Ask most brands what’s special about their service or product and they’ll say ‘quality’. But how can you put this into words? How can your tone of voice help express this quality?

Part of getting across quality comes down to the facts: the substance that really makes a tangible difference. But the way you write about your product makes a difference too.  

1. Be quietly confident
There’s a lot to be said for understatement. When brands shout too loud about how great they are it can point to a lack of confidence. And high quality brands can be the worst culprits littering their copy with superlatives like ‘the best ever’, ‘the ultimate’ or that all-time classic, ‘luxurious’.

It’s the brands that have mastered understatement and created their own unique tone of voice that really stand out. Brands such as Apple, Honda and Orange somehow manage to shout louder by being quieter.  

2. Show don’t tell
This is a classic writer’s trick. When you evoke images in a reader’s head – rather than simply telling them facts – it can be incredibly effective. But how can this help get across the idea of quality?

The trick is not to push quality messages too hard. Don’t keep telling your reader that your product or service is the best. But show them by explaining how it works, what makes it different and by describing all the care and attention that lies behind it.

Lead your reader to a conclusion, don’t tell them what to think.

3. Don’t try too hard
We’ve all read copy that sounds forced, stuffy or overly ‘intellectual’. And unfortunately many big brands still subscribe to the belief that jargon will impresses clients. The truth is, it simply makes people switch off. Just because something’s high quality, doesn’t mean it has to sound overly complicated.  

Of course, there are lots of other ways to evoke quality in words. But stick with these three principles and you won’t go too far wrong.