Knowledge base copywriting: the four dimensions of tone of voice

Unless you’re a professional copywriter or UX designer, you have probably not thought much about tone of voice on your knowledge base influencing how your customers interact with your brand. 

Your knowledge base is so much more than just documentation. It’s an important representation of your company’s brand online. 

We want to explain how to strike the right tone of voice with your knowledge base copy in order to shape your brand identity with your customers. There are also certain conventions when writing support materials you can follow to optimize the customer experience. 

Research by Jakob Nielsen

Jakob Nielsen are a prominent marketing company who researched tone of voice in online copywriting. They categorized their results into four dimensions: humor, formality, respectfulness, and enthusiasm. 

They say, “Tone of voice is the way we tell our users how we feel about our message, and it will influence how they’ll feel about our message, too.”

They say you should view your website as a conversation with your audience, so that’s why we need to strike the right tone of voice with our copy. 

When we talk to our knowledge base users, we want them to know that are very happy to provide them with the support they need to use our products well and grow their operations. We want to communicate that we value and respect them, and that we’re doing our utmost to give them great value for their money. 

But how do we actually achieve this with the tone of voice in our copy? 

How to use the four dimensions

Using the four dimensions mentioned above, you can strike a tone that is a combination of these words: 

• Funny vs serious

• Formal vs casual

• Respectful vs irreverent

• Enthusiastic vs matter-of-fact

Your knowledge base must be in line with your brand but it is fundamentally different from your main website. It is not trying to sell a product or drive some other conversion but solve a problem for your customer - honouring this is how you respect and value your customers. 

Aim for a tone that is relatively formal and serious, but avoid using unnecessary jargon and complicated sentence structures that will bore readers. Depending on your brand, you can also be a little enthusiastic and casual, although not as much as you would be elsewhere. 

Recognize the professional nature of the setting and how it is still a transaction between you and your customers. You are giving them value for money by easily solving their problems with your products or service. You must clearly and succinctly explain the solution you’re giving to their problem. 

Act like your audience is your friend when thinking about tone for your documentation. Explain the solution as you would to someone who is not necessarily a technical expert. 

The right tone in your copy will go a long way to helping your customers understand your documentation, and they will thank you for it. 

Your turn! 

Have a go at using the four dimensions in your own knowledge base copy. Try to strike a balance in your tone without ending up too extreme. 

Let us know how you get on in the comments!