planes-tone-of-voice

name	planes-tone-of-voice
description	Use when writing, rewriting, or reviewing any copy that should sound like Planes: pitch decks, proposals, playbacks, credentials and RFP responses, website and product copy, case studies, emails, taglines, headlines, or any client-facing or internal writing that needs to be on brand. Also use when copy reads generic, corporate, hypey, or off-voice and someone wants it to "sound like us" or "sound like Planes".
title	Planes tone of voice
discipline	general
type	skill
tags	["brand","voice","tone","copywriting","messaging","decks","proposals"]
added_by	julian
added_on	"2026-07-02T00:00:00.000Z"
status	stable
source	{"kind":"original"}
spice	medium
pack	true
summary	Write in Planes' voice: confident, plain, human, honest, with a point of view. The speed of startups with the strength of enterprise. Includes the principles, signature moves, real Planes lines, the words we use and avoid, the hard rules (no em dashes, no over-promising), and before/after examples.

Planes tone of voice

The voice in one line

Confident, plain, human, honest, and never afraid of a point of view. The speed of startups with the strength of enterprise. We make ideas move.

When to use

• Writing or reviewing any Planes copy: decks, proposals, playbacks, credentials, the site, product UI, case studies, emails, taglines, headlines.
• Copy that reads generic, corporate, or hypey and needs to sound like us.

Not for: a client's own brand voice (match theirs, not ours), legal or contract text, or code.

How we sound

Seven principles, in order of importance.

1. Plain over clever. Say the thing. Short declarative sentences, varied in length. Explain simply, often with "because". If a shorter word does the job, use it.
2. Opinions over capabilities. Say what we think, not just what we can do. A point of view beats a feature list. We are the studio that will respectfully disagree with the brief, and we win by being the one that said the true thing.
3. Proof, not adjectives. Back a claim with a number or a named piece of work, never a superlative. "102 products shipped" beats "world-class delivery". Show what changed for the client, not the deliverables we produced.
4. Momentum. We move. Active voice, led by "we". Verbs of shipping and motion: launch, ship, build, scale, move, get stuck in.
5. Honest. Never over-promise on impact or over-praise the work. If something is not built yet, say so. Grounded confidence beats hype, and the room can always tell the difference.
6. A bit of fun. Buzzing optimism with a little edge. We can be self-aware ("it's a bit messy, because the rules of the game change as we grow"). Human, not corporate.
7. Write it like work you're proud of. Not a template, not a press release. If you would not say it out loud to the client, rewrite it.

The differentiation test

If every studio could claim it, cut it. "We collaborate closely", "passionate about design", "we put users first" say nothing. Replace with the specific thing only Planes would say, backed by named work.

Register: bold to plain

Same voice, different volume. Read the room before you set it.

• Bold when selling the vision: pitches, hero lines, marketing. Short, punchy, a little swagger.
• Plain when doing the work: playbacks, working sessions, product copy, status updates. Clear and grounded, less swagger.
• Thought leadership on LinkedIn, talks, and insight pieces: teach, take a position, coin a frame. See the recipe below.

Both are confident, human, and honest. Neither is hype, and neither is corporate.

Signature moves

Contrast is the engine. Most Planes lines set one thing against another: clarity against complexity, outcomes against output, what a thing shows against where it takes you. The moves below are all versions of that. Use one per moment, never stacked.

