Same Message, Different Voices: What Happens When the Family Writes the Newsletter

A behind-the-scenes look at tone of voice, brand risk and why the cat probably shouldn’t be allowed near the send button

It started with a conversation about tone of voice and a question I’ve been asked often over the years:

“Who should write the newsletter?”

For small businesses and personal brands, the answer is usually “the founder”. 

​For larger companies, it’s often the most charismatic voice on the team, the one that audiences naturally gravitate toward. Neither is wrong. But leaning too heavily into a single person’s voice can shift the brand tone entirely.

And while this might help with reach or resonance in the short term, it poses challenges in the long run. What happens when that person moves on? If they were ghostwritten, can the tone continue seamlessly? If they weren’t, can the marketing stand without them? Are your readers attached to the content, or just to the character?

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We've seen this play out online before. Think of last year’s TikToks where Gen X voices tried to read Gen Z scripts. Tone matters. And even well-meaning content can fall flat if the tone doesn’t feel natural, or if it clearly belongs to someone who’s no longer around.

So, I decided to test this idea in the most honest and absurd way I could think of: I asked my cats. And my husband.

I gave them the same core message, a light update to our newsletter format and asked them each to write it in their own ‘voice’.

The results? Revealing.

And slightly worrying.
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Here’s what happens when the entire household tries to take the reins on brand communication…

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Stitching It Back Together

One update. Four takes. And four completely different moods, all from the same household.

It’s a reminder that tone of voice is more than just punctuation and phrasing. It’s the lived personality behind the words and when that personality dominates, it can transform how your audience sees your brand.

Sometimes, that’s exactly what you want. Other times, it’s a warning.

So before making someone the “voice” of your business, especially in your marketing, ask yourself a few things:

• Does this sound like us or just them?
• Can this tone survive if they go?
• Are we building long-term connection or short-term charisma?

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And if the answer’s “We’re not sure”… maybe don’t hand the content to the cat just yet.

# ContentPlanning #BrandStrategy #emailMarketing