Ethics in writing copy that converts? It’s a strange line we draw in murky, muddied waters that seems to shift depending on where you are in your career, value system, and how desperately you need to put food on the table. However, you’re sure to know when you cross it.
I recently wrote a funnel campaign for a venture in the States. It aims at leveraging vaccination experiences into a collection of subjective diaries of as wide a spectrum of COVID-19 vaccinated individuals.
The method is pretty straightforward, they subscribe for free, in return receive a digital diary, for free, but their data is accessible by the host company.
A large, qualitative data analysis that will give the brains behind the campaign enough information to launch a class action against all stakeholders once enough evidence has been gathered around how the COVID-19 vaccination has affected a very large sample of the population. The personal accounts will be used to verify each claimant’s journey and experience.
Now, I’ve written for many niches and plenty of products and services that I don’t believe in, but I’ve never looked over a brief and had to do a double-take.
My problem isn’t necessarily with the service itself, it’s the demographic we had to pursue in order to secure as many leads, and conversions as possible.
In bold, just under age & demographic, we had: rightwing, conservative, conspiracy theorist/believer, flat earther, etc etc. the list was pretty long and I immediately felt uncomfortable furthering an agenda that I didn’t agree with. It just went against my value system completely.
Perhaps I’ve felt a pang of that same feeling from time to time over the years when writing on other projects. Maybe this one just hit closer to home because I had experienced loss during the first and second wave of the pandemic.
Maybe this just hit closer to home.
In the end, I wrote the funnel, with the same level of integrity that I would complete any other project, but a part of me still feels like I shouldn’t have done it.
That feeling has stuck with me now for some time, as writers are we crafting ideas and promises for the right people? Who are the right people?
Does that matter, is it something that we should be concerned with… And, where is the line there?
Where is the line there?
I know that I’ve written my fair share of funnels for overnight success promising coaches and courses. But, there are people out there who see the value in those coaches and courses and buy into that niche, so does it really matter what you’re selling and to whom it comes into contact?
If there’s a market, we should write for it, that’s what we do…
John Benson often speaks to the ethical and moral choices we make as writers, and that we should always maintain that integrity.
We can invent a fictitious person, but they need to be someone that in all probability does exist somewhere.
We can create an image of what a diet pill could do for you, but there needs to be a person who actually has achieved those goals.
But can we create a platform that manipulates and shapes a narrative?
Is that not what we do?
I find myself in a bit of a dilemma, and I wonder if others out there experience that too. The gig is the gig, but lately, there appears to be a little more grey around the ethics of writing.
It’s so sales-focused that there’s little to no thought being put into brand building and establishing a value system that prospects can connect and relate to.
A simple, intricately woven promise of what life will be like if you open your wallet (or minds) to us.
The authenticity of