Writing in tech: considering all perspectives part of the Zendesk brand
Having a consistent voice and tone throughout Zendesk’s products is an important part of our overall brand. That’s where strong copywriting comes in. In this piece, we spoke with Kendrick Hammond, Senior Copywriter, Video and Presentations, about his experience breaking into tech as a creative writer, and how he sees inclusivity showing up at work, including professional development opportunities to attend conferences such as Afrotech.
Did you have to break into tech, so to speak, when you started your role at Zendesk?
It’s kind of weird to say, because I’ve worked in marketing and advertising. And since I’ve been in the industry, everything’s been tech-driven. My first job was actually working for a startup that was creating a child’s video game where they would kind of mirror doing community service in the game, and money would be donated to causes like polar bears. After that I worked for an agency that did online marketing and advertising. So I did a lot of SEO and web copywriting. Before coming to Zendesk, I worked for a company that described themselves as being FinTech, but most would say is an insurance company.
Are we, as an industry, putting too much emphasis on tech, at least when it comes to creative roles like copywriting?
You know, everybody’s rebranding themselves to be in the tech space because of how impactful technology is today. But a lot of times as we do this, even within the tech industry, people don’t understand they need people outside of coding. That there are people who write words to describe what software does.
Zendesk is sending a team of creative and design professionals to AfroTech this year. Why are you looking forward to attending?
It’s great to see other Black people in tech because there aren’t a lot of people who look like us or have these types of jobs. Also, there are a lot of people who don’t understand what I do or the variety of jobs that are available in tech. Who would think somebody that does creative writing works for a tech company? Attending conferences like AfroTech gives you a chance to see people of your shared culture who are in the industry and allows them to learn more about you. And while you’re there, you’re learning about different trends and best practices within the creative and tech space.
You said expanding your network is one reason you’re looking forward to AfroTech. Do you think events like this are helping more people from underrepresented groups join tech companies?
The statistics that show most people who get jobs because they know somebody at that company, or they had a connection, are staggering. And if you know somebody who was already at a tech company, and they already believe in you, it’s a lot easier to get your foot in the door. And when you know someone, you have the knowledge base to be successful there. So when you have people who kind of understand where you’re coming from culturally, and are also in that place, and you have the support you need, you can be successful.
We are working to create space for all voices here at Zendesk. How are you addressing inclusivity in your daily role?
When writing, you’re establishing a voice and trying to speak to different people and different groups. There’s a lot of idioms, there’s a lot of things in our language, in our culture, that you don’t even realize can be offensive to people. I don’t want to sound like a Southern Yocal or whatever. But sometimes, you know, it’s not like anything’s offensive until somebody tells you, bless your heart! Because we have so many different voices and opinions and people understand things from unique perspectives, diversity helps us speak to different people better. Not only does it prevent us from being offensive, it helps us remain authentic to our brand and culture.
Have you been here long enough to get a good feel for what’s going to keep you here?
Since I’ve been here, about a-year-and-a-half, I’ve had a wonderful experience at Zendesk–probably one of the best companies I’ve worked for. My team is very open and creative. My manager is very understanding. And she’s also really tried to push me in my career and guide me in ways that other people or other companies I’ve worked for haven’t.
