Brand voice guide creator with tone spectrum and examples

# Brand Voice Guide: Kinetic **Brand:** Kinetic — developer productivity platform **Core values:** Clarity, speed, craft, community --- ## 1. Voice Attributes Our voice is defined by four qualities: ### Clear We say exactly what we mean. No jargon without explanation. No filler words. If a sentence doesn't add information, we cut it. ### Confident We know our product is good. We state facts, share data, and make direct claims. We don't hedge with "we think" or "we believe" — we know. ### Warm We're humans talking to humans. We use contractions. We make jokes (occasionally). We acknowledge that building software is hard and we're here to make it less hard. ### Sharp We choose precise words. "Fast" becomes "sub-100ms." "Better" becomes "3x fewer deploys." Specificity is our brand signature. --- ## 2. Tone Spectrum Our voice stays the same. Our tone flexes based on context: ``` More serious ←————————————————→ More playful Incident comms Docs Marketing Social Internal "We're aware "Run "Ship "Friday "Someone of the outage. this faster. deploy broke Investigating command Sleep energy staging now." to..." better." ⚡" again 🫠" ``` | Context | Tone | Example | |---------|------|---------| | Marketing website | Confident + warm | "Your code deserves better tooling. We built it." | | Product documentation | Clear + precise | "Run `kinetic deploy` to push to staging. Deploys take 8-12 seconds." | | Error messages | Helpful + direct | "Deploy failed: port 3000 is already in use. Run `kinetic ps` to see what's using it." | | Social media | Sharp + playful | "Hot take: if your CI takes longer than your lunch break, it's not CI — it's a nap." | | Support emails | Warm + patient | "I totally get the frustration. Here's what's happening and exactly how to fix it..." | | Incident comms | Serious + transparent | "API latency is elevated. Root cause identified. ETA to resolution: 15 minutes." | --- ## 3. "This, Not That" Examples ### Feature Announcement ❌ "We are excited to announce the launch of our new deployment pipeline feature which allows users to deploy their applications faster." ✅ "New: deploy in 8 seconds. The new pipeline feature is live. Here's how to use it." ### Error Message ❌ "An error has occurred. Please try again later or contact support." ✅ "That didn't work — your API key is missing from the config. Add it with `kinetic config set API_KEY=your-key` and try again." ### Pricing Page ❌ "Our flexible pricing plans are designed to meet the needs of teams of all sizes." ✅ "Free for solo developers. $29/seat for teams. Enterprise pricing for 100+ seats." ### Email Subject Line ❌ "Important Update Regarding Your Kinetic Account" ✅ "Your deploy times just got 3x faster" ### Social Media ❌ "We're thrilled to be recognized as a leader in the developer tools space! Thank you to all our amazing users! 🎉🎊🥳" ✅ "We made the G2 Developer Tools top 10. Thanks for the reviews — keep the honest ones coming. 🛠️" ### Blog Post Opening ❌ "In today's fast-paced world of software development, continuous integration and deployment have become essential components of modern engineering teams." ✅ "Your CI pipeline is slow. Here's how to cut it in half without changing your test suite." --- ## 4. Writing Dos and Don'ts ### Do - ✅ Use contractions (we're, you'll, it's) - ✅ Start sentences with verbs when possible ("Deploy faster" not "Faster deployments are possible") - ✅ Include specific numbers ("8 seconds" not "fast") - ✅ Address the reader directly ("you" not "users") - ✅ Use active voice ("Kinetic deploys your code" not "Your code is deployed by Kinetic") - ✅ Keep paragraphs to 3 sentences max - ✅ Use code examples in marketing copy (our audience appreciates it) ### Don't - ❌ Use "leverage," "utilize," "synergy," or "innovative" - ❌ Start with "We're excited to announce..." (show, don't announce) - ❌ Use more than one exclamation mark per page - ❌ Use buzzwords without proof ("AI-powered" must include what the AI actually does) - ❌ Hedge with "we think," "we believe," "perhaps" — be direct - ❌ Use ALL CAPS for emphasis (use bold or italics) - ❌ Be negative about competitors by name (focus on our strengths) --- ## 5. Vocabulary ### Words We Use | Instead of... | We say... | |---------------|-----------| | Utilize | Use | | Leverage | Use (or be more specific) | | Innovative | New / specific improvement | | Solution | Tool / platform / product | | Seamless | Smooth / automatic / in [X] seconds | | Best-in-class | [Specific benchmark or comparison] | | Enterprise-grade | Built for teams (or: SOC 2, 99.99% uptime) | | Empower | Help / enable / give you | | Journey | Path / process / workflow | | Disrupt | Change / improve / rethink | ### Our Signature Vocabulary These words feel like Kinetic: - **Ship** (not "release" or "launch" for product updates) - **Build** (our audience builds things; honor that) - **Craft** (we care about quality; so do they) - **Fast** (our core promise — always use specific numbers) - **Simple** (not "easy" — our users are smart; the tool is simple) --- ## 6. Channel-Specific Guidelines ### Website (kinetic.dev) - Headlines: 5-8 words, benefit-first - Body: 2-3 sentences max per section - Always include a code snippet or terminal command if relevant - CTAs: action verbs ("Start building," "Try it free," "See the docs") ### Email - Subject lines: under 50 characters, lowercase - One CTA per email (maximum) - Sign-off: first name only ("— Sarah from Kinetic") - Never use "Dear [Name]" — use "Hey [Name]" or just dive in ### Social Media (Twitter/X, LinkedIn) - Twitter: sharp, opinionated, occasional humor. Engage in dev conversations. - LinkedIn: same voice but slightly more professional. Data-heavy. - Never use corporate hashtags like #innovation or #digital ### Documentation - No marketing language. Pure clarity. - Every page answers: what, why, how, and what could go wrong - Code examples are mandatory, not optional ### Support - Acknowledge the problem first, then solve it - Include the exact steps (numbered list) - If it's our bug, say so directly: "This is a bug on our end. We're fixing it." - Never blame the user --- ## 7. Example Rewrites **Generic:** "Our platform provides a comprehensive suite of developer tools designed to streamline your workflow and enhance productivity." **Kinetic voice:** "Everything you need to ship faster: deploys, previews, CI, and monitoring. One tool, not twelve." --- **Generic:** "Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated on the latest features and improvements." **Kinetic voice:** "Get changelog updates in your inbox. No fluff — just what we shipped and why." --- **Generic:** "We encountered an unexpected error while processing your request. Our team has been notified and is working on a resolution." **Kinetic voice:** "Something broke on our end (error code: KN-4021). We've been alerted and are investigating. Check status.kinetic.dev for real-time updates."