# Reader-centric copywriting

By [Doug Lane](https://paragraph.com/@axalane) · 2022-03-30

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I’ve been thinking about the different purposes that B2B copywriting needs to serve in different situations. Most of the copywriting categorizations I’ve seen focus on what the company doing the writing wants to accomplish (e.g., SEO, conversion, etc.).

I thought it might be interesting to view copywriting through the lens of what’s in it for the reader.

Here are some categories I came up with:

*   **Engagement copywriting:** Pique my curiosity in ways that make me want to learn more.
    
*   **Educational copywriting:** Help me self-educate about the thing that piqued my curiosity in an easy and approachable way.
    
*   **Evidentiary copywriting:** Help me build a deeper collection of evidence that the ways I think you can help me are real, so I can make a decision I’m confident in.
    
*   **Activation copywriting:** Help me successfully unlock the value I expected – and maybe more – from the product I purchased from you.
    

Whether you’re writing for an advertisement, a sales email, a technical marketing piece, or release notes for existing customers, you probably won’t go wrong if your starting point is “what’s in it for the reader?”

\-Doug

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*Originally published on [Doug Lane](https://paragraph.com/@axalane/reader-centric-copywriting)*