What Is Ethical Copywriting?

What is ethical copywriting, exactly, and how does it differ from regular copywriting?

In a digital marketing landscape that’s often dominated by overly persuasive tactics, exaggerated claims, and an abundance of greenwashing, ethical copywriting stands out by sticking to the high road. 

Honesty Is Always the Best Policy

Ethical copywriting is about telling the truth and being transparent with your audience. No misleading claims, no omitting of key details—just accurate, reliable information that helps people make informed decisions.

Being transparent helps to build trust. When it comes to sustainable business practices, for example, in addition to sharing all of the positive steps your company has taken to date, it’s also important to share limits and challenges (progress over perfection, right?).

Respect Your Reader’s Time & Intelligence

Ethical copywriters avoid manipulative language and overly emotional appeals, and they don’t use sneaky tricks to sell you something you don’t need. 

I’ll mention one particular pet hate of mine—”urgency and scarcity” tactics. You know, the “limited places available,” “last chance” sales, and those incredibly annoying count-down timers. There are situations where it might be honest and appropriate, e.g., if you’re holding a workshop that’s limited to a small number of participants, it’s helpful to let people know how many places there are. But creating false scarcity is just ick (and definitely not ethical).

Consider the Bigger Picture 

Beyond avoiding dodgy marketing tactics, ethical copywriters take the broader impact of a piece of copy into account. This means considering a message’s cultural, environmental, and social implications and making sure that it doesn’t perpetuate harmful stereotypes or promote misleading narratives. (We could discuss a few brand marketing controversies here, but I’ll save it for another post!). 

Be Consciously Creative!

That’s not to say ethical copywriting needs to be boring! It can be clever, cool, funny, quirky, or whatever you want it to be, and it can align with your brand style and tone of voice. I love a clever play on words (and cheesy puns, but if they’re not your style, I won’t subject you to them).