In 2019, I struggled like a kid in math class trying to get into copywriting.
I never gained a solid grip on the basics and could not figure out a way to get clients.
So, I tossed in the towel.
Luckily, I gave copywriting another go in 2020.
This time, I hit the ground running.
I built my skills within 3 months, gained 50 clients in the following few months and worked at a couple of companies as their go-to copywriter… all within my first year.
Fast forward 3 years…
I have written for hundreds of clients, in dozens of different niches.
Along my bumpy journey, I’ve picked up a bunch of tips and tricks to improve my writing.
In this post…
I’m going to share 8 copywriting tips to help you become a better copywriter.
These tips are meant to be consumed and applied to your writing – right away.
But first, if you have not already learned the basics & feel confident in your copywriting skills, read this…
The Best Way to Learn Copywriting for Complete Beginners
Before you worry about “how to become a better copywriter”, you’ve got to learn the basics.
You want to have a deep understanding of the direct response copywriting fundamentals, principles and frameworks.
This is something I skipped in 2019 and it’s the biggest reason why I failed miserably.
In 2020, I spent 3 months learning the basics. After that, I felt extremely confident in my writing ability and was able to get desirable results for clients… right away.
Here’s what I did to quickly build my copywriting skills:
1. Passive learning
You want to learn from the select few copywriters who have already paved the path to riches in copywriting.
Learn from the best of the best by reading these 10 copywriting books:
- The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert
- The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugarman
- How to Write a Good Advertisement by Victor O. Schwab
- Scientific Advertising By Claude Hopkins
- The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy
- Ogilvy on Advertising By David Ogilvy
- Tested Advertising Methods By John Caples
- Cashvertising By Drew Eric Whitman
- The Copywriter’s Handbook By Bob Bly
- Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel By John Carlton
2. Practice Your Skills
I did not just read books.
I also got hands-on practice by doing a few copywriting exercises each day. You can learn all about them here: How to Practice Copywriting for Free (5 Exercises to Improve Your Skills TODAY).
3. Write
Along with reading and practicing, you also want to WRITE.
You don’t need clients to write copy.
Each day, I found websites & ads online.
Then, I improved upon them with the knowledge from the books I was reading.
I spent about an hour a day re-writing existing website copy and ad copy.
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I invested three months in this learning phase before taking on clients.
I recommend following in my footsteps.
Why?
It's all about delivering value.
Gaining a good grasp of the copywriting basics and feeling confident in your skills allows you to offer significant value to your clients.
This is the best (and only) way to make “6-figures” as a copywriter.
The better results you can get for clients, the more they'll be willing to pay for your services.
By following these 3 simple steps, you’ll build your copywriting skills (the right away) and feel confident in your abilities.
However, these following 8 tips will help you become a better copywriter ASAP.
Apply them whenever writing for clients…
8 Copywriting Tips to Quickly Become a Better Copywriter
Use these tips when writing your next copywriting assignment.
If you do, I can almost guarantee you’ll write more persuasive copy, in far less time.
Let’s get to the good stuff…
1. Talk Out Loud as You Write
I learned this tip from Matt Furey (great email copywriter).
He explained that if you talk as you write emails, you will write a LOT faster.
But this is true for anything you write.
If you talk out loud, as you type away, you will write faster, reduce the editing process and write in a 1:1 conversational tone (all your writing should read this way)
The next time you write, talk out loud.
Your spouse may think you’re crazy, but you’ll crank out more effective copy, in half the time.
2. Write to ONE Person
A BIG mistake is to write copy that pleases everyone (it’s not possible, anyway).
Instead, write to ONE person.
Who?
Your ideal reader (I.E. your client’s ideal buyer).
Everything you write should be tailored to them, and only them.
(You find all this info during research)
By focusing on one person, it makes your job a lot easier.
For a few reasons:
- You only have to convince “one” person to buy
- It’s easier to know which main benefits, pain points, emotional triggers, etc. to use
- It removes confusion about what to write
Before writing copy, have a crystal clear idea of who your client’s ideal buyer is, and then tailor everything to them. If you do, you will effortlessly boost results.
3. The Best Way to Edit
This is probably the best way to edit your writing.
I learned this handy tip from Ben Settle (world-class email copywriter).
It’s very simple and super duper effective.
Here’s what you do…
After you’ve crafted your 1st draft, read it out loud… 10 times.
Every time you trip over errors, fix them.
After the 10th time, your copy will read clear as a toy store window and sell like Superbowl tickets.
4. Tell Engaging Stories
Humans are programmed to be persuaded, entertained and educated by stories.
Stories cover all the bases of writing money-dripping copy - solve problems, persuade, educate, entertain, tap into emotions and all that good stuff.
Here are 4 stories to tell in your writing:
- Cautionary tales (mistakes to avoid)
- Stories about celebrities
- Inspirational stories
- Rags-to-riches stories (related to your market).
Also…
The more dramatic, emotional and tension-filled your stories are, the more impactful they’ll be on your target audience.
Strive to include at least one story for every copywriting project you take on.
5. Metaphors and Analogies
Metaphors and analogies tap into our psychology faster than a bullet.
We are hard-wired to be entertained and educated by them.
They are a great way to break down complex messages and make them more persuasive.
Here are a few examples:
The man is as dumb as a pair of socks.
I’m as hungry as a hippo.
My grandmother’s cookies are as sweet as honey.
Load up your copy with metaphors and analogies to get your message across faster.
6. The “Day in the Life” Headline
Lots of copywriting courses & books cover headline techniques.
Rarely any talk about mindset.
Whenever I write headlines, I get into this mindset…
Picture yourself as your prospect…
You are bored and mindlessly scrolling through social media (or whatever platform you’re writing for)… what’s the ONE thing you could read that would snap you out of your daze and get you to stop scrolling?
Whatever it is, use it as your headline to snatch their attention.
This works so well because you want to enter the conversation your prospect is already having inside their mind.
This mindset helps you do so with pinpoint accuracy.
7. The Power of Contrast
Contrasting things act like red stop signs on our eyes.
Believe it or not…
This goes way back to when we roamed the jungle.
If we noticed something different in our surroundings, we’d jump into survival because it could be a predator trying to devour us.
Contrast still has a BIG effect on our minds.
To benefit from contrast, add polar opposites to your copy.
For example:
obese … anorexic.
Poor … rich.
Heaven … hell.
This works especially well in your headline.
8. The PAS Formula
This is probably my favorite copywriting framework.
It’s a proven formula used by the most successful copywriters and advertisers.
It's very easy to use.
Here’s how:
Problem:
Bring up your target audience’s biggest problem.
Agitate:
Agitate this problem by tapping into your reader’s EMOTIONS.
Tap into anger, guilt, frustration, embarrassment, greed and any other negative emotion that they are experiencing related to this problem.
In the wise words of Dan Kennedy:
“Make the problem larger than life, worse than death.”
Solution:
Then, offer the solution to their problem (your product/service).
TIP – make your solution instant and easy to achieve.
Conclusion
How to become a better copywriter starts with learning the copywriting basics.
Whenever you’re writing copy (as practice or for clients) include the 8 tips to become a better copywriter ASAP.
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