However, copywriting is evolving all the time, which is why you must regularly update your knowledge and learn new things. Read on for six top tips on how to improve your copywriting skills.
1. Write consistently
When it comes to copywriting, practice makes perfect. So take every opportunity to improve your skills through use. It can be hard to set yourself fictitious assignments, but writing a blog is a great way to hone your writing while also enjoying the chance to write what you want for a change. That could be something related to copywriting, or it could be purely creative writing. Whatever it is, put in enough effort that you get real benefit from it, but not so much that it becomes a chore.
2. Listen carefully
Listen to the way people hear from day to day use language. Not just marketers or other copywriters, but everyone: friends, relatives, children, colleagues, radio and TV presenters, people on the train. Notice how they express themselves, using language as a tool to achieve something they want. What can you learn from their skills?
3. Read widely
Your reading should be as eclectic as your listening. If your partner has a magazine you’d never dream of reading, try reading it. Pick a book you’ve never read off the shelf and try a chapter. If you always read non-fiction, try fiction, or vice versa. If you always read modern books, try something older, or vice versa. Throw yourself into some poetry, romantic fiction, popular science, or travel writing – whatever you don’t normally read, give it a go. You’ll soon be absorbing styles, techniques, and words you’ve never been exposed to before. Many of the most fruitful ideas are not ‘original’ in the strictest sense but flow from juxtaposing or combining things that already exist. Reading widely gives you plenty of ammunition to cook up an exciting new recipe from ingredients that are already in the cupboard.
4. Criticize others
I don’t mean ‘criticize’ in the purely negative sense – I just mean ‘be a critic of other people’s work’. Look at the copy on outdoor advertisements, magazine and newspaper ads, product packaging, direct mail, and anything else that comes into your vicinity. Do you like it? If so, why? If not, why not? Beyond like or dislike, consider how the copy works. How does it achieve its effect? Is it using a recognizable ploy – perhaps one mentioned in this book? How successful is it? How could it have been done differently, or better? What would you suggest to the client if you were working with them?
5. Criticize yourself
It can be hard to get honest feedback from clients, friends, or family. If you have any sort of relationship with someone, they probably won’t want to hurt your feelings by criticizing your copy. So do it yourself, by closely analyzing something you wrote a while ago. It’s usually too difficult to do this shortly after a project is completed – you’ll be too close to the work. Simply open up a text file from an old job, print it out and read through it. What do you notice? What would you change? Is there anything that immediately leaps out at you as ‘wrong’? What about stock phrases and constructions – can you see any ‘trademarks’ of your writing style that you perhaps overuse?
It shouldn’t be all negative. Notice what works as well – the things you wouldn’t change. And do this exercise from your own point of view, not just the clients – clients don’t always know what’s good for them, and although you must accept their judgment on a business level, it’s important to stay in touch with the value of your ability. Take note of your past successes and consider how you could build on them. If you work freelance, it’s particularly important to be your own best friend in this way.
6. Build a ‘swipe file’
If you like something, keep it! Many copywriters maintain a ‘swipe file’ of copy they particularly enjoyed, or found particularly effective. When inspiration runs short, you can go to your swipe file for ideas. Traditionally, a swipe file would have been a physical file full of press cuttings, direct mail letters, and so on. These days, your file is just as likely to be a collection of URLs, or perhaps PDFs you’ve generated from web pages. Either way, you’ll probably want to create some sort of categorization system, whether by medium, tone, linguistic style, or anything else. I’m not suggesting you steal other people’s ideas. But for many assignments, there are only a certain number of approaches. There’s no harm in keeping some reminders around to shorten the process of finding the right one.
So there you have it!
It doesn’t have to be a really long and tedious task to learn how to improve your copywriting skills. Have you noticed yet that there are so many ways to see an improvement quickly?
Imagine what it would be like if you could help reach more people to live a life that they dream of. Your copywriting skills may just be the one thing that will help you to be able to help them.
Keep changing for the better,
Author: Michael Agwulonu, Digital Marketing Strategist
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