• The turn. A soft, expected setup, then a bold turn. "Not just usable. Unstoppable." "We don't just launch features. We launch businesses."
• The yet pivot. State the accepted truth, then pivot on "yet" or "but" to the real problem. Our sharpest thought-leadership move. "Everyone is adopting AI, yet almost nobody is becoming AI-native." "AI is the biggest growth opportunity in a generation, but most businesses are stuck betting it on marginal gains."
• X, not Y. Terse, parallel principle labels that say what we do by naming what we don't. Best for approach and principles. "Ship in slices, not phases." "Build for outcomes, not output." "AI that's useful, not decorative." "Guide people to a decision, don't just show them the options."
• Coin it and own it. Name the idea in a few words, then repeat it so it sticks. "Complexity into clarity." "Digital confidence." "Single-player mode." "The adoption gap."
• Name the risk, own the fix. In pitches, say the problem plainly as something live, then take the fix. "Customers trust you, but the digital experience is undermining that. This isn't theoretical. The risk is live right now."
• A real hook, not a warm-up. Open with the point or a sharp line, never "Hi, I'm X and today we'll cover..." or "In today's fast-moving landscape".
• Proof, plainly stated. "102 products shipped. 9 award recognitions. 2.2M+ users reached." Numbers carry it. In decks, proof is often shown, not told: a client logo wall, or a testimonial with the key phrase in bold.
• The pairing. A quiet kicker over a bold headline, sometimes a bold word and a serif-italic word in one line ("Customer objectives"). The kicker sets up, the headline lands.
• One thing. Every deck, section, or email leaves one idea behind. Know what it is before you write.

Writing for LinkedIn and talks

The thought-leadership recipe, drawn from how we actually post.

1. Open on the reader's reality, in their words. Second person, plain. "You got the mandate, you bought the tools, you rolled them out across the business. And yet the returns aren't showing up."
2. One idea per line. Short paragraphs with space between them. Let each line land.
3. Name the tension with a yet pivot and a stat. "AI is being adopted faster than any technology before it, and yet only 5% of companies are seeing meaningful value."
4. Pivot on a question. "The reason?" "So how do you get out of it?"
5. Take a position, and coin a frame if it earns one. "We call it single-player mode." "Treating AI as infrastructure the whole business runs on."
6. Point to our work last, and lightly. "Swipe to learn how we helped Lewis Silkin place the right bet." Never open with the sell.

Avoid: "thrilled to announce", hashtag stacks, exclamation marks, and posting a brochure. Teach something.

Writing decks and pitches

How a Planes pitch tends to move:

1. Open on momentum, not a logo. "From scale-ups to household names, we bring the momentum to move complex product challenges forward."
2. Name the opportunity, or the live risk. "Customers trust you, but the digital experience is undermining that. The risk is live right now."
3. Show you heard the brief, then reframe it in a coined phrase. "What we've heard from your brief", then the one idea that changes how they see it.
4. Approach as X-not-Y principles. "Start with real needs. De-risk early and often. Make it real, fast. Ship in slices, not phases. Build for outcomes, not output."
5. Proof by association and a bolded testimonial line, not stat-stuffing.
6. Close on partnership and impact. "We'd relish building and launching it with you, fast and with impact."

Push back on one thing in the brief. We win by being the studio that said the true thing. See [[credentials-response]].

Real Planes lines (voiceprints)

Pattern-match the rhythm, do not copy them wholesale.

Positioning:

• "Make ideas move."
• "The product studio for the AI age."
• "We bring the momentum to move complex product challenges forward."
• "We help organisations turn complexity into clarity."
• "We don't start with pages or templates. We start with purpose, users and the problems that need solving."
• "The speed of startups, the strength of enterprise."
• "The future is moving fast. You should too."
• "To stay ahead, you need to lead the wave, not chase it."

Point of view:

• "We don't just do experiments. We build businesses that scale."
• "Most digital products miss the mark. We know how to launch and win."
• "We call it single-player mode. And most businesses are stuck in it."
• "When everyone has the same models, your edge isn't the technology. It's the expertise, the data, and the trust you've already built."
• "The existing site shows what's available. The new one should take people somewhere."
• "This isn't a theoretical issue. The risk is live right now."

Approach and principles:

• "Make it real, fast."
• "Ship in slices, not phases."
• "Build for outcomes, not output."
• "Start with real needs. De-risk early and often."
• "With speed. For scale. Backed by strategy."

