Pick Your AI Voices For Story Reading On HackerNoon

Your stories now have a voice – actually, two voices. And you get to choose them.

We’ve just rolled out a new feature that lets writers select which AI-generated voices read their published stories. Whether you want a warm, conversational tone or something more authoritative and professional, you’re now in control of how your content sounds.

Why Voice Matters

Here’s something most people don’t think about: many HackerNoon readers consume content in audio format. They’re listening while commuting, working out, cooking, or multitasking. For these readers, the voice isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s their entire experience of your story.

The wrong voice can make brilliant writing feel robotic or mismatched. The right voice? It enhances your message, keeps listeners engaged, and ensures your content resonates the way you intended.

That’s why we’re giving you control.

How It Works Setting up your voices takes less than two minutes:

Go to Your Profile Settings: Head to the Voices tab in your profile settings.
Browse Available Voices: We’ve curated 230 of AI-generated voices, each with distinct characteristics.
Listen to Samples: Click any voice to hear it read a sample sentence – you can also change the playback speed, mute the sound or download the sample to your device.
Select Two Favorites: Choose two voices that best represent your content.
Save & Done: Hit save (on the top right corner of your voices tab), and all your published stories will automatically use your selected voices going forward.

Don’t want to pick? No problem. If you skip this step, we’ll randomize the voices for you. Your stories will still sound great!

Tips for Choosing the Right Voice

Not sure which voices to pick? Here are some tips:

Match Your Writing Style: If you write conversationally with personal anecdotes, choose warmer, more relatable voices. If your content is technical and data-driven, go for clarity and professionalism.
Consider Your Audience: Who’s listening? Developers might prefer straightforward, no-nonsense delivery. Entrepreneurs and marketers might connect better with energetic, persuasive tones.
Test Before You Commit: Listen to sample sentences from your actual stories. What sounds good in a generic sample might feel different when it’s reading your specific writing style.
Think About Length: Longer stories (10+ minutes) benefit from voices that are easy to listen to over extended periods. Shorter pieces can handle more dynamic or distinctive voices.

FAQs

Can I change my voice selection later? Absolutely. Update your voices anytime in your profile settings. Changes apply to all your stories immediately.
Do different stories get different voices? No, your two selected voices will show across all your published stories.
What happens to stories I published before this feature? They’ll automatically adopt your newly selected voices. If you don’t choose, we’ll assign them for you.
Can readers choose their own preferred voices? Yes, readers can pick which voice they want to use to hear your story but only from your preselected list.