Anyone can write copy.
In fact, anyone can write good copy.
If you pay close attention to your surroundings, you will find that good copy is all around. Whether it’s the things you see or the conversations you hear, copy is everywhere—as long as you can identify it.
But, what is copy?
Simply, copy means words.
Copy refers to the words you find in advertising, whether it is on billboards, in magazines or even social media postings.Yes, that means even your daily Instagram Stories involve copywriting!
All this while, you may have been writing copy without even realizing it. But now, it’s time to delve deeper and find out how to become a legit copywriter.
1. Start Writing.
The key to become a copywriter is to start writing intentionally.
During my college years, aside from my assignments and group projects, I began blog writing for topics I was interested in. I even picked up freelance copywriting and wrote for a Korean green tea company based in New Zealand. I made it a point to write at least one blog a week, and that’s how I grew in copywriting.
For you, it may be as simple as committing to write Instagram captions once a day. Whatever it is, start somewhere and keep on writing.
2. Develop a Copywriting Process.
Every copywriter has a process.
This allows them write copy quickly, consistently and thoughtfully. Here’s my copywriting process.
[Step 1: Do Your Research.]
Before even writing, you need to understand what you are writing about. This is a key phase that lays the groundwork for the following steps.
[Step 2: Know Your Target Audience]
It is important to understand who you are writing to. The person’s age, gender, preferences and even personality should influence the tone and manner of your writing.
[Step 3: Find Your Central Message]
Many times, copywriters try to include all the information they can find into one piece of copywriting, and the result is one big mess. It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing a 7-word headline or a 2,000-word blog article. Find the one thing you want to say and form everything else based on it.
[Step 4: Come Up With A Tagline]
Popular taglines and headlines stick with you, like Nike’s “Just Do It” and McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it!” And these phrases form the base for how people perceive your brand. To learn how to write a killer headline, check out Copyblogger’s in-depth tutorial here.
3. Build Your Copywriting Toolbox
When you’re facing writer’s block, or when you’re looking for just the right word to use, that’s when your copywriting toolbox comes in handy. Here are a few of my copywriting tools.
[Swipe File]
This is a copywriter’s moodboard. It can contain various kinds of words, phrases or copywriting examples that a copywriter finds inspiring or helpful.
My swipe file contains a list of power verbs and proven keywords that help create urgency, build trust and inspire action. Start building yours today, or refer to sites like Swiped.co to get more info.
[Thesaurus or Words-to-use.com]
Using the same words over and over and over again can get repetitive. That’s why tools like these help copywriters keep their copy fresh and interesting.
My personal favourite is Words-to-use.com because it provides you with words, phrases and sentences related to a specific category. For instance, the meat and seafood category alone contains over 200 adjectives!
[Listen]
The most important skill of a copywriter is not the ability to write, but the ability to listen.
A lot of amazing copy comes from what you hear throughout the day. As a content strategist, I find that the best time to gather copy is during meetings and conversations with people. Usually, hidden gems can be found when someone who’s passionate about a project shares his or her heart.
You Can Be A Copywriter Today.
There you go, all it takes to become a copywriter are these 3 simple steps.
Stop thinking and start writing today!
