Articles

Why I Write Copy

a brief article discussing my love of copywriting

“I’m a copywriter.” This, as I have discovered, is usually a less than sufficient response to the typical “what do you do?” question. Blank stares or confusion regarding trademark law are the most common reactions; allusions to Mad Men’s Don Draper will occasionally give people a vague idea as to my profession. On the surface, copywriters are writers who have “sold out”; we write ads, content for websites, business plans, we’re essentially the literary cogs in the machine of capitalism. Dig deeper and you will find a combination of writer, psychologist, sociologist, salesman, hypnotist, and, if we’re honest, a bit of grifter.

Sadly, copywriting seems to be the first casualty when it comes to professional redundancies. It truly is a shame, copywriters double as salesmen and, horror upon horror, salesmen double as copywriters. Of course, there is a bit of an overlap; both of us use persuasion to nudge the mind towards, well, exactly where we want it. Copywriters can function as salesmen—of course, they are not nearly as efficient as proper salesmen—but salesmen rarely make good copywriters. Sales and copy require two very different mentalities; the rare individual who manages to effectively play both roles must undergo a dissociative mental transformation whilst switching roles. But it is obvious why copywriting seems so superfluous these days; it’s only writing, after all. Everyone has the ability to write, computers can check our spelling and grammar, so it must follow that anyone can write copy.

Check your premises, my friends; this logic is shakier than a salesman’s copy. Anyone can write, very few can write copy. Take the simple example of the content on a website; who amongst you would pay someone to write information on your website? It would be foolish, you know your product and you know your customers. But do you naturally read everyone you encounter? Do you question them on seemingly inane topics, analyze their answers, and categorically file that analysis away in your mental vault? This is neither a challenge nor a criticism; by all means, a normal person does not behave in such a manner. Copywriters, however, do behave in this manner. We are constantly noticing what people are thinking, what they are buying, why they are thinking and buying these things…it is slightly exhausting but it is well worth it. Before we put pen to paper, we must fully understand the human element.

Applying this knowledge of the human element to our writing is what makes us copywriters. We automatically adjust our tone, our word choice, our voice—every aspect of our writing—to our particular audience. Do you use a conversational tone or a straightforward approach? Where do you strike the balance between overly verbose rhetoric and monosyllabic vernacular? Should you write an overt sales pitch or sneak into the subconscious with subtle suggestion? Questions such as these are answered even before they are asked in the mind of a copywriter. We have studied classical rhetoric, linguistics, and logic. A copywriter, if allowed, will find great joy in telling the story of the English Language, from its Indo-European roots to its modern state—after emptying a few bars, the copywriter quickly learns that listening to others is a much more practical use of one’s free time.

Free time is, however, a slight misnomer; writing rarely restricts itself to office hours. Every copywriter carries some form of note taking device on their person at all times; notebook, tablet, voice recorder—this particular copywriter has a tendency to fill cocktail napkins with copy when ideas strike him. At home, at the bar, or in the office, copywriters really are always on the clock. We think hard on an assignment and then go about our day; eventually, ideas hit us and we write. We write down our ideas, sort through them, and attempt to create a well flowing bit of copy. After assuring ourselves that our copy is well written and dandy, we go back and gut the piece in order to custom tailor it to the particular assignment. We insert unfairly manipulative phrasing based on neuro-linguistic-programming. If we’re writing copy for a website, we gently weave SEO enriched keywords into the mix. For business plans, we attempt to tone down our naturally salesy writing style. The list goes on, each particular bit of copy has its own unique needs.

Now, keep in mind, this is no altruistic article, attempting to improve the lives of my fellow copywriters. I am no Dominique Francon, manipulating the masses for an undeserving admirer. This is an attempt to boost business for myself, it is a Hank Rearden initiative—did I mention that copywriters also love allusions? I wrote this with the intent of gaining more clients, clients whose businesses I will devote myself to. I believe that most copywriters would share my belief in fierce loyalty to our clients. This is partially due to the natural loyalty between those who do business together but also a practical understanding that if our customers do well, we do well. With all of these honest confessions, you may begin to wonder whether I’m simply being honest or if this is a calculated strategy in order to gain your trust. There is a simple way to answer this question, do business with me, or at least with another competent copywriter.