# Fizz — Voice & Tone

Loud, not noisy · In the room · Opinion-friendly · Curated with a wink · Instantly useful

## Personality

- **Funny ↔ Serious:** leans funny (-1) — Fizz can wink and play with music metaphors, but it should not turn every moment into a joke.
- **Formal ↔ Casual:** casual (+2) — The app lives in feeds, reactions, drops, and shares, so it should sound like a sharp friend in the conversation.
- **Respectful ↔ Irreverent:** leans irreverent (+1) — Fizz can be cheeky about culture and taste, but it should never mock users, artists, or communities.
- **Enthusiastic ↔ Matter-of-fact:** leans enthusiastic (-1) — Discovery should feel exciting and alive, while product instructions still need to stay crisp and useful.

## Traits

- **Loud, not noisy** — Fizz sounds high-energy and culture-aware without shouting over the moment. It uses punchy lines, sharp verbs, and a sense of momentum.
  - Why: Fizz is built around what’s breaking through in music and culture right now. The voice should feel alive, but not chaotic or try-hard.
  - e.g. "Your feed just caught a spark. See what’s bubbling."
- **In the room** — Speak like someone who’s already part of the conversation: current, observant, and quick with context.
  - Why: Fizz is about discovering, sharing, and reacting—not passively consuming. The brand should feel like it’s standing in the crowd, not reporting from the balcony.
  - e.g. "That track is moving fast. Add your take before the room flips."
- **Opinion-friendly** — Invite reactions without forcing hot takes. Make space for love, debate, surprise, and disagreement.
  - Why: Culture apps thrive when people feel comfortable reacting. Fizz should encourage expression while keeping the energy playful and respectful.
  - e.g. "Big chorus. Bigger feelings. What’s your read?"
- **Curated with a wink** — Use wit, rhythm, and a little edge, but avoid sarcasm that punches down or makes users feel uncool.
  - Why: Fizz lives in music and culture, where taste matters. The voice can have personality without becoming gatekeepy.
  - e.g. "New drop detected. Your headphones may have opinions."
- **Instantly useful** — Keep product language clear, short, and action-oriented. The vibe should never get in the way of the next tap.
  - Why: Discovery and sharing happen quickly. Fizz copy needs to move users from curiosity to action without friction.
  - e.g. "Pick a vibe. We’ll tune your feed."

## Tone by context

- **Onboarding:** Welcoming, quick, and taste-led. Make setup feel like choosing the aux, not filling out a profile. Use simple prompts and music/culture cues.
- **Discovery feed:** Energetic and present-tense. Emphasize motion: bubbling, breaking, climbing, catching fire. Avoid overexplaining why something matters.
- **Sharing:** Conversational and expressive. Help users frame their take without sounding like the app is writing a caption for them.
- **Reactions and comments:** Playful but respectful. Encourage honest reactions, not pile-ons. Keep prompts open-ended and avoid language that rewards outrage.
- **Notifications:** Short, specific, and timely. Lead with the cultural moment or social reason to return. Avoid generic engagement bait.
- **Empty states:** Light and encouraging. Treat emptiness as a fresh start, not a failure. Give one clear next action.
- **Errors:** Plain, calm, and slightly warm. Drop the jokes when something breaks. Say what happened, what to do next, and reassure users when their action is safe.
- **Safety and moderation:** Clear, firm, and human. Protect the community without sounding corporate or scolding. Avoid slang in policy moments.
- **Marketing:** Bold, compressed, and culture-forward. Sell the feeling of being early to the moment: the track, the clip, the take, the shift.

## Messaging

**Audience:** Music-first, culture-curious people who want to know what’s breaking through, see how others are reacting, and add their own take before the moment passes.
**Value:** Fizz helps you discover, share, and react to the music and culture that’s loud right now.

- **Catch the moment early** — Fizz surfaces the songs, artists, clips, drops, and conversations gaining heat before they feel old.
- **React with the crowd** — The app turns discovery into participation, giving users quick ways to post takes, respond, and see how the room is feeling.
- **Taste moves the feed** — Fizz learns from what users play, share, skip, save, and react to so the feed feels personal without becoming predictable.
- **Culture without the gatekeeping** — Fizz makes it easy to jump into music and culture conversations whether users are deep in the scene or just catching the spark.

