Does Grammar Really Matter?

Ask ten copywriters this question and you might get ten different responses. After discussing the matter with every single writer I could find, I’m finding that the answer is no less complicated than when I started. After years of experience and research, I found that grammar matters just as much as every other part of the copy. But not for the reasons most people think.

Some people are horrified by the ‘mistakes’ they see in sales copy and magazine/e-zine articles. If you find those articles easy to read, and they keep your interest, I’ll guarantee you that the grammatical violations aren’t mistakes at all. Chances are, the writer knew exactly what was ‘wrong’ with them and broke the rules on purpose. As a matter of fact, this is where grammar does matter. Not so much in whether or not to break the rules, but in where to break them and why.

A lot of articles and sales writers strictly follow the list of regulations they learned in grade school. It makes them feel educated, and they’re proud of their work. The problem is, half the audience stops reading before they’re though the second paragraph. You might think these are the lower class crowds, and that your target audience appreciates the sophisticated style. That’s just not the case.

With the new online marketing tools, we can see who’s reading and what they’re reading. And guess what? Even the ‘MBA crowd’ prefers to read the content accused of being ‘dumbed down’. Not only do they read it, they read it more than the sophisticated dribble (yes I know it's actually drivel). And one more thing…the easier it is to read, the more people (even well educated people) respond to it by spending money!

How to Make it Readable without Offending

After reading this, you might get the idea that any one with a fifth grade education could write great copy. Not true. Grammar violation should never be a mistake due to ignorance. It takes three things to write.

• Understanding the written language. You need more than just an extensive vocabulary. Know what’s proper and when. For example, even if you do start a sentence with ‘and’, you should know that it’s incorrect and have a reason to ignore what is correct.
• Understanding the spoken language. The more your writing sounds like a conversation, the better. After you write something, read it out loud, and see if it sounds natural. You don’t want to sound like a professor. Even in an informative article, people accept more information when they don’t feel like they’re being preached at.
• Natural talent. All the knowledge and understanding in the world won’t help you if you don’t have some raw talent. Sure, you can sharpen a skill, and eventually you’ll be able to make something sound OK…but OK won’t cut it. Not when there are thousands of talented writers out there. Not when some of them are working for your competition.

Now we come to the core of this question. When do we ignore the rules? When do we offend the grammatical scrutinizers? That, I’m afraid, is part of the talent. I couldn’t explain it anymore than I could explain how to come up with a good idea for a tag line. If you don’t know now, you’ll never know. So instead of guessing and publishing something that might or might not bring in the sales, hire a professional…like me.