Every kid gets told to use their inside voice.
Most companies never stop using theirs.
Inside Voice is how a company describes its news from the inside, assuming it’s interesting just as it is. The launch is exciting to everyone in the building, so it feels like it should be exciting to everyone outside it too. Of course people will want to hear about it!
Usually… they won’t. At least not the way it’s being described.
The good news? The interesting part is almost always in there. It just has to be dug out.
How to hear it
Inside Voice has a sound. Watch for these in your next draft:
- “We’re proud to announce” or “we’re excited to share”
- “Leading provider,” “innovative platform,” “best-in-class”
- Product names and internal terms your customers would never use
- A first paragraph about the company instead of about a person, a problem or a change in the world
None of this is wrong to feel. You should be proud! It’s just not what makes a reporter, or a reader, stop.
What digging looks like
One of my favorite examples started with team success software. From the inside, the story was the product and the company’s own flexible way of working.
So we asked what was actually changing for people. Remote work had exploded, parents were working from home with kids, and the traditional workday was starting to look pretty arbitrary.
We gave that shift a name: “windowed work” -- set blocks of focused work, broken up by blocks of life. The pitch went out as “Move Over 4 Day Work Week, Enter ‘Windowed Work,’” and it landed on TODAY and in HR Dive.
The co-founder became the expert explaining a new way to work. The company became the proof that it worked. The product was still there. It just stopped being the headline.
How to switch voices
- Ask who the story is really about. It’s rarely the company. Usually it’s a customer, a worker, a patient, a parent.
- Ask what’s changing. News is change. If your announcement doesn’t change anything for anyone outside the building, keep digging.
- Find the name. If there’s a pattern people are feeling but nobody has named, naming it can be the story.
- Run it through our MINUTES framework. If your news doesn’t trigger one of the seven reasons people pay attention, it’s still in its inside voice.
This is most of what we do all day, and it’s the fun part. Your team knows your business better than anyone. Our job is to hear it the way a stranger would.
Want a second set of eyes on your next announcement? Book a call with us. We’ll tell you exactly what we’d dig for.
FAQ
What does Inside Voice mean in PR?
Inside Voice is Notably’s term for the way a company describes its news from the inside, assuming it’s interesting as it is. It shows up as “proud to announce,” product jargon and first paragraphs about the company rather than about the people the news affects.
Why isn’t my company announcement a news story?
Because it’s usually told from the company’s point of view. A launch or funding round matters to the team, but reporters need to know who is affected, what is changing and why it matters now. The story is often in there, but it has to be dug out.
How do you turn a company announcement into a story?
Ask who the story is really about, what is changing for them, and whether there’s a pattern people feel but nobody has named. Lead with that, and use the company as the proof rather than the headline.
What phrases make a press release sound like Inside Voice?
Common ones are “we’re proud to announce,” “we’re excited to share,” “leading provider,” “innovative platform,” “best-in-class,” and internal product names customers wouldn’t use.