Is your copy unintentionally alienating parts of its intended audience?
We’re getting tactical on this week’s Build Your Copywriting Business podcast episode and digging into how you can keep your copywriting inclusive while still writing to a target audience.
You might be thinking, “Nicki, if my creative brief says the audience is men over 50, I’m going to write to men over 50, right?”
Yes, but even well-meaning writers unintentionally limit their copy because we all write from our own experiences.
So, Kate and I are sharing tips for how you can avoid stereotypes and ask your clients the questions you need to ask to write the best copy possible.
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Looking for closed captioning or a transcript? Watch the episode on YouTube!
A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[01:22] Even well-meaning writers unintentionally limit their copy because we write from our own experiences. Inclusivity can quietly slip out of a project if we don’t slow down and question our assumptions early.
[04:09] Inclusivity must be addressed during concepting and not during client review because that’s when mistakes become expensive and disruptive.
[02:21] The fastest way to avoid stereotypes is to focus on behaviors, motivations, and needs. Emotion-based insights create stronger, more effective copy.
[06:51] Filthy Rich Writer target people who love writing and want proven training. Wants and needs reveal far more than surface demographics. The wants and needs can be more insightful than gender, age, or race.
[05:48] Copywriters aren’t order-takers. Our job is to uncover what’s missing from the brief and surface assumptions the client may not realize they’re making.
[06:50] Copy can unintentionally alienate people when it assumes everyone arrives with the same context. Even when there’s a primary audience, others will still show up.
[10:35] Sometimes clients intentionally choose to speak to a specific audience and that’s okay. Our role is to raise the question, not override the decision.
[12:09] Simple word choices like “parents” instead of “moms and dads,” or “family” instead of specific roles, can dramatically increase inclusivity without weakening the message.
[15:27] Calling out a very specific audience is the right move. Clear exclusion can actually improve performance when a message truly isn’t for everyone.
[16:27] I encourage writers to pause and push past that first image that come to mind. What are other ways that we can convey what we want to convey, that we can meet this brief that might come at it in a a slightly different way?
[18:21] Expanding your visual and experiential inputs through reading, research, and even AI leads to better creative options and stronger copy.
[20:57] When we stretch ourselves, that’s when we do better work. What other directions could we go? What are the other possibilities here? It just makes us a better creative professional and probably also a better person as a whole.
Must-Hear Takeaways
As with every episode, we highly encourage you to listen to the entire conversation! But here are a few of the highlights:
“I don’t think lack of inclusivity is going to sneak in any way, shape, or form. Unfortunately, there’s a decent chance that it will.” – Nicki
“Creative briefs often sound specific but are actually broad, and it’s our responsibility to dig deeper.” – Kate
“The time to think about inclusivity is at the beginning of the project, not when the client is reviewing the copy.” – Nicki
“You don’t need to get to the point where it’s so broad that you’re not talking to anyone. ” – Nicki
“The more material we have in our brains, the more diverse our ideas become.” – Kate
Mentioned in the Episode
- Creative Brief: The First Step to Any Successful Copywriting Project
- How Long Should It Take You to Write Copy?
- 4 Keys to Find Laser-Like Focus To Write Copy
Related Links
- Copywriting for Nonprofits: 2 Tips to Crafting Compelling Copy
- How to Write Humor for Your Copywriting Clients
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
