Why a clear, unique tone of voice?
Strong brand storytelling helps us drive:
Brand awareness: Thought-provoking stories let us grow and nurture a wide audience
Consideration and conversion: Consistent and recognizable communication builds trust in our brand and product
Repeat engagement: Stories establishing Blinkist’s relevance in the context of our audience members’ lives inspire them to engage regularly
What's covered here
Our storytelling, in a Blink...
We dare to discuss any topic
We elevate the conversation
We provoke, thoughtfully
We spark aha-moments
We recognize multiple perspectives
We connect curious minds
What Blinkist does & doesn’t do
We
• outline the facts
• bring the facts into insightful relief
• place those facts into contexts audiences can relate to
• focus on facts and valid arguments
• write with a wide-enough scope to still leave space for skeptics to feel spoken to
• acknowledge that the world is imperfect and life can be messy
We’re informative but also thought-provoking; curious but also factual; open-minded but also neutral. We provide possibilities but task our audience with using the information we give them to guide them in deciding for themselves.
We don't
• state rigid, individual opinions or subjective things as fact
• shut out the opposition simply because they simply are
• engage in toxic positivity, oversimplification, and ableism of any form
• don’t shy away from tough or complicated topics.
By taking a thoughtful and balanced approach with tough topics, we acknowledge the complex and eclectic reality of life, broaden people’s perspectives—and get them more in touch with the world and themselves.
Our Tone of Voice & its qualities
Encouraging
We all want to be encouraged to try something new, face a fear, or pursue a goal.
Write with positive impact (but beware of toxic, naive, or cheesy positivity), a realistic sense of hope, and with the energy that comes with delighting in the possibility of a better future.
Curious
If we’re not curious, we continue on the path set before us. With curiosity comes a burst of dopamine in the brain which shakes us up, gives us an aha-moment, and a surge of excitement that comes with discovery.
Ask questions, consider alternatives, be open-minded, and imagine those thought-provoking “What ifs” and “How mights”.
Human
There is space to remain human in the digital age—but we must create that space and live it. Blinkist is made for humans, by humans, about human knowledge. Being a person is unpredictable, imperfect, unbalanced, and sometimes even messy.
Don’t write with perfection in mind; focus on relatability and something in which people can recognize some of themselves, and realistically aspire to.
Insightful
Insights are what tip the scales for our perspectives and can change our course as people. Noticing something you never noticed before, creating a connection between two points of knowledge, understanding the relationships between things—these are all insights and aha-moments that come from scratching the surface by being curious and open-minded.
Write to highlight those insights in an efficient and effective way so that our audience can get down to the delightful work of doing something with them on a personal level.
Adapting Our ToV for Different Channels
Content
Your tour guide to powerful ideas from nonfiction
CRM editorial
That friend who recommends a new or insightful book
Curation
That bookshop clerk or librarian who knows what you like well enough to recommend things that are novel, fresh, and interesting
In-app
Your knowledge concierge
Collections
Your personal growth toolbox with an endless supply of handy tools to fit every project
Personality-driven experience
The way you get connected and plugged in to great thinkers, movers and shakers, idea revolutionaries, and sources of wisdom
ToV across different channels
Social Media
What’s the purpose of organic social media?
Organic social media is a space where we connect with new audiences and existing Blinkist users. By offering our audience members aha-moments and moments of delight directly in their newsfeeds, our storytelling inspires them to visit the Blinkist app for more.
On social media, Blinkist is a space where curious minds come together
We’re a hub that connects a diverse community of thought leaders and opinion makers, and we let our personalities’ ideas shine on our social platforms. But we’re also a space for our audience to come together to discover and discuss new ideas, and we encourage this active participation both in the stories we choose to tell and in the formats we choose to tell them in (e.g Lives, opinion polls, question stickers).
Our mission statement:
Through the stories we tell, we help our audience understand themselves and the world around them in a deeper way. If you follow Blinkist, your feed will be smarter, you will have a new perspective on questions that matter to you, and you will be provoked to think in ways you haven’t considered before. We're not afraid of a provocative headline, but if we provoke, it's because we want to inspire fresh thought.
Handling political and social justice topics
When an important news story breaks, our default is to engage with it by digging deeper. This could mean looking at a political or social event through the lens of the following questions:
• How did we get to where we are?
• What does this event mean in a wider context?
• How can we, as Blinkist, help our audience members understand how this event or cultural development affects them?
A recent example is our “Understanding the Ukraine Crisis” carousel post. But this approach is not new to Blinkist—a past example is our June 2020 post in response to the murder of George Floyd.
Relevant topics per market audience
DACH & US
It’s important to be aware of the local events in our key growth markets–these are opportunities to reach our American and German audiences in moments that matter to them.
What is an interesting local moment for Blinkist?
Dates of historical or political importance
These are clear opportunities for brand storytelling, as they’re moments when our product (key insights in 15-minutes) has obvious value to offer. One great recent example is the German election campaign, and another is our free Black Cultural Icons & Activists collection for Black History Month in the US.
Moments in pop culture
By zooming out and looking at the wider context of a more commercial event, Blinkist can add an interesting perspective also to moments in pop culture. For example: the Super Bowl could be discussed through an exploration of advertising strategies, and Oscar’s Night outfits could be approached from a sociological perspective.
What’s our stance on religious holidays?
These are also opportunities for cultural, historical or psychological explorations. Stories for the holidays might include managing generational conflicts constructively, an exploration of why we drink on festive occasions, or how the celebration of a certain holiday has changed over time.
Keeping diversity in mind
Our audiences in our key markets—particularly the US— are very culturally diverse, and the holidays we feature should reflect this diversity. A diverse holiday calendar isn’t only worth focusing on from an equal representation point of view: our product broadens our users’ perspectives, and for audience members who don’t observe a given festivity, well-crafted historical or cultural commentary can offer educational value.
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