Human and warm:

• "Designed to support people for the long term, not the length of a prescription."
• "It's a bit messy, because the rules of the game change as we grow."
• "Dare to fail."

Words

Sound like us: launch, ship, build, move, scale, real, traction, bold, fast, with intent, AI-native, make ideas move, lead the wave, move forward, dare to fail, get stuck in, speed of startups, strength of enterprise.

Cut on sight: leverage, seamless, robust, cutting-edge, world-class, best-in-class, revolutionary, game-changing, empower, unlock, elevate, synergy, streamline, optimize, utilize, facilitate, innovative, passionate about, partnered with, "proven track record", "full potential", "collaborate closely", "in today's landscape".

Hard rules

1. No em dashes or en dashes (— –). Ever. Use a comma, a colon, a full stop, or "·". Generated drafts sneak these in, so search and remove before shipping. [[humanizer]] enforces this too.
2. British English. organise, colour, programme, favour.
3. Sentence case for headlines and most UI, not Title Case.
4. No exclamation marks. The confidence is in the words, not the punctuation.
5. Honesty over polish. Do not claim what is not true or not done. Caveat clearly and plainly.
6. Cut hard. If a word earns nothing, delete it. Then read it again and cut more.
7. Don't repeat a signature line. Use "the speed of startups, the strength of enterprise", "we make ideas move", or the turn once per piece. Repeated, it reads as a slogan, not a voice.
8. No AI-speak or marketing fluff. When in doubt, run the copy through [[humanizer]].

Before / after

Generic	Planes
"Planes leverages cutting-edge design and engineering to deliver seamless, world-class experiences that empower businesses to unlock their potential."	"We build and launch digital products with the speed of startups and the strength of enterprise. Bold ideas, shipped fast, built to scale."
"Our proven track record speaks for itself."	"102 products shipped. 2.2M people reached. We know how to launch and win."
"We're passionate about design and collaborate closely with our clients."	"We'll tell you when we think the brief is wrong. That is why our work ships and lasts."
"This solution will transform your business and revolutionise your workflow."	"This won't do everything yet. Here is what works today, and what is next."

Who we are (keep copy true to this)

• What we are: the product studio for the AI age. We design, build and launch AI-native products. Three modes: Explore, Launch, Evolve.
• Proposition: We build digital product businesses that launch in weeks and grow for years. The speed of startups, the strength of enterprise.
• Vision: Creating accelerated possibilities for all.
• Mission: Launch often, learn together, lead by example.
• Purpose: Dare to fail.
• Values: Boundless grit · Radical openness · Buzzing optimism · Collective kindness.

Sibling skills

This is the voice hub. For specific formats, pair it with:

• [[credentials-response]] for RFP and pitch credentials.
• [[case-study-structure]] for case studies (outcome over activity).
• [[presentation-narrative]] for shaping a deck's arc.
• [[copywriting]] and [[copy-editing]] for marketing pages.
• [[humanizer]] to strip AI-speak and enforce the punctuation rules.

Common mistakes

• Reaching for adjectives instead of proof. Show the number, name the work.
• Listing capabilities with no point of view. Say what you think.
• Over-promising because it sounds impressive. It reads as a sales pitch, and clients can tell.
• Corporate hedging ("we aim to strive to help you achieve..."). Say what we do.
• Using "the turn" or the positioning line on every line. It is a spice, not the meal.
• Title Case Headlines. Sentence case.
• Em dashes carried over from a generated draft. Search and remove.

Red flags: stop and rewrite

• You wrote "leverage", "seamless", "world-class", "empower", "unlock", "passionate about", or "game-changing".
• A sentence contains an em dash or en dash, or an exclamation mark.
• A claim you cannot back with a fact or a named project.
• A line every studio could have written.
• Two adjectives doing one word's job, or a headline in Title Case.

The smell test

Read it aloud. Is it plain? Does it have a point of view? Could only Planes have said it? Is every claim backed? Any em dashes or hype? If it passes all five, ship it.