Kristine
It’s the middle of the night, and you’re staring at a blank screen. Again. The blinking text cursor looks like it’s taunting you in Morse code. You desperately want to write something, anything, but finding the right words feels impossible.
Sound familiar?
Whether you’re a new copywriter or an experienced content marketer, you’re bound to experience bouts of writer’s block with challenging assignments. Despite what some writers or social media influencers might tell you, there is no secret formula for banishing writer’s block for good.
With that being said, there are some simple tactics that can help you overcome writer’s block and improve your copywriting skills. If you adopt one of the following 5 simple habits into your daily routine, your writing abilities are bound to flourish over time.
1. Ditch the rules of academic writing (within reason).
Don’t despair just yet, English majors. Rest assured that correct spelling and grammar will always matter, whether you’re writing a blog post or a textbook. The problem with academic writing is that it forces writers to follow strict rules and guidelines. If copywriters stuck to the same arbitrary rules, every article would be formatted like an essay and every CTA would look like a thesis statement.
Copywriting is all about capturing your audience’s attention right away. Short, snappy sentences are easy to read and will increase engagement. So, go ahead and start a paragraph with a conjunction or use slang in your copy. Your goal is to sound conversational, not impress your readers with flowery prose.
Take a look at some copy you’ve written before. Mercilessly cross out any unnecessary words, prepositional phrases, and sentences until you get to the core message. See how much of your copy was fluff — content that has no real substance — and how much valuable information you actually provided.
2. Make writing a daily habit.
Resist the urge to commit to a dramatic change, such as forcing yourself to write for 3 hours every day. Your initial motivation might be enough to fuel you for a few days, but sudden shifts in your schedule usually aren’t sustainable. If you set a lofty goal only to experience a setback or writer’s block, you’ll feel exhausted, discouraged, and frustrated.
Instead, commit to a small daily goal. It should be simple enough to accomplish every day, regardless of how busy or tired you are. After several days of meeting this mini-goal, you should feel confident and ready to tackle more challenging projects.
If you need some ideas for a mini goal to set for yourself, try adding one of these doable habits to your daily routine:
- Write at the same time every day for a total of 10 minutes.
- Write 1 paragraph per day.
- Journal first thing in the morning or right before you go to bed.
- Aim to write at least 250 words every day.
- Write a brief summary of something you recently read.
3. Try some free copywriting worksheets.
Copyhackers is a great general resource for learning more about each step of the copywriting process. On their website, you’ll find hundreds of valuable articles, case studies, videos, and classes created by experienced writing and marketing professionals.
If you’re not quite ready to spend the time (or money) needed for the more intensive copywriting courses from Copyhackers, no worries! The website offers over a dozen worksheets you can download for free in the following categories:
- Copywriting Worksheets for Headlines & Subheads
- Copywriting Worksheets for Value Propositions
- Copywriting Worksheets for Buttons and Calls to Action
- Copywriting Worksheets for Messaging & Copywriting in General
Try to complete one worksheet per day to quickly ramp up your copywriting skills. Whether you’re just starting the research process or preparing to publish a blog post, Copyhackers will have a relevant worksheet to help you out!
4. Rewrite other people’s copy in your own words.
Keep your eyes open for opportunities to improve other people’s marketing posts, commercials, product descriptions, or any other content that appeals to you. Pay attention to the structure of the content, the words the creator used, and how the copy makes you feel. Ask yourself these questions to get your creativity flowing:
- Is the copy believable and convincing?
- Does the language suit the brand and appeal to the target audience?
- Was the information easy to find and skim through?
- Did it feel overly salesy or cheesy?
- Is it fun to read?
Try this exercise by going to Amazon and selecting a random product. Look over the description and item details, being sure to note any inconsistencies or potentially misleading information. After studying it for a while, create a new and improved version of the product description to practice good copywriting habits.
Of course, this exercise can be used for all kinds of marketing materials. If you’d rather practice creating compelling landing pages or email newsletters, for instance, you could try rewriting some of the promotional messages you receive in your own inbox. With practice, you’ll pick up on the most successful copywriting strategies while learning which cliches to avoid in your own writing.
5. Read your work out loud.
Want to know for sure if your message will stick? Read your copy out loud. A sentence can look beautiful on paper (or your laptop screen,) but sound awkward and clunky in conversation.
Reading your work out loud will help you develop a more friendly, conversational tone that’s common on all sorts of web pages. It’s also a great general editing strategy; you’d be surprised how easy it can be to overlook a spelling or grammar mistake if you only review your work in silence!
If possible, reading your work out loud to someone else is even better. It might feel embarrassing or uncomfortable at first, but you’ll have the incredibly valuable opportunity to get genuine feedback in real-time. Sometimes, hearing a different perspective can be just the right momentum you need to transform good copywriting into unforgettable copy.
