The Tuesday Rant: Why Does Everyone Think They Can Write Copy?

By / August 19, 2008 /

Volume 6 In a Series By Felix

I’ve been a designer. I’ve been an art director on occasion. But most of my career has been spent writing copy. I studied it in college; I’ve spent more years than I care to count doing it professionally; yet the older and more experienced I get, I am constantly being told how to do my job. And I’m not alone.

Sure, if you’re a designer, art director, photographer or anything else creative in this field, you get told what to do, too. But for some reason, copy seems to be the one creative area that everyone out there feels fully qualified to comment on, be they an account director, production manager or the new intern with a whole year of college behind them. And it pisses me off.

Now, when I was green in the ways of copy, I was more than happy to take advice from all comers. They knew more about this arena than I did, being fresh-faced and idealistic. I still have a copy of the first direct response letter I wrote, for a credit card company. It has so much red pen on it, I swear it looks like I cut my wrists open in an effort to save myself further embarrassment. That letter went through double-digit rounds of changes. It was tough, but I learned a lot.

Fast-forward several years and guess what? Not much had changed. Within the creative department, my copy was flying through with minimal changes, if any. But that didn’t stop the red ink flowing, this time from the account directors and the clients. I have argued, until I am blue in the face, about grammar. It doesn’t need to be perfect; it doesn’t even need to be a passing grade. You can break all rules of grammar as a copywriter if the end game is communication.

That hasn’t stopped countless English major’s scribbling all over my copy. Usually it’s things like “stop starting sentences with and” or “rephrase so this sentence does NOT (underlined twice for effect) end with a preposition.” On those occasions, I fight the fight for one or two rounds, then usually have to give in and do as the client or account director asks because “it’s not worth it, it’s just a bit of copy.”

I get the arbitrary comments as well, just like the designers and art directors. “I’m just not feeling that word, can you rework it to give it more character?” So I do. And then someone else doesn’t feel the new word, and five rounds later we’re back to the original.

The problem, the biggest problem, with copy is that it’s a skill, a craft, disguised as something that looks relatively easy. Hey, everyone wrote essays at school, not everyone knows how to design. So copy is the one creative area that is open to assault from everywhere; it’s an easy way for anyone to put their mark on a project. “Hey, see that headline?” says Dan, the slick account man. “It wasn’t really doing it for me originally, but I gave the copywriter a few ideas and now, it’s gold baby.”

Sometimes designers and art directors jump in and try to defend copy, sometimes they don’t. I’ve had art directors tell me straight up “I don’t care what it says as long as it looks good.” Nice. Thanks. Of course, if the copy changes mess up this guy’s layout, suddenly he gets a big attack of team spirit and begins to fight the fight.

To me, copywriting is a skill that takes time to perfect. Not unlike plumbing or automotive repair, it may look simple enough at first, but there’s more going on that most people don’t care to know about. Before it is presented, it goes through many rounds on the page before the copywriter is happy with it. Every word has been pondered, every sentence deliberated. It’s not like we sit down, throw the first words onto the page that come into our heads and then go off for a coffee break. We are all doing what we can to make the words impactful, interesting and persuasive. We’re in the business of selling, and it takes time and effort to hone words and phrases into a powerful sales tool; then when Joe Schmo comes along and says “can you stop making it sound clever and just write what I tell you?” Well, that’s when writers can go postal.

Imagine walking up to the plumber and saying “yeah, I see what you’re doing there, but we’d really prefer duct tape on that joint” or “look, I know you’re the mechanic and don’t take offense, but I drive a car and I changed my oil once… and I know damn well you don’t need to take the engine apart to change the timing belt, k?”

Copywriters, senior or otherwise, deserve the same respect that is given to any other skilled profession, especially in advertising. If you, as an account manager, wouldn’t push the designer to one side and start messing with his or her layouts, stop doing the same with the copy. We know what we’re doing, and most of us can do it well if given the chance. On those rare occasions when copy is needed in ads these days, it’s best left to the copywriter… not some wannabe who fancies him or herself as some kind of wordsmith. Sorry, you’re not. Trust me.