How to write captions in your client's brand voice
How social media managers write captions that sound like the client: capturing brand voice, building a voice guide, and using AI without sounding generic.
"They're fine, but they don't sound like us." If you manage social for clients, you've probably heard some version of that. The client can't always say what's wrong. They just know their regulars would never talk that way.
That's the brand voice problem in one sentence. A caption can be well written and still feel off, because it sounds like a social media manager wrote it instead of the business owner. This guide covers how to capture a client's voice once and write in it every week, including when you use AI to help.
Listen before you write
The best source for a client's voice is the client talking. Their website is a weaker guide. Websites are often written by someone else, years ago, in a formal tone the owner never uses.
In your onboarding call, ask them to describe their business as if they were telling a friend. Record it (with permission) or take notes word for word. Pay attention to:
- Words they use that you wouldn't (a bakery owner who says "bakes" instead of "products")
- How long their sentences are
- Whether they joke, and what about
- What they get excited about without being asked
Then read their best-performing posts, their replies to comments, and their replies to Google reviews. Replies are often where the real voice shows, because the owner writes them in the moment.
Write a one-page voice guide
Turn what you've heard into a short document you can come back to. It should fit on one page. Longer guides don't get read.
A good voice guide covers four things.
A short description
Two or three sentences in plain language. For example: "Warm, witty and food-led. Never corporate. Lots of behind-the-scenes, and the staff are the heroes."
Do and don't examples
Abstract words like "friendly" mean different things to different people. Examples are clearer. A small table works well:
| We say | We don't say |
|---|---|
| "Sunday roast is back, and so is the gravy you dream about." | "Indulge in our exquisite Sunday dining experience." |
| "Tom's been at the smoker since 6am." | "Our team works tirelessly to deliver quality." |
| "Book now, Fridays go fast." | "Reserve your table today to avoid disappointment!" |
Words to use and avoid
List the client's own phrases and any words they dislike. Some owners hate "yummy". Others hate "artisan". Ask directly. It saves a lot of edits.
Practical rules
Cover emojis (how many, which ones), hashtags (how many, where they go), sign-offs, and whether they use first person ("I" or "we"). Note any topics to avoid, such as hard-selling, prices or competitors.
Structure every caption the same way
Voice is how it sounds. Structure is what it does. Most captions that work follow a simple shape:
- A hook in the first line, because that's all most people see before "more"
- One or two short sentences of substance: the detail, the story, the reason to care
- A clear next step, like booking, visiting, commenting or saving
Keep the structure steady and let the voice change from client to client. It makes writing faster, and it makes approval faster too, because clients know what to expect.
Using AI without sounding generic
AI tools can draft captions quickly. Out of the box, though, they write in a recognizable default voice: lots of "elevate", "indulge" and "nestled", em dashes everywhere, and endings like "It's not just a meal, it's an experience." Audiences have learned to spot it, and it makes a small business sound like everyone else.
Three habits help.
First, give the tool your voice guide every time, including the do and don't examples. Specific examples shape the output far more than adjectives like "fun" or "casual".
Second, give it the real detail. "New spring lamb dish" produces a generic caption. "Lamb from Higher Farm, 4 miles away, slow-cooked for 12 hours, served with wild garlic butter Tom forages himself" produces something worth reading.
Third, always edit. Read the draft out loud and ask whether the owner would actually say it. Cut any line that's there to sound impressive, and check for the common AI tells: inflated words, triple adjectives and "not X, it's Y" sentences.
A quick before and after
A generic first draft:
Indulge in our exquisite new spring menu, where seasonal flavors come together in perfect harmony. Experience culinary excellence at its finest! 🌿✨
The same post in the client's voice:
New on the menu: lamb from Higher Farm, slow-cooked for 12 hours and finished with wild garlic butter Tom picked this week. Available from Thursday. Fridays are nearly full, so book early.
The second version is longer, but every word carries information. It sounds like a person who runs a restaurant.
Keeping each client's voice in one place
When you have several clients, voices start to blur. Writing three restaurants' captions back to back, it's easy to let one owner's jokes creep into another's feed.
The fix is to keep each client's voice guide next to their content, not in a separate folder. Koda does this with Brand Intelligence. You save each client's tone of voice, brief, do's and don'ts, and brand colors once. Every caption draft, content idea and shoot brief then uses that profile. You can rate the drafts you keep, so the suggestions get closer to the client's voice over time. It's included on every plan, from £19 a month (roughly $25).
Whatever you use, the voice guide is the part that matters. The tool only works as well as the examples you give it.
FAQ
How do I find a client's brand voice if they don't have one?
They usually do. It just hasn't been written down. Listen to how they talk about the business, read their comment replies, and draft a voice guide for them to react to. Clients find it much easier to correct a draft than to describe themselves.
Should every caption include hashtags?
It depends on the client and platform. A few relevant hashtags are fine. Long blocks of them rarely help reach and can make a caption look spammy.
Can I use the same caption on Instagram and TikTok?
You can start from the same caption, but adjust it. TikTok captions are usually shorter, and the hook often lives in the video itself.