## Lexicon

**Use:** `loud right now`, `bubbling`, `catching fire`, `new drop`, `the room`, `your take`, `tap in`, `on repeat`, `fresh`, `the feed`, `react`, `share`, `discover`, `what’s moving`, `what’s next`, `turn it up`, `behind the buzz`, `culture in motion`, `the moment`, `your corner of the crowd`
**Avoid:** `content consumption`, `user engagement`, `leverage your network`, `viral content`, `trending assets`, `synergy`, `thought leadership`, `optimize your experience`, `fellow youths`, `lit`, `slay`, `no cap`, `based`, `cringe`, `stan responsibly`, `breaking news-style seriousness`, `gatekeepy taste language like real fans only`, `engagement bait like you won’t believe this`, `overhyped claims like the only music app you need`

## Mechanics

- **Capitalization:** Sentence case for UI, notifications, and headlines. Use title case only for proper nouns, playlist names, artist names, and campaign lockups.
- **Contractions:** yes
- **Emoji:** Sparingly. Use only when it adds tone or rhythm, never as a replacement for clear copy. Avoid emoji in errors, safety, privacy, and payment flows.
- **Reading level:** Grade 7–8. Short lines, active verbs, and minimal jargon.

## Boilerplate

- **Short:** Fizz is a music and culture app for discovering, sharing, and reacting to what’s loud right now.
- **Medium:** Fizz is where music and culture move in real time. Discover the tracks, drops, artists, clips, and conversations catching fire, share them with your people, and add your take while the moment is still loud.
- **Long:** Fizz is a music and culture app built for the speed of the moment. It helps people discover what’s bubbling across music, artists, drops, clips, and cultural conversations, then react and share before the feed moves on. Whether you’re hunting for your next repeat, watching a sound catch fire, or checking how the room feels about a new release, Fizz brings discovery and reaction into one fast, social place.

## Voice in action

**Onboarding interest picker**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Start with what you’re into. We’ll tune the feed from there. | Select your interests to personalize your content recommendations. | The on-voice version feels musical and low-friction; the off-voice version is accurate but generic SaaS language. |

**Home feed headline**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary-cta | What’s loud right now | Trending music and culture | Fizz should own a more distinctive phrase than a standard category label. |

**Track card prompt**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary-cta | This one’s catching heat. Drop your take. | This track is becoming popular. Share your opinion. | The on-voice copy has momentum and social energy while still being clear. |

**Push notification for a new release**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| notification | New drop from Nova Vale. The room is already split. | Nova Vale has released a new song. Open Fizz to view reactions. | The on-voice version gives a reason to return: conversation and tension, not just information. |

**Empty saved items state**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| empty-state | Nothing on repeat yet. Save a track when it hits. | You have not saved any songs. Saved songs will appear here. | The on-voice version is warmer and more culturally native without sacrificing clarity. |

**Share sheet caption suggestion**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary-cta | Send this to someone with taste. | Share this item with your friends. | The Fizz version adds playful confidence while keeping the action obvious. |

**Network error**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| error | The feed missed a beat. Check your connection and try again. | Unable to load content due to a network connectivity issue. | The on-voice copy uses a light music metaphor but still explains the fix. |

**Comment policy warning**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| success | Keep it about the take, not the person. Edit your comment to post. | Your comment violates our community guidelines and cannot be submitted. | The Fizz version is firm, specific, and human instead of vague and institutional. |

**Successful post**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| success | Posted. Your take is in the room. | Your post has been successfully published. | The on-voice version feels social and immediate; the generic version is serviceable but flat. |

**Permission prompt for contacts**

| Surface | ✅ We say | ❌ We don't say | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding-welcome | Find your people on Fizz. We’ll only use contacts to help you connect. | Allow access to your contacts to improve your social experience. | The on-voice version makes the benefit and boundary clear in human language. |
