Ever wonder whether copywriters are made or born?

No, I hadn’t wasted any time thinking about it either.

Honestly, I thought I just sort of fell into copywriting. It was a zig-zaggy path that started with a degree in psychology, followed by a pit stop in market research, and a good chunk of time in ad and PR agencies. But I had some confidence that whatever copywriting skill I had was honed through years of agency experience.

Wrong.

Behold Exhibit A, my mom’s recent letter to me.

Sent in advance of my birthday, she thought a coupon for a frozen dinner (really Mom?) would get me out of cooking on that day.

Here’s an excerpt:

You won’t have to cook on that day using this excellent coupon. By adding an additional $4.00 in cash you will be able to purchase the largest frozen entrée Stouffer offers.

If that is advertising copy gold, I don’t know what is.

But sadly, she wouldn’t be able to hold onto the Stouffer’s account for very long:

Never, never buy Stouffer’s meatloaf. Completely inedible.

So in honor of Mother’s Day, thanks Mom. I think it’s pretty obvious who has the copywriting talent in the family… and where I got my snarky edge.

Love you, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.