As a copywriter, I frequently get asked, “How do you become a copywriter?”
Often people who want to be copywriters believe they’ll sit around all day and well…write copy.
But then they follow up with, “OK, so how do you really write your sales copy?”
Of course I don’t know every copywriter in the world but I do read other people’s blogs and talk to them whenever possible. So here’s what copywriters do when we close our doors and settle down to write.
(1) Listen to music. Choose what really gets the juices flowing. Some people write copy to heavy metal while others favor Baroque cantatas. Me? Mostly I like Mozart but every so often I get a craving for old-fashioned C&W.
(2) Don’t talk about your ideas. Write them. Professional writers (especially novelists) find that their best ideas operate like ghosts that disappear when exposed to daylight. The same holds for copywriting. Don’t ask for feedback till you’ve nailed the concept and fleshed out your project.
(3) Create your own creativity ritual. When you become a copywriter, you’ll hear about copywriters who wear their special boots or hats when they write copy. Other tricks when you need to add spice to your content or get past a block:
— Change locations. You’ll find many copywriters (disguised as normal people) in your local coffee shop.
— Set a timer for 15 minutes. Write as fast as you can. You can go back and edit later but somewhere near the end you’ll probably get a breakthrough. If not, try it again…and again.
— Invest time in developing the creative portion of your brain. Get involved with art, music, dance or sports. When I write all day, “creative writing” just doesn’t do it for me. I dabble in pottery (no talent but lots of enthusiasm). I suspect some copywriters loosen up with fiction or poetry.
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