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Voice and tone
Sure, we could go on about our good looks, but we're more than just a pretty face. Voice is where our brand personality gets to shine.
Voice attributes
A brand’s relationships are shaped by the way it speaks. We want people — pros and customers each in their own way — to read and sense the real person on the other end of those words. Not many brands can pull it off. But we do, and it sets us apart. In combination, the following attributes make Thumbtack’s voice what it is.
Refreshing
In other words: unexpected, a relief, relatable, no BS.
Roofs leak. Carpets stain. Dogs eat your couch. Sometimes it just feels like one thing after another. The best way to keep things in perspective is to surround yourself with people who get it. We help you face the dirty, messy, leaky challenges of everyday life and even make you laugh about it sometimes. Isn’t that refreshing?
Realistic
In other words: straightforward, grounded, self-aware.
We inspire you to try new things that are actually achievable. Taking a lesson. Going for that new customer. Getting out of your own way. We tell it like it is and show pros and customers how they really are — no retouching, no sugarcoating. They’re real, wonderful, multi-faceted humans, just like yourself. And so are we.
Reliable
In other words: glad to be of help, trusted, reassuring.
We’re like your favorite neighbor: here when you need us to help with whatever comes up. We aren’t all up in your business — or telling you how to run one. We’re attentive, supportive and happy to give guidance when you want it.
What our voice is and isn’t
Here when you need us, not all up in your business.
Self-aware, not into ourselves.
A coach, not a cheerleader.
A relatable human, not a robot posing as human.
Inspiring, not lofty.
A knowing smile, not a belly laugh.
Different tones
Customers use Thumbtack to manage their to-do lists and get things done. Pros, on the other hand, use it to find jobs and grow their business. We adopt different tones to better connect with each audience and help them reach their goals.
When talking to pros...
We lean harder into the reliable attribute. Pros trust Thumbtack with their business and we take that seriously.
When talking to customers...
We can let our hair down. We’ll be serious when the situation calls for it, but otherwise, our goal is to be real and make them smile.
Style rules
Punctuation. Capitalization. Point of view. Yep, you haven’t had this much fun since grade school. Let’s get grammatical.
The royal we and “ok.”
We talk about ourselves in the first person. We also use the word “ok” — two lowercase letters for consistency and speed.
Sentence case and periods.
We capitalize the first word only (and any proper nouns) and end our sentences with periods. Period.
Oxford commas and exclamation points.
No Oxford comma unless it’s essential. And no exclamation points either. Unless it’s about weddings. But even then, sparingly.
Title case and ampersands.
We never use title case — not for headlines, not for buttons. And we forgo ampersands unless it’s a limited-character-count emergency.
Writing don’ts
Don’t use tech slang or jargon. Write like a human, not a robot.
Don’t evade or sugarcoat with cutesy language.
But don’t go too negative. There should always be an underlying optimism.
Avoid floaty language or corny platitudes.
Don’t make Thumbtack puns.
Stay away from gendered language or metaphors — assume your audience could identify with any group.
Putting it all together
Voice is our personality. It’s how we sound all the time. Tone is how we speak. It changes depending on who we’re talking to.
When talking to customers...
We skip the platitudes and get right to what matters to customers — the gross ants in their kitchen cupboards. But we have a little fun with it.
When talking to pros...
It takes a painfully long time to set up a Thumbtack account. We don't sugarcoat that, we own it.
