Writing for the brand voice.
A fact about the two ways a human brain can process writing sent me into a tizzy when I heard it. And I did hear it— from quietly inside my head. Your internal voice, your self-talk, your internal speech, your inner monologue, your stream of consciousness, the voice that you can “hear” when you read or think... it’s not a universal thing. I was so perplexed that there were people who didn’t hear words on a page that way. It’s true and it’s rare, and it’s called aphantasia.
I had to immediately poll everyone in the room, and sound off on every group chat to figure out which camp we all fell into.
My brother-in-law is the only person I know that doesn’t have a distinct narration running his day. Honestly, the way he describes it sounds pretty peaceful. But for the rest of us? Our minds are running a full-on theatrical production with characters. Besides an awkward first date, it’s the loudest persistent silence I can imagine.
"As a full-time writer and a part-time voice actor, this science validates that writing for my audience’s inner monologue voice, matters."
As a full-time writer and a part-time voice actor, this science validates that writing for my audience’s inner monologue voice matters. And selecting the right voice actor to give it an audible voice matters. We all know copywriting should —at its best— be human and conversational. To me, writing for the voice actor is how this plays out. I’ve had the privilege to both write and perform my own scripts for commercials. And I edit the words and adjust the delivery to get it just right. When I hire and direct voice actors for the scripts I write, I make sure that I let them run through a few reads with their own natural instincts. It's fascinating to see the number of interpretations a seven-sentence, 30-second script can get.
So, next time you’re birthing a script or a headline or a blog, notice how you’re performing it in your head. Even better, record a voice memo and listen to it. Does it feel and sound natural to say aloud? Are you tripping up on a sentence or word that doesn’t flow quite right? If you end up doing that raspberry thing with your lips and feel like you have to start over, you likely need to edit.
Listen up—reading and writing is musical. We dance around a cadence, a rhythm, inflections and pauses. Use the gift of punctuation to help guide and signal some of that to your audience. And keep pushing your copy as if you’re auditioning voice actors—do not drop the mic.
Written by Christina Trifero, Senior Brand Writer at Zapier
Writing for the brand voice.
A fact about the two ways a human brain can process writing sent me into a tizzy when I heard it. And I did hear it— from quietly inside my head. Your internal voice, your self-talk, your internal speech, your inner monologue, your stream of consciousness, the voice that you can “hear” when you read or think... it’s not a universal thing. I was so perplexed that there were people who didn’t hear words on a page that way. It’s true and it’s rare, and it’s called aphantasia.
I had to immediately poll everyone in the room, and sound off on every group chat to figure out which camp we all fell into.
My brother-in-law is the only person I know that doesn’t have a distinct narration running his day. Honestly, the way he describes it sounds pretty peaceful. But for the rest of us? Our minds are running a full-on theatrical production with characters. Besides an awkward first date, it’s the loudest persistent silence I can imagine.
"As a full-time writer and a part-time voice actor, this science validates that writing for my audience’s inner monologue voice, matters."
As a full-time writer and a part-time voice actor, this science validates that writing for my audience’s inner monologue voice matters. And selecting the right voice actor to give it an audible voice matters. We all know copywriting should —at its best— be human and conversational. To me, writing for the voice actor is how this plays out. I’ve had the privilege to both write and perform my own scripts for commercials. And I edit the words and adjust the delivery to get it just right. When I hire and direct voice actors for the scripts I write, I make sure that I let them run through a few reads with their own natural instincts. It's fascinating to see the number of interpretations a seven-sentence, 30-second script can get.
So, next time you’re birthing a script or a headline or a blog, notice how you’re performing it in your head. Even better, record a voice memo and listen to it. Does it feel and sound natural to say aloud? Are you tripping up on a sentence or word that doesn’t flow quite right? If you end up doing that raspberry thing with your lips and feel like you have to start over, you likely need to edit.
Listen up—reading and writing is musical. We dance around a cadence, a rhythm, inflections and pauses. Use the gift of punctuation to help guide and signal some of that to your audience. And keep pushing your copy as if you’re auditioning voice actors—do not drop the mic.
Written by Christina Trifero, Senior Brand Writer at Zapier