Copy Doesn't Blush

"People are people, so why should it be | You and I should get along so awfully" - People Are People, Depeche Mode

Did you know humans are the only species known to blush?

Not a science lesson. Just a quick illustration of the gap between reading a reaction in person and expecting one from someone behind a screen.

We advertise, promote, expose, educate, and follow our intended users across devices and channels, putting one message after another out there in hopes of triggering the desired response. But we never see them. And we never see whether it landed.

At the end of the day, we count leads, visits, installs, downloads, and whether we hit targets. But we still didn't see the actual reaction.

We're hoping our copy made them happy, or sad, or angry, or hopeful, or even made them blush depending on the goal. We're looking at data, drawing conclusions, and making adjustments. But the real human response? Invisible.

All that data lets us react and improve. But data isn't people. And it's easy to forget there are real people on the other end of everything we publish, for better or worse.

In person, if you've offended someone (on purpose or by accident), you catch it immediately. You can apologize, clarify, adjust. Online, you may be fanning a fire in one direction or another and not even know it.

Be aware of the work you're putting out there and the impact it can have. And be honest about the line between persuasion and exaggeration.