Is Copywriting a Masculine Skill?

An interesting thread appeared on my copywriters forum. A member asked who, be it men or women, are better at writing copy for certain products than others.

Albeit a little close-minded in my estimation, the question seemed like a legitimate one and without any ill-intent. So I welcomed it. But while the thread started out gracefully and on-topic, it quickly took a few turns.

The discussion turned out to be nonethetless quite enlightening.

For example, one tangent went into the role of women in copywriting, as copy has been long touted as “the boys club.” This is where one proud board member offered some great nuggets that I wanted to share with you.

She’s “Power Writer” Susanna K. Hutchenson, someone whom I respect, and a copywriter I deeply admire and have done so for many years. As she joined in on the discussions, she opened a few windows into her history that’s nothing short of fascinating.

For the sake of brevity, I encourage you to go and read the thread in question to read her amazing story. But to sum up, this seasoned pro, who’s also a women’s rights advocate, rose to the top in this male-dominated field while overcoming tremendous barriers…

… Barriers that would make any of the “big boys” in the copywriting business cringe if they were to ever walk a mile in her shoes (or, as she says, “her well-worn boots”).

Now, I try to abstain from discussions on religion, politics and, of course, sex. On my blog as much as on my discussion forum. But I believe the thread brought some truly valid points that I wanted to bring to your attention to and get your opinions on.

First, let me share with you what I said.

Some of the best copy I’ve seen were initially thought to be written by men. For example, one in particular, for (of all things) a “men’s dating guide,” was ghostwritten by a woman. (And a fantastic copywriter, at that.) Many people, to this day, still think it was written by a man.

Another copywriter I know has a website with terrific credentials, a great portfolio and an amazing track record. But there are no photos or any indications as to who, exactly, this person is. (Yup, it’s a woman.)

Some great copywriters I highly respect are women. Susanna K. Hutchenson is definitely one of them. Another is Carline Anglade-Cole. Eileen Coale is also another. Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is yet another. (And don’t forget my wife, Sylvie Fortin. She’s pretty darn good, too.)

But is it truly because they are women?

Copy is a fantastic industry because it’s gender-free. (It’s also color-free.) But the moment we suddenly realize the author’s sex, our judgment becomes biased somewhat. Even though it’s been 130 years since George Sand, many people still cling to the belief that men are better copywriters than women.

(Incidentally, Susanna revealed that she, too, started out in the ’60s by writing using a man’s pen name. She dressed like a man to get her first job writing copy and even got a driver’s license as a man, too.)

My thinking? Sure, the industry is dominated by men. But don’t just blame the supply. The demand is at fault, too. Too often, clients opt for a man to write their copy, and they don’t even know what they’re missing.

Sad, really.

Even if you think you’re not sexist, most of us are. We can proclaim that we’re not, and protest ferociously when we’re called to task. But subconsciously, our brain’s circuitry tells another tale.

For example, take this online Harvard test called “Implicit” made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in his book “Blink” (great book, by the way). Scroll down and choose the “Gender-Career” test. It will only take a few moments of your time.

So, how did you do?

You see, even if you think you’re not sexist (or racist, or biased against any other kind of stereotype), your brain is wired in such a way that you will have a tendency to be biased, even if slightly, no matter what.

Some of it is genetic. But a lot of it is the result of environmental factors, such as society, education and personal experience.

Nevertheless, to me the question of whether a man or a woman can write better copy is a non-issue. Can a woman, in some industries or for a particular sex (say, women writing to women), write better than men? Sure.

But copywriting is salesmanship in print. (Or is that “salespersonship?”) Just like there are great salespeople who are either men or women, there are as many bad salespeople from either sex, too.

So the point is, it comes down to who is the better salesperson. Because, in fact, a truly effective salesperson is someone who can relate to any audience. (And even moreso when they appear to be at a disadvantage.)

In other words, while some products can be sold more easily to the same sex, because they may have somewhat of an advantage to some degree by being like their audience (and can therefore relate to them more easily, just like, say, financial copywriters who are investors themselves)…

… A truly great copywriter is one who’s able to think like the customer.

Regardless of gender.

