Getting Started with Inclusive Copywriting
“Words matter when building relationships with strangers (potential customers). And how we use those words to speak to and about those people matters even more.”
If this isn’t your first copy rodeo, you already know you craft content for target customers, not the masses.
Your audience is exclusionary. However, inclusivity must still exist within that space. Good copywriters are conscious of their audiences’:
Gender identity
Physical ability
Race
Ethnicity
Socioeconomic status
Inclusive copywriting uses language that respects diversity. Your aim should be to directly engage target customers without excluding anyone.
Take Blue Cross Blue Shield’s cringy campaign, for example, which involved posting signs on office elevators reading, “Today is the day we take the stairs.” In an effort to encourage more people to exercise, they COMPLETELY overlooked folks with disabilities who rely on elevators every day.
So, how can you write inclusive copy?
Use these quick tips:
Test your own unconscious biases here
Use gender-neutral language (e.g., swap out “man-made” for “handcrafted”)
Avoid restrictive assumptions (e.g., women don’t like football)
Now, let’s take it a step further. Inclusivity is so much more than the words and images you use. It’s also the concepts you reference—or your perceived “norms”—and your assumptions of how others experience the world.
For instance, if you’re writing a blog about parental leave policies, you should be mindful of the broader concept of family, including:
Same-gender couples
Single parents
Death of a parent
Divorce
Co-parenting
Surrogacy
Fostering and adoption
Writing for diverse audiences also requires a deep understanding of their unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Never just “assume.” Consult resources from these communities to gain first-hand accounts of folks’ experiences and the words they use to represent themselves. Use social media or Reddit to ask people to share their feedback and opinions.
Remember, words matter when building relationships with strangers (potential customers). And how we use those words to speak to and about those people matters even more.