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Marketing (CX) Writing and our upcoming course

Since we launched the UX Writing Fundamentals course, we knew we wanted to expand into other areas. CX Writing seemed the perfect next step.

There’s so much to teach when it comes to how products and writing intersect — way too much to fit into one stream of learning. And we think CX writing is at the heart of that intersection.

We think it’s a crucial part of the product journey and something that everyone should learn as a skill. Not only for UX writers, but:

  • Copywriter
  • Journalists
  • Technical writers
  • Managers
  • Producers
  • Designers
  • And more…

Let’s delve a little into what CX writing is, and why we think it’s so important that we developed a fully-featured course around it.

What is CX writing?

Glad you asked.

If UX writing is about writing for product experiences, then CX writing is writing for experiences that lead a person to a product.

Isn’t that just marketing? Well, marketing and advertising copy might be one part of the CX experience. But there are several areas where CX writing plays a part, and each of those areas has very specific needs and requirements:

  • Paid media and search engine marketing (SEM)
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Email marketing
  • Product marketing
  • Content marketing
  • Social media marketing
  • Experience marketing and customer service

As you can see from the graphic below, these aren’t just disparate experiences that happen to share the same logo. Instead, they’re all part of the same customer-communications ecosystem. They might be in a different context, sure. And they may have a different purpose along the customer’s experience. But they all serve a larger goal: CX Writing is about leading customers to the product.

Let’s take an example of how three pieces of CX writing might sit at separate places in the customer’s experience journey, but carry different contexts and purposes.

#1. Reading a print ad

The purpose of an ad in print is often brand awareness. Yes, we might want them to visit a website, but generally we also want to make an impact. Who are we? What do we do? Depending on the publication, how can we change their life or make it easier?

#2. Reading an email

If we’re sending an email, we often want people to take action right then and there. Our words change to become more active, we don’t “ask” people to do things – we tell them.

#3. Signing up to a trial

Maybe you’ve read that email and now you’re ready to sign up. You reach a landing page that asks for details. Much like the email, we’re now directing you to take action – but we need to nurture the user there. We need to make sure they’re not about to lose anything by signing up, and in fact, we’re about to offer them the chance to improve their life (depending on the product!)

That’s a short and very simple example, but it shows how CX writing isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

But more important…

It shows how CX writing takes a customer on a journey that ultimately finds its way to the product itself.

As UX and CX writers, we don’t want customers to have a disjointed experience by reading an email that sounds completely different from the product they use every day. That’s exactly what CX writing is design to teach: how to create an experience that starts, perhaps, from glancing a piece of advertising. All the way through to using the product.

Understanding different CX writing channels

There can be quite a bit of overlap between UX and CX, which can make it difficult to define the boundaries between these subjects.

That can become even more amplified in smaller organizations or organizations without well-defined teams and areas of responsibility.

When in doubt, communication is key: work on getting buy-in and participation from various stakeholders in your organization, including marketing, executives, branding, UX, design, and other writers.

All ways of doing business are pivotal to creating a comprehensive and consistent customer experience across the areas where your company has a presence.

These areas are called channels. Common marketing channels include blogs, ads, social media, SEO, landing pages, and emails.

Channels will vary depending on your company, brand, industry, target customers, budget, and more.

As a writer, it’s likely you may someday have to create content for one or more of these channels, so it’s important to understand the basics of the most common channels you may encounter in the real world.

Understanding the CX writing process

You might say that you’re only a UX writer, so you only need to worry about the product.

Or a copywriter, so you only focus on advertising. Maybe you’re an SEO writer and just want to focus on creating web content.

But you’re ultimately devaluing yourself by only focusing on one thing. We live in a holistic product world. All the marketing that is tied in to a particular product is just as important as the product itself, and vice versa.

Doesn’t it make sense to be on the same page as the other writers in your organization, to make sure that you’re delivering as much value as possible?

And if you’re the only writer on your team, then…it makes even more sense that you want the customer to experience the same tone, the same feelings they have through their entire journey.

That’s why it’s so important to understand the mechanics of how CX writing works. We like to break CX writing up into three categories:

  1. Touchpoints: a single moment when a customer comes into contact or is exposed to a company’s brand, product, employees, or message through any channel or device. Touchpoints can vary depending on your business and target customers, but here’s an example of some common eCommerce touchpoints
  2. CX interactions: a two-way communication between a customer and a company’s brand, product, or employees. CX interactions, like walking into a physical store or talking with a salesperson, can happen around any stage of the customer journey, including awareness, discovery, cultivation, advocacy, purchases, services, and more.
  3. Engagements: a commitment or agreement of a customer to take action.

This helps figure out who you’re writing for, what the context is, and what the actual purpose of the interaction should be.

There’s so much more we could talk about with CX writing

Which is exactly why we developed a CX writing course that covers everything you would want to know. Just check out the syllabus:

Unit 1: What’s Customer Experience and why does it matter for UX?

  • Lesson 1: Why should CX matter to UX writers?

Unit 2: How to get started writing for the customer experience

  • Lesson 2.1: Tools for effective CX writing
  • Lesson 2.2 Universal writing tips

Unit 3: How to write for increased engagement

  • Lesson 3.1: What is engagement and why does it matter?
  • Lesson 3.2: Persuasive writing
  • Lesson 3.3: Engagement strategies

Unit 4: How to write for the “end-to-end” customer journey

  • Lesson 4.1: Acquisition
  • Lesson 4.2: Retention
  • Lesson 4.3 Customer journeys

Unit 5: How to write for CX touchpoints

  • Lesson 5.1: Website journeys
  • Lesson 5.2: Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Lesson 5.3: Ads, paid media, and search engine marketing (SEM)
  • Lesson 5.4: Email marketing
  • Lesson 5.5: Content marketing
  • Lesson 5.6: Social media

Unit 6: Tools and tips for CX writing success in the real world

  • Lesson 6.1: Optimize for mobile devices
  • Lesson 6.2: Write for video
  • Lesson 6.3: Write for print (yes, it still matters)
  • Lesson 6.4: Continuously improve your CX content

Every student in the CX Writing course leaves with a portfolio-ready project

Not only that, but you’ll have your work graded and assessed by working, senior UX and CX writers in and approved by the UX Writers Collective.

Want to know more, and get a sneaky discount when the course first launches?

Just sign up to our email list (at the top of the page or below) — and you’ll get notified with a discount code when the course goes live in the next few weeks.


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