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Brand Voice Discovery — Conversation Guide
Tell me everything.
You're not filling out a form. This is not a test. Do not overthink. You're having a conversation — with yourself, honestly, out loud. Hit record and just talk. The messy, unfiltered version is the good version.
WHat to do
Choose your recording method — voice memo, Zoom, Loom, or any platform you're comfortable with. Audio quality doesn't matter.
Read each question aloud, then answer it. You don't need to be perfect. Rambling is welcome. The good stuff is usually in the tangents.
Skip questions that don't land — or come back to them. There are no wrong answers here.
When you're done, transcribe your recording and share the transcript. That document becomes the raw material for your brand voice.
Sections
Start by introducing yourself — not your bio, just you. Your name, where you are in life right now, and what you do in one or two sentences.
Where did you grow up, and how did that place shape you?
Think about the feeling of it, not just the geography. What did it give you? What did you have to overcome because of it?
Tell me your origin story — the real one. Not the polished version for a podcast bio.
The path that actually led you here, including the wrong turns, the detours, and the moments where everything changed.
What is the single most defining moment of your life so far?
The experience — personal or professional — that changed the direction of everything.
What was the hardest chapter of your life, and what did it teach you?
You only need to share what you're comfortable with — but the hard parts often hold your deepest gifts.
At your core, what drives you? What gets you out of bed on the days when nothing feels easy?
What are you secretly most proud of that you rarely talk about?
Outside of work — who are you? What do you love, collect, obsess over, protect?
Hobbies, relationships, passions, the weird stuff. All of it is data.
What are your top three to five core personal values?
Say them out loud and then explain each one briefly — what does it actually mean to you in practice?
Pick your most important value and tell me a story of a time you lived it — even when it was inconvenient or costly.
What is a line you would never cross in your business, no matter how much money was on the table?
What do you believe that most people in your industry get wrong?
The thing you'd say at a dinner table but might hesitate to put in a press release.
What are you tired of seeing or hearing in your space?
What truths do you stand for — even if they're unpopular?
What is an opinion you hold that your business colleagues would want to debate you on?
Who are your personal role models — real people in your life, past or present?
Family, mentors, teachers, coaches. Name them and tell me what they modeled for you.
Which famous people do you most admire, and why specifically?
Leaders, artists, authors, athletes, thinkers — anyone. Say their name and then dig into what it is about them that you're drawn to.
What books, podcasts, teachers, or ideas have most changed how you think?
Equally important: who do you not want to be like? Who or what do you actively push against?
A person, a style of doing business, a way of showing up — that you've seen and thought "never that."
Whose voice or writing style do you love? Who do you wish you could emulate?
Doesn't have to be anyone in your industry at all.
What experience or period in your life shaped your communication style the most?
What do you really do — beyond the service itself?
Not the deliverable. The shift. The before and after.
What transformation do people experience because of you?
What do people consistently thank you for?
Not the work — the feeling. What do they say in the moment they realize something has changed?
How do you explain what you do to a friend over coffee — no jargon, no elevator pitch?
If you could only be known for one thing, what would it be?
If your voice disappeared from your business tomorrow, what would be missing?
What phrases or words do you naturally repeat, without even thinking?
The ones that come out in conversations, on calls, in texts. The verbal tics you don't notice but others do.
What do people say "sounds like you"?
Give me three to five words that capture your natural tone.
Examples: warm, direct, grounded, sharp, playful, irreverent, no-nonsense, poetic... then explain what each one means to you.
What would your brand never sound like?
Are there words or phrases you would never use when talking to your clients? Any you use constantly?
If your brand walked into a room, how would you describe that person?
How do they dress, speak, move? What's their energy? Who do they remind you of?
How do you want people to feel when they interact with your content?
After working with you, how do clients typically describe the experience?
Use their actual words if you can remember them. Think about specific things specific people have said.
What emotional shift do you create? What state do they arrive in — and what state do they leave in?
If you could receive the perfect testimonial from a client, what would it say?
Say it out loud, in their voice, exactly as you'd want to hear it.
What are your clients struggling with — in their own words, not yours?
Use the language they use, not the clinical or professional description.
What phrases do they actually use when they describe their challenges to you?
What are they secretly thinking but not saying out loud?
The three a.m. thoughts. What they'd only admit to a therapist or a very close friend.
Describe your ideal client as a person — not a demographic.
Their personality. Their hopes and fears. What they've already tried. Why they're ready now.
Paint me a picture of their life before working with you, and their life after.
What are three to five things you say over and over again — on calls, in emails, in talks?
The sentences that keep coming back without you planning them.
What are your "mic drop" truths — the one-liners that stop people?
The things that make people screenshot or say "wait, say that again."
What do people quote back to you?
Take a swing at a tagline for your brand — don't overthink it, just say the first things that come to mind.
What feels off when you try to sound more "professional" or more "markety"?
What kind of marketing or messaging makes you physically cringe?
Where do you refuse to dilute your voice, even when people suggest you should?
Who or what are you explicitly not trying to be in your market?
What life or business experiences most shaped how you communicate?
What did you learn the hard way that you now teach simply?
What do you see that others in your field miss?
The insight that feels obvious to you but surprises people who haven't had your experience.
What's a contrarian view you hold about success, work, or life itself?
If someone read your content for five minutes, what should they walk away thinking or feeling?
What makes your voice unmistakably yours?
What is the energy behind your words — not the tone, the energy?
The thing that comes through even in a text message.
Complete this: if my business was a food, it would be _____ because _____.
Is there anything about yourself or your work that you've never said publicly but wish people knew?
What three colors feel right for your brand — and why those?
If you know hex codes, say them. If not, describe the feeling: warm gold, dusty sage, deep navy...
Share four websites or brands whose look you love — any industry — and tell me specifically what you love about each one.
The design, the layout, the photography, the typography, the overall vibe. Be as specific as you can.
Give me three words that describe the visual world you want to live in.
Airy, editorial, earthy, luxurious, playful, raw, structured, organic...
What do you not want visually? What aesthetics would you run from?
Are there any creators, accounts, or brands — completely unrelated to your industry — whose look and feel you're drawn to?
That's everything.
Now transcribe your recording and hand it over. The mess, the tangents, the "I don't know how to say this but..." — all of it. That's where your brand voice lives.