There are a lot of “genres” of copywriting that really aren’t genres at all; they’re just buzz-y marketing. “Conversion copywriting” is a good example.
Since all copywriting is focused on achieving its goal for a project and if that goal is conversion well then, guess what? All copywriting is conversion copywriting. Calling oneself a conversion copywriter is just marketing, like calling yourself a health doctor.
But UX copywriting is one of the few copywriting types that actually is a distinguishable type of copywriting, even though—as you’ll see in a second—you’ll still use the foundation tools and tactics of copywriting to do it.
UX stands for “user experience” and UX copywriting is copy that’s designed to make the user’s experience clear and intuitive.
At first that might seem, again, like all copy does that, but when we’re talking about UX copywriting, we’re specifically talking about one subset of copy: The directional and instructional copy on websites, apps, software, and other digital platforms.
This might be easiest to grasp first by thinking about user experiences that haven’t been good. Have you ever been on a website, logged into something, or interacted with software and thought, “Wait, where am I?” “How do I get to where I want to go?” or “Where do I go or what happens if I click here?”
UX copywriting is copy that’s designed to be the clear, easy-to-understand guideposts as someone is interacting in a digital environment.
What does that mean? Well, in practice, it’s doing things like naming links and menus so that people will have a good understanding of what they’re likely to find in them. It’s making error messages actually HELPFUL to the person seeing the error. It’s guiding people through an unfamiliar process as concisely and easily as possible.
Here are a few examples:
And, of course, as with many things, it’s a lot more challenging than it seems. What might seem like straightforward, clear copy to one group of people might totally confuse another group. Putting a link in one menu might make sense to some people but might make it next-to-impossible to find for others.
So, how does a copywriter write UX copy well? As I mentioned earlier, even though it’s a specific type of copywriting, it’s still a matter of relying on the key tenets of copywriting as a whole.
When you’re writing UX copy, you need to put yourself in the user’s shoes. Keep the user journey in mind. Identify where the user would most likely want to go. Have a purpose for every single word you use, which also helps you keep it concise. Identify where the client’s goals are for the user and help guide the user in that direction.
Remember, too, that testing is going to be incredibly helpful. As a client tests out its digital products before launch, they’re also testing out the copy to figure out where people are getting tripped up and where people are moving through smoothly.
And, since UX copywriting is so closely tied to the layout of the page or screen, expect to work with wireframes (bare-bones mockups) or the fully designed layout to ensure that your copy works on the page.
You could specialize in UX copywriting, of course, but you could also just make it a part of your overall copywriting offerings. Personally, I like to sprinkle in UX copywriting projects for work variety. After all, isn’t variety one of the best things about what we do? 🙂
Your turn! Does UX copywriting sound like something you’d like to try? Would you want to add it to your toolbox of copywriting skills? Let me know in the comments below.
As a former UX designer, I inadvertently did UX copywriting back in the day, whether with placeholder text or with text that made it through to production! Getting some UX copy jobs would be a really great tool for my skillset, especially with my near-decade of UX design and research experience.
I would LOVE to write amazing UX copy for apps, specifically. The apps that invest in UX copywriting are just that much more pleasant to use because they’re intuitive, and usually have a bit of fun brand personality mixed in there as well.
Great post, Nicki!
Hi Jenn,
Cool – it sounds like you’re already ahead of the game! UX copywriting would be a great marriage of your skills. You’ll have to let us know if you start pitching for that work. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Hello, Nicki!! ?? Nice to meet you! I’m a recent enrollee to your Academy and found this post interesting. UX and UI are two fields I’ve recently learned more about and have been wanting to explore more. Unfortunately, courses in either or both are in the thousands of dollars, so it’s not an option for me right now.
Anyway, is UX writing the same as UX copywriting?? I just came across the term “UX writing” a few days ago by chance, so I wasn’t sure if it was the same thing. Either way, it definitely sounds like something I’d be interested in. If you have or know of any resources on how to develop this skill set, I’d be most appreciative. Thank you!!
Hi Isabel,
Yep, UX writing is the same as UX copywriting; some people are just less familiar with the term “copywriting.” And you can develop this skill in the same way that you’re building your other skills in the CCA – identifying opportunities and practicing! 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Yes, I would love to learn how to write UX copy and add it to my list of skills.
Hi Deborah,
Great – it’s certainly a worthwhile area to pursue!
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Great post!
UX in general has been growing as such a valuable new specialty for so many companies, so I’ve been curious about how exactly the UX writing part of it went.
Thanks for the explanation and examples!
Hi Ed,
Great – I’m so glad it all made sense. And it’s definitely a field worth looking into… 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Yes, I would absolutely love to add UX copywriting to my toolbox.
Hi Dana Marie,
Good for you! It’s definitely a valuable—-and sought-after—-skill.
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
User Experience, UX… it only came on my radar a few months ago. This blog helped demystify it and put UX writing in perspective.
Hi Sasha,
Great! I’m so glad it all made sense. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Yes please I would love the opportunity to try copy writing, it dose seem to be something I do think would suit myself very well thank you for the inspiration.
Hi Stacey,
You’re so welcome! And, if you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for our free video training–I think it’ll answer a lot of your questions. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Yes, I will really love to specialise in Ux copywriting and also learn how to wireframe, a whole lot of uniqueness.
Hi Esther,
Terrific! Just to be clear, though, it’s usually the designers that create wireframes, but they absolutely *are* integral to the work that we do as copywriters. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki