1. What Is a Brand, Really?
Let’s play a quick game. When I say “Nike,” you don’t think “Helvetica and white,” right? How do you describe this brand? You think grit. Power. Just Do It.
That’s brand.
Not the fonts or the colors (though those help!) but the feeling people get when they interact with your business. It’s the story they tell themselves about who you are and what you stand for. That’s how to describe a brand — the impression that lingers when the tab is closed or the email is read.
A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a customer’s decision to choose one product or service or another. — Seth Godin
Your brand isn’t just what you say—it’s what they feel.
Reflect
Think about your favorite brand (maybe it’s a coffee shop, a podcast, or a skincare line). What’s the feeling it gives you? What story are they telling without saying a word? Now ask yourself: what story is your brand telling, right now?
Let’s talk about controversial brands.
2. Why Brand Perception Matters More Than Intention
You might be going for friendly expert, but if your writing reads like a robotic how-to manual, something’s off. Maybe you want to sound bold and confident—but you keep hedging your sentences with “just” and “maybe” and “I hope this makes sense.” How you describe your brand is just as much about how you talk as what you say.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being clear.
When there’s a mismatch between how you see yourself and how others experience you? That’s where connection fizzles.
But here’s the good news: that gap isn’t a problem. It’s a clue.
Let’s expound on this concept and make it more concrete with the exercise below:
Try This
Look at your last piece of content (email, caption, about page blurb). What do you want it to say about you? Now ask: if a stranger read it, what might they think about you? Are those two answers aligned?
3. The Three Pillars of Brand Truth: Culture, Vision, and Image
You don’t need to create a brand from scratch. You already have one. What we’re doing here is pulling the curtain back on what’s already there. To learn how to describe a brand and let it shine.
Your brand truth lives at the intersection of:
- Culture: The vibe you bring to your business—your personality, your quirks, your energy.
- Vision: Why you do what you do. The values that shape your decisions and the future you’re building.
- Image: The way your voice and content come across to others (yep, this includes your writing style).
When those three align? Chef’s kiss. Your brand just feels right.
Journal Prompt
What kind of energy do you bring into your work? What change do you want to create? And how do you want to be seen when someone reads your stuff, browses your offers, or lands on your about page?
4. If Your Brand Were a Person… (The Personality Exercise)
Imagine your brand walks into a dinner party.
Are they cracking dry jokes and topping off everyone’s wine glass? Are they quiet and curious, asking the best questions? Maybe they’re showing up in cowboy boots with a pile of sticky notes and a wild idea?
Getting clear on your brand personality helps everything else fall into place—your tone, your content style, even how you respond to DMs. Everything plays into a feeling, and all those feelings hold a key in how you describe your brand.
Not sure yet? That’s normal. Most people figure this out over time, not in one journaling session. (Although, ooh—journaling might help.)
Explore
Write a few lines as if your brand was a person introducing themselves at a dinner party. What would they say? What would they not say? Do they speak in stories or facts? Are they more likely to hug you or hand you a Google Doc?
5. Educate, Elevate, or Evolve
If the way you’re showing up doesn’t quite match who you are, it might be time to:
- Educate: Clarify your voice so your audience actually gets it.
- Elevate: Take what’s working and turn the volume up.
- Evolve: Let your brand grow with you—and show that growth in your content.
None of this is about burning it all down. It’s about bringing your message into closer alignment with your truth.
Action Step
What’s one part of your content that feels off—or not quite like you anymore? (An old bio, a sales page, an IG highlight?) Circle one option: Educate? Elevate? Evolve?
6. Brand Values 101: Why They Matter More Than You Think
Your brand values are the GPS for your content. They guide what you say, how you say it, and who it’s meant for.
Think of them as:
- The reason you write long, thoughtful Instagram captions when others post quick tips
- The impulse to refund someone before they ask
- The “no, thank you” you say to bro-marketing tactics
Values drive voice. When you know what matters to you, your content becomes unmistakably yours. See how this all feeds into your brand, how it feels — it all plays a role in how to describe your brand.
Dig Deeper
What do you actually care about when it comes to how you run your business? Don’t write what sounds good—write what’s real. Then ask: Do those values show up in your content? Or are they hiding behind “professional” copy?
7. How Values Shape Every Part of Your Brand
This is where it gets fun (and practical):
Your brand values influence your writing style, your offers, your emails, your sales pages, your onboarding messages, your newsletter sign-off, your autoresponder…
Every. Single. Word.
If one of your values is “transparency,” you might:
- Show behind-the-scenes processes
- Share pricing up front
- Use plain language that avoids buzzwords
If you value “delight,” you might:
- Include unexpected details (like a handwritten note or a GIF of a dancing goat)
- Use playful metaphors and fun subject lines
- Give more than people expect
See how that works?
Prompt
Pick one of your brand values. Then scroll through your website or a recent email. Does that value show up? Is it clear in your tone or only in your intent? What would it look like to go one level deeper?
8. Brand Truth in Action: How This Shows Up in Real Businesses
Let’s go back to Nike for a sec.
Their brand voice is bold, ambitious, aspirational. You don’t need a new pair of sneakers—you need to believe you can cross the finish line. That’s what they’re really selling.
Other brand voices:
- Mailchimp: Clever, creative, easygoing
- National Park Service: Cheeky, smart, trustworthy
- Dove: Empowering, compassionate, warm
- Oatly: Weird (in the best way), witty, direct
Each one shows up consistently, from packaging to pop-ups to social. That’s the power of knowing your voice and owning it.
Quick Reflection
Think about your own About page or Services page. Are you explaining what you do—or are you showing people why you do it that way? What values could you highlight more clearly, just by telling a tiny bit more of the backstory?
9. The Brand Development Cycle (And Why It Never Really Ends)
You don’t figure out how to define your brand once and call it a day.
You grow. Your audience grows. Your goals shift. And your message gets clearer.
And that means your brand needs a refresh every now and then.
Here’s what the cycle looks like through a content-first lens:
- Discover who you are, what you value, and what makes you different.
- Differentiate by identifying how your voice and message stand out in your space.
- Design the way you say things—how your ideas are structured, how your content flows, what formats suit you best.
- Develop the actual content—your go-to phrases, the way you explain your offers, the personality that shows up in your writing.
- Distribute that content through the channels that matter to your audience.
- Reflect on what resonates, what needs adjusting, and how your message might evolve next.
Then? You start again, just with more clarity and confidence.
Your brand grows as you grow. That’s a feature, not a flaw.
Prompt
Where are you in this cycle right now? Are you discovering, differentiating, designing, developing, distributing, or reflecting? (Spoiler: There’s no wrong answer.) What would help you move with more clarity?
10. Getting Started: How to Uncover Your Brand Truth
You don’t need to wait for the stars to align or a brand strategist to hand you a mood board.
You can start right now by asking:
- What do I want people to feel when they read my stuff?
- What do I actually care about in my work?
- How would I say this if I weren’t overthinking it?
This is exactly the kind of work we do inside Brand Values Breakthrough. We learn how to describe a brand and then how to write in a way that supports it.
It’s part self-discovery, part strategy, all heart. You’ll come out with a clear sense of who you are, what you stand for, and how to write like it.
[Check out the course here] (insert link)
You already have a brand. Let’s make sure it sounds like the best version of you.
Take a Moment
Think about your offers. Not just what they are—but what they mean. Why do they exist? What experience do they create for your client? What values do they reflect?
Because values don’t just show up in your words. They shape the whole experience.
