Here’s a live look at what’s happening behind the curtain at companies of all sizes right now.
A marketing manager is under pressure to produce more content with the same budget. Their boss just invested in a pricey AI subscription for the whole team, so they start forcing teams to use it.
“AI will just help fill the gaps. It will make us more productive,” they said.
A blog post here. A LinkedIn update there. A product description, but only because the sales team is swamped.
Content is going out the door and it feels like a win at first.
Then, something starts to feel off.
That blog post sounds a bit too formal for a company focused on fun experiences. The product page is a stale list of bullets.
None of it sounds cohesive.
That’s because it wasn’t written by the same, well, anything. Whatever the AI decided to sound like today is what got spat out. This can range drastically depending on the prompt and who’s hitting the button.
Why Brand Voice Matters… and Why AI Sucks At It
Brand voice = trust. There isn’t much more to say about it.
When a reader encounters a company’s content repeatedly (which is what you want), consistency lets them feel like they know the brand. Inconsistency, even subtle inconsistency, erodes trust without anyone being able to put a finger on why.
AI doesn’t have memory. It doesn’t know what your client sounded like three months ago. Even if you feed it a pile of examples, it struggles to replicate voice consistently.
This isn’t a problem AI can fix.
But a writer can fix it.
Specifically, a writer who listens to the way a brand actually talks and the way their audience responds… and then put that into words.
You can be an invaluable, irreplaceable through-line that makes every piece of content feel like it came from the same place.
Right now, that’s a skill most clients desperately need. But they haven’t thought to ask for it yet.
In fact, they might not even know brand voice inconsistency has become a flashing red klaxon since they started using AI.
Suffice to say, the writers who show up offering the solution are going to have a very good year.
One Thing to Do This Week
You don’t need to have a background in consulting on brand voices to add value here. You just need sharp eyes and a framework you can stick to.
Pick a prospect in your niche. Spend some time finding a client you’d really love to work with that’s of an attainable size.
Go read their last ten to fifteen pieces of content. Blog posts, LinkedIn updates, emails if they’re public, whatever you can find.
Then ask yourself three questions:
- Does this content sound like the same person wrote it? Should it?
- Is there a distinct personality here or does it feel generic? The latter is your window of opportunity.
- What’s missing? Does it lack a sense of humor or point of view?
After assessing some content, write up a short, three to four paragraph summary of your findings. Be specific. Point to actual examples.
Then reach out and lead with it. Position it as an observation from someone who really pays attention to this “voice” stuff.
Remember, you aren’t pitching your services yet. You simply want to showcase your expertise.
Then the conversation can begin.
