If you removed your logo from your website, would anyone know it was your brand?
Every e-commerce site has the same clean fonts. The same muted color palette. The same generic phrases like “elevated essentials” and “designed for modern life.” And then they wonder why no one remembers them.
Customers don’t leave because your product sucks. They leave because they’ve already seen your brand – ten times – on ten different websites.
Except it wasn’t your brand. It was someone else’s, with the same voice, same words, same vibe. And if your homepage says something like “Thoughtfully designed basics for modern living” – congratulations, you just described half of Shopify.
Your tone of voice is your brand’s fingerprint. If your messaging is interchangeable with your competitors’, your brand isn’t finished – it’s just getting started.
The good news? You can fix it. And it starts by asking better questions about how your brand sounds – and why.
Here’s how to stop sounding generic and build a brand voice customers actually remember.
Your Brand Voice Isn’t a Vibe – It’s a Set of Decisions
Most founders think brand voice is something you “feel.” So they chase aesthetics. Moodboards. “Minimal vibes.” And they end up with a website that looks good – but says nothing.
A great brand voice isn’t an aesthetic – it’s a strategy. It’s the decision to be irreverent instead of polite. To use slang instead of polished copy. To double down on emotion instead of explanation.
Liquid Death didn’t “feel” like mountain water. It decided to sound like metal. Omsom didn’t “feel” Asian. It declared itself “proud, loud Asian flavors.”
You don’t “discover” your brand voice – you decide it. And if you haven’t made those decisions, someone else’s voice is already speaking for you. Probably a generic one. Probably forgettable.
Want to stand out? Get intentional. Not vibey.
If You Swapped Copy with a Competitor and No One Noticed, You’ve Got a Problem
Here’s the test: Take your headline. Swap it with a competitor’s. Now ask yourself – would anyone know?
If the answer is “not really,” your brand doesn’t have a voice – it has a placeholder. Let’s get real: “Sustainably sourced. Quality without compromise. Designed for modern life.” That’s not brand copy. That’s AI with a Pinterest addiction.
Great brands pass the swap test: Glossier sounds like your confident friend. Reformation sounds like they’re mid-eye-roll. Death Wish Coffee? They sound like they’ll punch your alarm clock.
Failing the swap test isn’t a death sentence. It’s a signal. To write things only your brand would say. In a way only your brand would say them.
If it could be anyone’s voice, it won’t be remembered by anyone.
Stop Writing for Everyone – Start Writing for Someone
Generic copy isn’t just boring – it’s cowardice in disguise. It says: “We’re afraid to lose anyone.” And in trying to keep everyone, you connect with no one.
The best brands polarize. They speak directly to their people – and their people feel it immediately.
Omsom could’ve said “Authentic Asian meals.” Instead, they went with “Proud, loud Asian flavors” – and instantly became a rally cry. Reformation’s product descriptions casually roast you for adding to cart – and their customers love it.
These aren’t safe choices. They’re specific ones.
Before: You try to be liked by everyone and compete on discounts.
After: You speak boldly to your tribe – and they become loyal for life.
Brand voice is risk. That’s why most don’t have one. But it’s also why the few who do win.
You don’t build loyalty by being polite. You build it by being specific.
Bonus: Steal Like an Artist – But Don’t Copy the Voice
It’s easy to confuse inspiration with imitation. You see a brand crushing it. You study their copy. You mimic their layout. And before long, you sound exactly like them – just slightly worse.
There’s nothing wrong with borrowing strategy. You can reverse-engineer their homepage structure. Steal how they handle objections in their FAQ. Even adapt their category layout for CRO gains.
But the second you start copying voice – their tone, quirks, sentence flow – you’ve lost your brand. You’ve become an echo.
Before: You launch with a Franken-brand built from other people’s punchlines.
After: You sound like no one else – even if it takes longer to figure out.
Long-term equity lives in the words only you would say. Steal the scaffolding – not the soul.
Don’t Be Forgettable.
Most e-commerce brands don’t have a voice problem – they have a decision problem. They haven’t defined who they are, what they sound like, or who they’re truly for. So they fall back on trends, templates, and safe-sounding words. And then wonder why no one remembers them.
But when you stop writing for everyone, your real audience shows up. When you stop copying tone, your identity starts forming. And when you decide to sound like you – not like “them” – your brand finally starts to speak.
Sounding different is a choice. Make it.
If this resonated, here’s what to do next:
→ If you’re tired of content that fills space instead of driving sales, let’s talk. Schedule a quick demo.
→ If you’re ready to turn product pages, email flows, landing copy, and more into silent salespeople for your brand, subscribe to either our Unlimited Standard Plan or Unlimited Professional Plan to get started.
Your story deserves better than generic copy.
We make it unforgettable.