Ah, the obligatory "What is the service I'm trying to sell you" page. "What is blank?" or "Why every website needs this one thing". The articles we love to hate in the world of online marketing have been the ones I've resisted writing. This newsletter isn't about answers; it's about questions. Today, we'll address a little bit of both.

What I Bring to the Table vs. What We Bring to The Table

I purposefully didn't phrase my title as a statement (What Copywriting Is, and Why You Should Care) because I don't like telling people what to think, and because I wanted to invite you into a conversation about the tools we have at our disposal, how we're most inclined to use them, and how we can imagine a better future with everything and anything, including copywriting.

Articles phrased as What Copywriting Is, and Why You Should Care follow this bit of traditional marketing, sales, and hell, even PR wisdom:

Have something of value to offer. If you don't have something valuable to offer, the article/pitch won't be worth the time of the audience. Time is a commodity, and we have to squeeze every penny out of it.

I don't believe that. The spheres in which we sell each other products, services, and news stories do.

Above all, traditional wisdom holds that we don't go in asking the (reader/journalist/audience) to offer you something of value/for a favor.

We have to prove we're worth it.

I'd rather think of it like this:

Engage as if you have something of value to offer, but you can't fully recognize what it is you have to offer society as a collective without the help and input of your reader.

You're not telling your reader or the journalist you're pitching in this model that you bring nothing to the table; you're saying, hey, I bring something to the table, and so do you. This relationship does not have to be transactional.

What is Copywriting, Actually?

Let's pretend I had written "What Copywriting Is, and Why You Should Care"(punctuation really does matter, y'all).

I would tell you that copywriting is a form of persuasive writing meant to entice the reader to take action. Ideally, it would capitalize upon an existing problem and discuss that problem with the reader, maybe using storytelling(When John and Deb moved into their first home, they had a shitty fence that gave them no privacy.)

Then it would move to offer a solution(John, Deb, and families around the world know how you feel. They were sick of being spied on by their nosy neighbors and were all but ready to move. That's when they bought the Spy-No-More Protective Fence for increased privacy and a more beautiful backyard).

And end with a call to action(Contact the Spy-No-More Fences team today to get a personalized quote for your home and set up an appointment. We can't wait to help you build the backyard of your dreams!)

Somewhere in between the problem and the solution, one may choose to agitate their readers to complete the PAS framework(pain-agitate-solve). This is when one may remind the reader of how much their problem really sucks. (Spied on during the most intimate moments? Long noses sticking through slatted fences? Not even able to enjoy a cup of coffee in privacy? Home begins to feel like a gilded cage in conditions like these).

If this seems mean, it's because it is, and it works. Heightening someone's pain(or pain point, as we like to call your weaknesses) in the moment drives impulsive buying or causes buying that a potential buyer has been thinking about for a while.

Another way copywriting is set up is the AIDA framework(Attention, Interest, Desire, Action), and most people weave one of these elements into the PAS framework. I won't get into AIDA in-depth, mostly because I don't feel like it, except to say it's what it sounds like.

Snag people's attention with a snazzy first paragraph; keep them reading with hard and fast logic; drive it home by appealing to their emotions; end with a call to action.

While pitching a journalist uses a very AIDA-adjacent framework, in 75 words, most copywriting I've come across, frankly, doesn't use a mix of either of these - except in the online business world. blech

Pitching a journalist uses a very AIDA-adjacent framework, in 75 words.

Who better to use the P-A-S framework to make you feel like your life is over if you don't spend $10,000 on their mastermind right now than an online marketer?

Most businesses use copy to get ranked by search engines and count on the fact that readers will appreciate the fairly informative information they put in their copy. (e.g. What is a Greenhouse? How Can I Benefit From a Greenhouse? How do I Maintain a Greenhouse? Sudden CTA; roll credits)

What Matters to You?

The strategy now is being the business people see first on Google - and that's not the worst strategy for sales, although it's taking the wind out of creativity's sails, no pun intended.

All of this to say, why should you care?

I think copywriting, like any form of human innovation, can be used for more than just selling stuff to other people. It is not inherently bad or good; it's simply persuasive writing.

What do you want to convince people to do?

Vote in local elections? Dream new dreams for the future? Raise children who respect one another? Spend less time on their screens? Save the whales?

What matters to you?

People always say, " I would spend my life doing xyz, but xyz doesn't sell." Maybe xyz is gardening, or birdwatching, or something out of the sphere of what we think of as a traditional job. I think that non-traditional jobs and space to co-create a better future are both needed now more than ever, and I also think the tools to convince people of that are right here at your disposal.

Words are worth a lot of money when they can sell people on an idea, or better yet, a lifestyle.

I'm writing about it and I'm living proof of it. I taught myself how to do this.

I'm hoping I can use my skills to make a positive change in this world, and I hope you'll join me in the most unlikely of places.

A teacher of mine used to say, "The most important thing is remembering the most important thing".

Why should copywriting matter to you? What is it you hope to persuade people to do - and how can I help you do that?