Or race.

Or industry.

The bottom line is, a client may go with a copywriter who may appear, at face value, to be like their audience (and therefore has a leg up on other copywriters out there). But that’s a perceived advantage, not a real one.

Granted, in a perfect world, a truly smart client will choose to go with who sells the best. But since this is an imperfect world, the job rests on the shoulders of the copywriter. And a truly smart copywriter is the one who can sell him or herself the best, especially given those initial biases and barriers.

Because if they do, it means that their copywriting skills shine, no matter who they are — and particularly if they seem to be at a disadvantage.

Susanna later added that it’s not just men’s fault. Women are to blame just as much as men are, and I agree.

Many clients have a tendency to choose women for their copy because they think they’re cheaper. While that is a challenge in itself, the problem is, many of them are.

Many women copywriters charge too little because they either feel they don’t deserve it or base their worth on market demand.

As Susanna pointed out, our fees naturally reflect our experience and expertise, which applies to any service provider in any field. We start low as we launch our careers. As we hone our skills and improve our track records, we can raise our rates accordingly.

But the question is, do we?

That’s when she added this valuable nugget (edited for brevity): “The days of women taking a back seat are over. I demand more and I get it. If women put their price where it should be, they’ll get it, too.”

Sage advice, regardless of gender.

Zig Ziglar once said that “wimpy salespeople have skinny kids.” Well, I think that applies to copywriters, too. And just like Susanna hinted, you have to earn your keep and, when you do, demand your worth.

Copywriters are a dime a dozen. But good copywriters aren’t. And that’s how it should be. Which reminds me of an important rule I once stated (and it bears repeating):

“Cheap copywriters attract cheap clients.”

Because the bottom line is, it’s all about selling. Selling yourself as well as your copy. If you can sell well, particularly in print, you can — and I daresay, should — demand what you’re worth. Regardless of who you are.

About the Author

Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker, consultant, and CEO of The Success Doctor, Inc. Visit his blog and signup free to get tested conversion strategies and response-boosting tips by email, along with blog updates, news, and more! Go now to http://www.michelfortin.com.

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Posted by Michel Fortin on October 2nd, 2007. Filed in Articles, Copywriting, Ideas, News, Opinions, Personal. Tagged as client, Copywriting, credential, discrimination, favoritism, fee, female, gender, male, men, racism, sexism, women. Follow responses through the RSS feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

20 Replies to “Is Copywriting a Masculine Skill?”

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Comments

From AG

I totally agree with you Michel.

Thank you so much for laying this debate out in such a very clear way. It is true that this is a complicated subject. As you said, we are unaware of our own bias - and that influences everything.

I am a woman, and I work a lot with women - but not exclusively. And the worth issue is a very real one that has very deep currents through our society. It all begins with self-respect and humility. You posess both, which is why your writing is so great to read.

A
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Author's Website October 2nd, 2007
From Andrew Cavanagh

I’ve seen no discernible difference between male and female copywriters.

I’m actually working with a cub now who are a husband and wife team.

You can’t tell.

It’s all just copy to me.

I am old enough to remember my single mother getting paid less for doing exactly the same job because she was a woman and treated like she was of wayward sexual morals because she was divorced.

That was in the seventies…not so long ago.

Sexual discrimination is not pretty.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh
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Author's Website October 2nd, 2007
From Dave Zan

IMHO it’s a waste of time debating this thing, although I guess some find it a delightful subject to talk about. Who cares as long as the copywriter (male, female, even gay, maybe?) you hired brings the desired results and even more?

Of course, it can’t be helped some might be “sexist” about it. People are entitled to believe what they want, but others are also entitled to decide who to do business with that’ll likely bring about a fruitful relationship.

No loss no gain, maybe?
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Author's Website October 2nd, 2007
From Raj

YES!…Michel…

You have hit the ground this Time…

To the point….article…

Keep Growing…

Raj.
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Author's Website October 3rd, 2007
From Randy Smith

According to the tests I have a strong female to family leaning….
However I would argue that with both starting with an F it was quicker to classify that way…

In my sales career, as a manager - I had a mixed team, some of the females were top earner and some were not as good , likewise some of the males were also top earner and some were not as good.

