Why Writing is the Most Important Marketing Skill

Writing is an often overlooked and underappreciated skill, but it’s central to effective marketing. Whether you realize it or not, nearly everything you do in marketing involves writing. So how are marketing and writing connected? And how can business leaders become better writers?

Why writing is important for marketing

Here are four reasons why writers make good marketers. And why developing writing as a skill will make you a more effective marketing professional.

• Clear communication. It forces you to think about your audience and your core message.
• More compelling marketing. Writers keep things concise. They understand how to move people to action.
• Better content. Content is increasingly relevant in marketing. Writing is central to good content.
• Widely applicable. Nearly everything in marketing can be improved with better writing.

Where writing impacts marketing

These are just a few places in marketing where writing and marketing overlap. This shows why writing gives you a leg up in getting your job done.

• Website copy
• Blog posts & headlines
• Email subject lines & body copy
• Social media posts & bios
• Press releases
• Print collateral copy
• Messaging & brand strategies
• Client proposals
• Ebooks & white papers
• Speeches & presentations
• Ad headlines & copy
• Video scripts & descriptions
• Image captions

6 tips to be a better marketing writer

1. Start with the basics.

Don’t try to run until you can walk. (That’s a metaphor.) Begin with the simple stuff and build from there. Here are a few of the basics when it comes to writing.

• Use active voice, not passive.
• Be concise. Shorter sentences and paragraphs.