4 Pieces of Unsolicited Advice for Marketing Writers

Just because you didn't ask for it, doesn't mean you don't need to hear it.

1. Thick Skin

Grow some armor. Because one day you’re gonna walk into a meeting and watch your precious idea get ripped apart like a piñata at a six-year-old’s birthday party. That’s the gig.

Everyone at the table’s got to earn their paycheck, so they’ll take a swing: “Wait, wait, I’ve got it.” Which loosely translates to “Your idea sucks.” Get used to it.

Your job? Be ready. Have the brief tattooed on your brain and use it like a shield. Or hell, just have a better idea in your back pocket … that’s how you got good enough to get in the meeting in the first place.

2. Editing

Hack at it. Then hack at it again. Then perform precise surgery. Picture a cranky little bastard in your skull screaming, “Get to the fucking point!” and listen to him.

Every extra word is dead weight. Drop it.

Now read it out loud. If it sounds like something a writer wrote, you’re screwed. If it sounds like something a human said, you’re onto something. 

3. Content Strategy

If someone sidles up and asks you for some “content,” like it’s peanut butter you can just spread on their stale toast, run. Fast. Brands don’t need to be vomiting words into the void 24/7. Nobody’s impressed by a constant drizzle. They remember the thunderclap.

Every time you open your laptop, you’ve got a shot at something that could actually matter. Doesn’t matter if it’s a monster billboard on the highway or a Tweet that barely fits in your palm ... swing like you’re trying to knock it out of the park.

Forget the hamster wheel. Forget the quota. Quality beats quantity every single time.

4. THE Question

Every killer ad starts as an answer to a question. And the only question that matters is: What’s in it for me? Why the hell should I give a damn about your brand?

Here’s the rub: most clients can’t answer that without sounding like a spreadsheet. They’ll drown you in logic, features, bullet points. Bless their left-brain hearts. But people don’t buy logic. They buy the hit. The laugh. The goosebumps. That little electric jolt of feeling something. 

So when you’re grilling a client, stop asking, “What do we want to tell people?” Instead, ask the only thing that counts: “How do we want to make them feel?” Because if it doesn’t move 'em, it won’t move product either.