How We Communicate
Tone of Voice Guidelines
Words matter.
They shape how people see us, trust us, and come back to us.
We care about how we sound because this impacts how our readers experience us. But we’re not just focused on sounding good alone, we’re more focused on sounding like us.
A culturally-sensitive expert you can turn to with your questions, your fears, your whole self and be met with care and without assumptions or judgement.
This identity guides how we speak with the Black community as BlackDoctor.
We’re all about helping our people feel seen, informed, and empowered about their health every time we show up.
At the heart of our content approach is a simple, powerful philosophy: Here’s how to do it. You can do it!
This is the overarching philosophy that guides every content we put out.
Our Tone Principles
Health Alchemy: We make change feel possible
This principle is inspired by our Magician brand archetype and drives the part of us that’s passionate about transforming our audience’s worry into action. We decode complex health topics into something our readers can understand and benefit from. We do more than share helpful information; we inspire transformation. Our content shows people what’s possible for their health and gives them the right tools and guidance to go after change. We speak with clarity, confidence, and respect. Not as experts looking down, but experts lifting others up. Pro tip - If it’s not actionable, it’s not helpful.
Culturally Grounded: We speak like our people
This principle is inspired by our Everyman brand archetype. Our language reflects where we come from and meets our audiences where they are. We use culturally familiar terms, perspectives, and references that Black people anywhere can relate to. We don’t mimic, we mirror. Our voice is informed by real-life experiences and not corporate assumptions. We sound like someone you know. A friend, a family member, or even a friendly neighbour. We ensure to keep things simple and clear by using everyday language as part of our vocabulary. And our stories are drawn from real, lived experiences in the Black community. From cookouts and church groups, to barbershops and birth doulas, we know the many ways health, family, struggle and joy show up in everyday life. And we name them.
Collective Care: We speak with our community
This principle brings us all together. We don’t write about Black people, we write for and with our people. As a transformational platform created for Black folks, we definitely don’t want to make our people feel like they’re alone in their journey. We believe in care that’s communal, interactive, and deeply personal to everyone. Because of this, we use communal words like “we”, “us”, and “our” when addressing cultural events that are exclusive to us. Our tone is warm, inclusive, and shoulder-to-shoulder, not top-down. Black health is an integral part of our community and no one should ever feel like they’re doing this alone.