What is Copywriting Really? Part 2: Understanding People

Copywriting is a tool of understanding, a bridge of communication between people. And depending on the objective, it can be a bridge between a person and themself. And while one can argue that this is true of any art form, copywriting translates instead of transforms. It uses language and produces language. People express their ideas and desires in drastically different voices, and copywriting refers to that voice as it builds itself. As such, it cannot take what it’s given at face value and must provide a safe, judgment-free environment to connect and find the truth.  

If you tell copywriting that you are funny, open, and adventurous, the first thing it has to do is verify it. You might be fun-loving, people-pleasing, and brave instead. And that makes a huge difference. Sometimes our best quality is buried underneath our visage and needs to be dug out. We wish to present the best version of ourselves, so we embellish a little bit here, cover up a little bit there, and fuse who we really are with who we wish to be. We hope that by believing it, it becomes the truth. As admirable as this is, it often makes us an unreliable source of information, especially when the subject is ourselves. So, copywriting reads between the lines and even between words to find the real voice.   

And every voice is different; the way to find it is as well. It’s absolutely normal for people to struggle to express themselves. It has little to do with ability, or intelligence, or awareness; it’s a matter of how we present information and how much of it we present. The meaning changes depending on intention, context, and even present company. Copywriting is here to learn everything it possibly can, so this puts a lot of people on guard. They draw a clear boundary between what is business and what is personal. And copywriting likes to walk along that border. There is much to be learned about the person before we can begin speaking in their voice.  

Which brings us to another side of understanding people: the audience. The voice is talking to someone, and that person has a voice of their own. So, when copywriting hops into the audience’s head, it becomes their voice. It cares about the things they care about, asks their questions, and demands the truth on their behalf. They determine the ways in which to connect with them. And only when we’ve reached common ground can copywriting begin to bridge the distance through a shared voice.

Copywriting is understanding people, in real time, in close proximity, and with sensitivity. It requires versatility, precision, and a genuine connection. Whether it’s through a meeting, a phone call, or a brief, there are always signs and clues suggesting there is more to be discovered. And the better you are at establishing a connection, the easier it becomes to understand them, and the better you can speak their language. All this happens before we’ve even written a single word.