5 Quick Ways to Improve Your Copywriting Skills
5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Copywriting Skills
Copywriting can be a daunting task. There is a lot to juggle – your audience, your message, your tone, your branding…
Sometimes it’s hard to feel confident in your ability as a writer. And it’s overwhelming to work out how to improve your craft.
Let me help with that.
In this blog, I will share some tips that have made me a better writer – and I know they can help you to.
Whether you’re a first-time writer, or an experienced wordsmith who wants to up their game – everyone can always learn something new.
Here are my top five ways to instantly improve your copywriting skills.
1) Read it out loud
Good copy should start a conversation. This means that the tone needs to be casual and engaging – not to mention easy to read.
To check if your copy sounds conversational, take some time and read it out loud. Does it sound like you do when you talk – or is the language too sophisticated and complicated? Are there phrases that sound a bit clunky – and don’t add anything to the piece? Are you asking enough questions to get your audience thinking?
Looking at your writing through this lens will instantly improve it.
2) Write out your key message
Sometimes you get inspired, and then over-excited – so you keep writing, and writing…and writing…
When this happens, it is easy for your key message – the reason you started writing in the first place – to get lost.
If you think this is happening, take a step back from your copy and write your key message on a post-it. Give yourself 5-10 words max to keep things simple and to the point.
Post-it at hand, go back and read your copy from start to finish. Does the key message shine through – or has it become muddy and unclear? If your key message isn’t coming through – what is? What are readers going to take away from this piece?
By re-focusing, you can make the edits required to ensure your key message centre stage.
3) Trim the fat
This is a safe space, so let’s be honest – we’re all guilty of throwing filler words into our copy.
Some examples of filler words are:
- Really
- Just
- Actually
- Even
- Very
When editing your copy, run a quick search to try and cut filler words out as much as possible. Shorter sentences are easier to read and retain - so make your writing more concise where you can.
I know it’s tempting to use them! Sometimes it feels like filler words help emphasise a point. But they fill up unnecessary space and dilute your message.
4) Take a break
It feels counter-productive, but taking a break is one of the best ways to improve your writing.
When you’ve been working on a first draft for a while, you get tired. This means skimming the text – which leads to mistakes.
Take a break for at least a couple of hours. Distract yourself with a completely different task. This could be something business related, but why not enjoy some down time? My tactic is always to get some fresh air – a walk always blows away the cobwebs!
Then come back, red pen in hand, ready to attack. You will surprise yourself with new insights and ideas – plus a better end result.
5) Practice!
This is the ultimate way to improve your writing. Practise makes perfect – and it doesn’t have to take forever!
Take a few minutes each day and write for the love of it – not because you have to.
I start every morning with a writing prompt. I sit for 5-10 minutes and let the creative juices flow. It isn’t about the copy being perfect – it’s about the creating a habit of writing for yourself.
Small habits can create big changes. I promise that practise will show instant improvements in your copywriting.