free, little-known tool you can use to double-check you're on track with your voice – with numbers, not just intuition
The unpublished results of my AI experiment (and why I abandoned it)...
...and a whole lot more!
There are a few things in there I really shouldn’t have included (things I normally only share with paying clients), but I was too lazy to go back and edit them out… sooooo you’re welcome!
To get the recorded tell-all, there are 3 easy steps for you to take:
Fill in the form below with your name and email
Go to your inbox and find the automatic ‘confirmation email’ you’ll get
Confirm you did, in fact, mean to join my email list…
…Ok I lied, there are more steps. 😆
Hit refresh impatiently, waiting for the welcome email to come through with the recording
Get the welcome email, binge-watch the tell-all (on 1.5X speed)
Reply to that email and say, "OMG, Julia, I want your help with my brand voice RIGHT NOW!"
Become my next favourite client and build a brand voice so snazzily distinct you’ll leave your competition in the dust
Take over the world and be crowned the Supreme Empress (or Emperor) of all the things
Die happy
See? Super simple.
And it all starts with giving me your email address ;)
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See you on the inside :)
-Julia