So there I was… Ignoring my pressing web copy deadline and fiddling about on Twitter. (Which is, I’ve realised, the exact opposite of minding your own business.) When I stumbled across a Multi-Re-Tweeted tweet on an article with the intro, ‘One of the worst mistakes copywriters make is to assume their job is about writing’. Sorry, what?

Needless to say, off I went to http://menwithpens.ca/, where I devoured Dean Rieck‘s piece – compellingly entitled, ‘WHY GOOD COPYWRITING GOES BAD: YOU’RE NOT STUPID. YOU’RE JUST IGNORANT.’ Here’s the intro:

“One of the worst mistakes copywriters make is to assume their job is about writing. It’s not. Now I know that sounds a bit odd. After all, the word “writing” is in the word “copywriting.” So it’s understandable why you might misunderstand. But writing and copywriting are two very different things. When you write a novel or a poem, readers want great words. They enjoy the rhythm, the imagery, the wordplay. People expect this kind of writing to deliver a certain art and beauty. When you write websites, ads, white papers, or other business materials, readers simply want information. They don’t care about the artistry. They aren’t looking for beauty. They just want to find out how to solve a problem or meet a need.”

And it just gets better from there. For the full version of this superb piece, please click here to be re-directed to Men with Pens. And if you’d like to check out Dean Rieck’s free copywriter’s cheat sheet, click here. It’s expialidocious.