How to Create and Use a Brand Persona

Why is a brand persona important? I’m a sole trader; surely it’s just me, isn’t it?

Yes, it is to a large extent, but let’s say you’re successful in what you do and later down the line you add staff and ask one of them to manage your online presence. Now they have to post and behave like you online. How do you manage this without a brand persona?

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Your brand persona is your business’s personality. It’s not your logo, your colours, or your website (though all of those things should reflect it). It’s the voice and tone people hear when they read your posts, your emails, your ads. It’s how your brand is seen in the world.

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Once you have pinned down your brand persona, everything else becomes much easier. Writing all of social media captions. Creating content. Responding to customers. Even briefing designers or getting a VA. It gives you brand consistency and strength.

Understanding What a Brand Persona Is (and Isn’t)

A brand persona can be a fictional character that embodies your business's values, personality, and way of communicating. It’s not a customer avatar (that’s your ideal customer) this is all about you.

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I like to tell people they should imagine their business already on the High Street. Who are they perceived as when people walk in? Are they chatty and fun, or calm and thoughtful? Are they cheeky and bold or helpful and nurturing? How do they talk, act, and make people feel?

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You're basically building a character that helps you keep your tone of voice consistent, whether you're writing an Instagram caption, sending a sales email, or replying to a Google review.

The Types of Questions to Ask Yourself

Before you start filling in a persona, take a few minutes to answer these questions and be as honest as you can:

• If your business was a person, how would they speak?
• What kind of phrases would they use and avoid?
• Are you more formal or casual? More quirky or serious?
• What do your customers expect from you?
• What three words best describe how you want your brand to feel?

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If you’re not sure, look at what’s already working. Scroll through your old posts, emails or ads and pick out a few that felt really "you.” What tone did you use? What kind of reaction did you get?

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You may want to ask friends, family or even your clients what they think makes you different from your competitors. These thoughts and interpretations can aid you in your creation as well.

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Use a Brand Persona Template

With the above in mind, now you’re ready to start building your brand persona. Here's a basic template you can use:

• Name: Give your persona a name, it helps to think of them as a real person. (e.g. “Practical Paula” or “Cheerful Charlie.”)
• Voice & Tone: How do they sound? Friendly and informal? Expert but approachable?
• Language Style: Do they use emojis? Jargon? Irish slang? Are they short and snappy or detailed and warm?
• Values: What does your brand stand for? What do you care about?
• Do Say / Don’t Say:
   
  • Do say, “Let’s talk about what you want to do,” “These are the choices available to you,” “Let us assist you.”
   
  • Don’t say “leverage.” “Solutions,” “We’re passionate about…”

You don’t have to fill this in perfectly, just enough that someone else reading it would get a feel for how to write or speak on behalf of your business.

Now Use It Everywhere

Once you’ve created your brand persona, don’t just file it away in Google Drive and forget about it. Here’s where you should actually start using it:

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Definitely Social Media

Before you write your next caption, check if it matches your persona. Does it sound like your brand, or does it sound like you copied and pasted it from a competitor or even AI?

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Don’t forget Emails and Newsletters

Make sure your subject lines, intros, and sign-offs/outros are in line with your voice. If your brand is friendly and warm, don’t suddenly go all formal just because it’s email.

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Your Website

From your homepage to your FAQs, your brand persona should shape your tone. Read your site aloud; if it sounds unlike you, rewrite it in your brand voice.

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Replies and DMs

Even quick replies should feel “on brand.” If your persona is relaxed and personable, a simple “No problem at all! We’ve popped that infor you 😊” works better than “Request received. Will process shortly.”

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Telling Others (Like a VA)

If you’re outsourcing content, design or customer service, your brand persona is essential. It helps freelancers, interns (this is where this blog came from!), or staff stay consistent with your tone and style without needing constant input from you.

Review It Regularly

Your brand can change over time, it’s meant to. You might become more experienced and confident, you might have started to niche down, or perhaps you’re now starting to attract a different kind of customer. If your brand voice starts to feel off, take another look at your persona and see if it needs an update.

A Quick Example

Let’s say you run a small skincare business in Ireland.

Your persona might be:
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Name: Natural Niamh
Voice & Tone: Calm, friendly, and reassuring
Language Style: Plain English, no hype, soft humour, lots of empathy
Values: Honest ingredients, real results, kindness to self and planet
Do Say: “Gentle enough for sensitive skin.” We’ve kept things simple.”  Or “Made with care in Co. Clare.”
Don’t Say: “Disrupting the skincare industry.” “Anti-ageing.”“Game-changing formula!”

Everything, including your packaging and the text on your Instagram reels, should all sound the same. If you hand your persona sheet to anyone, even a new member of inexperienced staff, they should be able to create something that sounds just like you.

Creating a brand persona might feel like a lot of extra work, especially if you’re a sole trader but it will save you time in the long run. It removes the guesswork and makes your brand feel more human and transparent. It’s about being consistently you, so your audience knows what to expect every time they come across your business.

If you're not sure where to start or want a hand creating one for your business, let’s chat. This is one of my favourite things to help clients with and once it clicks, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.