The most under-invested step in onboarding.

Brand voice setup takes about ten minutes and it's the difference between content that sounds like you and content that sounds like everyone. Here's how to get it right.

In-House publishes real content into your real accounts: social posts, blog articles, ad copy, landing pages. The single biggest factor in whether that content feels right is the brand voice it learned during onboarding.

Most people rush this step. They type "friendly and professional", click next, and then spend the following weeks rejecting drafts that feel generic. Ten minutes of real input up front saves all of that. This guide covers what In-House learns from, how to set it up well, and how the voice keeps tightening over time.

Four sources, one voice.

Your existing content

Recent social posts, your website copy, email newsletters. Anything you've already published that sounds the way you want to sound.

How you talk to customers

The way you answer enquiries, write quotes, and reply to reviews. This is often closer to your real voice than your marketing.

Reviews and testimonials

What customers say about you, and the words they use, tells In-House what to lean into and what your audience actually values.

A few words from you

A short description of your tone: warm or direct, playful or precise, plain or polished. Three honest adjectives beat a paragraph of buzzwords.

Four things that make the difference.

Give it real examples, not adjectives

"Friendly and professional" describes almost every business. A handful of posts you're genuinely happy with teaches In-House far more than any list of traits.

Include what to avoid

Voice is defined as much by what you don't do. Call out the words, claims, and tone you never want to see: no hype, no exclamation marks, no jargon, whatever it is.

Be honest about your audience

Writing for tradies on a job site is not the same as writing for finance directors. Tell In-House who's actually reading, and how much they already know.

Pick one voice, even across channels

Instagram and a blog article can differ in length and format, but the underlying voice should be one person. Consistency is what makes it feel like a brand.

The voice tightens every round.

You don't have to get the voice perfect on day one. Every time you approve, reject, or tweak a draft, In-House learns from it. Reject something that feels off and tell it why in a few words; the next drafts move toward what you want.

Within a few rounds of feedback, most workspaces settle into a voice the owner is happy to publish without changes. The early effort just shortens that path.

Getting started guide Briefing your account lead

The most under-invested step in onboarding.

Four sources, one voice.

Four things that make the difference.

The voice tightens every round.

Bring your marketing in-house this week.