At the end of the day - hitting targets was what mattered…. and the sex of the reps made no difference whatsoever….. why should it?

Personally - If I hire anyone for any task at all - I’m interested in the job getting done to my satisfaction - and nothing else.

All that said - society does still seem to have views over the male/female roles, and likewise there are still people in the world who judge other by race, religion, sexual orientation etc.

I doubt we’ll ever help them realise that people are just people - so all we can do is continue to educate the next generation.

As for specifically copywriting ….. Who really cares - it’s what the copy does that matters. (and if people do care what sex writes the copy - then they’re using the wrong data)

Randy
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Author's Website October 3rd, 2007
From Lance

Michel, you’ve made a great point about great copywriters. Regardless of gender, they can think like their audience.

But as you said, not many copywriters are great. When it comes to the average or even above , I’d say it’s fair to presume that on average women would excel in certain markets and men in others.

BUT…

It has more to do with the probability of what their THOUGHTS are (influenced by their gender) rather than what reproductive organs they have.

I guess what I’m saying is that it’s not such a crazy idea to think that gender may play a role in copywriting abilities up to a certain level (In BOTH MEN & WOMEN), due to sales abilities built on natural inclinations that are shaped in part by gender.

The ones who work hard and are determined to excel will negate any gender disconnect that is common among their less skilled colleagues (again, BOTH men & women).

So to simplify my response to one thought, it is this…

Men and women think differently until they teach themselves otherwise.
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Author's Website October 4th, 2007
From Ciara

An interesting point was that it is not the sole fault of the supply but also of the demand. And yes, I agree that many of us, women included, are indeed concealed sexists.
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Author's Website October 5th, 2007
From Daniel

This is an ironic topic for me as I am a male copywriter who just finished a project targeted at school teachers — specifically elementary school teachers (admittedly a predominately female audience).

The project manager wanted a “touchy-feely” tone to the copy and I delivered exactly what she wanted despite my “handicap” of being male. What the project manager knew for sure was that I have been blessed for 24 years to be married to a teacher, so I have insight into what would make this group buy the product we were pitching.

My copy went through the editing process largely untouched … made it through layout … and was in the final stages of proofing before being mailed, when it came to the attention of the VP of Marketing that I wrote the piece and not one of the female copywriters on staff. In a seriously short-sighted move that this female VP often makes, she demanded that the piece be rewritten by a female “because Dan is a man and cannot speak to this audience.” Schedules were overturned, priorities reworked, and the piece was late to market.

So despite generating millions of dollars in revenue for this company over the past 10 years — and being intimately involved with the target audience for a quarter of a century — my copywriting skills obviously are tied into my testosterone levels. Maybe next time I should work on some “Hooters” campaigns???

Sexism, unfortunately for some, goes both ways!
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Author's Website October 5th, 2007
From Susanna K. Hutcheson

If men did what they’re physically built to do (at least some men or the way they see themselves) they would not do a rather non-physical job, such as copywriting. They would be out hunting and gathering in a more manly way. They would be doing something of a physical nature, using their massive heft to do powerful things, to build and grow. But, alas, some men prefer to sit at a keyboard. Isn’t that rather like a woman’ job?

Isn’t the keyboard a woman thing? And who have been the greatest persuaders since the beginning of time? Who (if you believe the Bible) persuaded Adam to eat the apple? Who got a major hair cut that cut off his manhood because of a woman? Who, by the way, has always gotten better grades in school for the most part over the centuries? Who convinces men to marry? Who controls the purse? Who controls over 50% of the American vote? Who controls most of the shares of common stock? It ain’t men, my friend.

Of course, I’m making light. That’s because this whole issue is stupid. We all must do what we love to do, want to do and are good at. It makes no difference how we’re built or wired.

Being a male does not lay hands on a man. It doesn’t give him any special gift or make him better. It doesn’t anoint him. And as men get old they begin to look more and more like women anyway and both sexes sort of look the same. (Except some women have mustaches.)

