Why a badly written ad isn't a sign that they really need a writer!
By Katharine Swan On Wednesday, October 11, 2006 At
12:26 AM
We've all seen them: those ads that contained misspelled words, bad grammar, and no capital letters or punctuation. A writer's first instinct may be, "Wow, they really need me!" That thought couldn't be more off-base.
The problem with these employers is that they wouldn't know good writing if it did the Macarena across their computer screen. That might be a good thing if you are a really bad writer yourself - they won't have a clue. But if you're actually a good writer, you are wasting your time - as well as possibly putting yourself in danger of getting screwed. It's my guess that the "employers" that write these ads are more likely to be scammers.
So, watch out for those ads that make you want to get out your red pen!
It certainly is a tough one... How do you sell quality to those who can't differentiate between crap and quality? I do think it's possible, but it is certainly a real challenge.
I don't know if you are right about the lousy ads being reflective of bad buyers or not. Maybe, maybe not. I tend to assume (right or wrong) that their lack of writing skills might be what is bringing them to the marketplace in the first place. There are also "English as a second/third/fourth language" issues at play sometimes. I am sure you are right, though, that there are cases of poorly worded ads being associated with low-quality buyers.
Great entry...
CDB