It’s 2013, we all live in Web World. We are light years away from Don Draper and Peggy Olson. Peggy was a copywriter in Mad Men. Her talent: seduce the 1960’s housewife to buy products wrapped in dreams. She wrote copy to persuade, hence the term copywriter.
In Web World, writing is more complicated. Sometimes we write to inform, sometimes to persuade. Unlike Peggy we don’t have one audience, we have several: customers, suppliers, job seekers and sometimes venture capitalists. And the stories we tell on websites are often non-linear.
A web writer’s assignments are more varied than ads and sales collaterals. They can include: write home page copy, create internal links, describe a sales process, write instructions, tell a story in a tweet, engage customers on a Facebook page. The list goes on.
Don Draper and Peggy Olson weren’t focused on user experience. But in Web World, it’s the only thing that matters. Web writers can contribute by enhancing the readability of their work.
You can enhance readability by making your text clear and easy to scan. Write headlines so readers know what to expect. Make your content relevant with ample white space around the text so your message gets noticed and read. All this makes for a more pleasant read.
As Web World marches into the future, the role of the web writer will continue to evolve.
Like this post? Share it. Or subscribe to my blog (see top right). Written by Don Seidenberg
Hi Don,
As a big fan of Mad Men and a fellow blogger/content idealist: love your post!
Nevertheless, I do want to point out a similarity between copywriting and web writing that has struck me during season 4. Not to take Mad Men too seriously, but the way they have to convince clients of the value of their copy sometimes, is something that we go through too. While everything else may have changed, clients still need to be convinced of the added value of certain copy over other or of a certain website lay-out that may not seem “pretty” but will lead to more conversion. If I could just ask Don Draper to do the talking for me sometimes…
Pauline, Thanks for reading. I totally agree with you. Persuading a client is difficult both in print and online.
Don
Client persuasion is based largely on the ability to create “need” in my view. Writing for the web is basically content writing that employs two major technical aspects: browser algorithms and search engine optimization via keyword use. When I began a copywriting career six years ago, the word, grammar and punctuation police didn’t exist and style guides were the rule rather than the exception. Today web content writers have little room for exposing their creative talents thanks to the rigidity of these restrictions. For me, it comes down to writing content my clients want and prefer. This is one method of retaining clients. Content that doesn’t offer a unique need doesn’t increase site traffic, improve branding, reputation or content credibility. Creating well-crafted content may be difficult; but, in the final analysis, it’s the distinguishing factor in which writers become the most sought after.
Thanks, Don, for summarizing the complexity of writing for the Web: persuading, informing, instructing — and yet doing it all by keeping the user experience in mind. And the users are so diverse. I agree with Eleanore that there seems to be little room for creativity. But the writer who is able to blend creativity with usability is pure gold.
Hi Don, I shared your article on G+ in a group about content marketing and copywriters
Eleanore and Terry,
I agree with you both. Many clients allow little room for creativity on their sites, which is too bad. Today’s web visitors are very sophisticated. You can’t engage them with the same tired blah, blah sales copy.
Mariken,
Thanks for sharing this post on G+
Don