Emojis have a very important role in copywriting. Very.

Here’s why:

They add entertainment

They provide contextual cultural information

They communicate a sense of belonging (aka … they identify with your audience)

The first two are obvious.

And if you’re a copywriter who thinks entertainment or humor don’t belong in copy … well … I hate to tell you this, but you’re on the wrong email list.

Now let’s talk about that last one.

“Belonging.”

What I mean here is that emojis — when properly used — can help you bring a sense of “yeah, I’m in that group too!” type of belonging to your copy.

Almost like an “inside” joke for an entire market.

Let’s talk about my current favorite emoji for a moment.

Maybe you know it:

🫠

I call him “Melty Guy.”

Melty Guy is important to me … and I think it’s also important to many other people I talk to, based on how often it pops up in convos.

In my mind it represents the ridiculous stress everyone is under all the time and how these days you can be so overworked you feel like melting.

An example of this:

Which one do you think communicates the idea of being “stressed” with more humor, cultural relevance, and a sense of “belonging”?

It’s fine. Everything is fine.

OR

It’s fine. Everything is fine. 🫠

Obviously the latter. But why does this work?

I believe one line from Gene Schwartz’s classic, Breakthrough Advertising, provides the answer:

“Mass desire is the public spread of a private want.”

In other words … “Emojis are the public spread of a private emotion.”

And I believe that using them in your copy — sparingly, with finesse — can help you immediately identify with your market, build trust, and close more sales.

But what do I know?

I’m just a copywriter who helps people make more money. 🤑

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David Patrick