By the same token, being a woman does not make her a superior being. She can give birth. But I’m not sure that’s all that great in and of itself. Many women would just as soon someone else have that job.

We’re all somewhat sexist. Men do think they’re superior. But secretly, we women know we’re superior. We were just taught to let the men think they were. My mother used to say, “Now let the boy talk about himself and you pretend to be interested.”

Well, I didn’t do that because I really wasn’t interested. So someone else got the boy. Wow. I’m glad. I ducked that bomb.

Face it. Not all men do “manly” jobs and not all women do “woman’s work.” Why? There really is no such thing. But we all know that no one is going to change their sexist way of thinking.

Women, however, don’t need permission to be successful at anything they choose to do.

I’ve just one word of advice to women on their way up. As my mother told me, “When climbing the ladder of success, don’t let boys look up your skirt!”
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Author's Website October 7th, 2007
From Michael Dean

Just a small note here…

I’m a married man (and want to stay that way). However, my wife comes by talking things out a whole lot easier than I do. That doesn’t mean that I’m not talking. It is just that I have an internal conversation going. She may be talking a thousand words a minute but I’m probably thinking 10k a minute (maybe not). Either way, you’ve got to start your thoughts before you can write copy. The skill is in the transition from thought to keyboard.
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Author's Website October 11th, 2007
From AG

OK this whole gender thing is such a hot topic that I am posted about it, how it relates to personal values and the valuing of women on my own blog. You can read that post here:

astrologychick.com/2007/10/11/britney-spears-astrological-ho…
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Author's Website October 11th, 2007
From Susanna K. Hutcheson

To Michael Dean,

I’m not sure that internalizing is a male thing. I think far more than I talk. In fact, I don’t talk much at all and hate small talk. Now, if I happen upon a really interesting person (of either sex) who is a good communicator and with whom I’ve a lot in common, I love to talk to them and with them. But, like you, I think before I talk and I think before working on a project (writing). I assume that’s what you were trying to say although I wasn’t sure.
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Author's Website October 11th, 2007
From Adams

Interesting, I’m sure there a differences sometimes depending on the topic, but I never really thought about it.
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Author's Website October 18th, 2007
From Benedict Manovill

I can see how this might be a hot topic. When I read a piece of copy, though, I cannot tell whether a man or a woman wrote it. It doesn’t matter. If the piece works, that is all that matters.
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Author's Website October 23rd, 2007
From Susanna K. Hutcheson

There are some ads that each sex simply can’t write. I’ll admit that. At least not effectively.

A man has no idea what it feels like to get a mammogram and needing badly to put on deodorant afterwards because you’re not allowed to wear it before the procedure. A man would never understand that. So he couldn’t very well write a deodorant commercial aimed at women and use that particular event in the commercial. He would never think of it. But a woman would.

And I admit that I would have a hard time writing copy about jock itch. In fact, since I’ve never had it, how could I address the subject as well as a man who has had it?

But aside from those types of things, copy is copy and writing is writing. Either sex can write about real estate, investments, taxes, any type of business or service, etc.

As to whether male clients prefer male copywriters, I really do not believe they do. In fact, many men prefer to work with women. But, the truth is, in my experience, men want to work with whoever they believe will do the best job. Yes, men are sexist. So are women. But the bottom line: We’ll do business with whoever will do the best job for us.

And, I’d like to add as a personal note, that having lived many decades, I find men today much more decent and much more respectful and far less pigs than when I was young. And I believe that’s because my generation taught the boys to be more sensitive and more manly by not being pigs.

Our society is growing up . . . finally. People are beginning to realize that all of us are more alike than different.
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Author's Website October 25th, 2007
From Michel Fortin

@Susanna:

Amen to that!
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Author's Website October 25th, 2007
From dave

We used both male and female copywriters and there was no big difference at all. Personally I did found that the female writers did a better job and were more dedicated…but also more expensive than teh average male

dave
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Author's Website December 4th, 2007
From Edwin

Still there is a big difference between male and female bloggers. The topics and the information they share in those topics reveales most of the time the bloggers gender. Only a few male bloggers tend to write about their personal life.
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Author's Website February 27th, 2008

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