It’s simple: good copy sells. If you want to catch (and keep) the attention of your target audience and grow your visibility online, it’s so important to know how to create the best copy possible.
In this blog, our team has suggested our favourite top 10 proven techniques to transform your writing. Each tip is designed to improve your skills and make your copy more impactful, so you can watch the views, customers, and sales roll in.
1) Analyse Copy In The Wild
Everywhere you look, you’ll be able to spot examples of really good copywriting. Adopting a clever copywriter mindset helps you spot effective copy in everyday situations.
Think of your inbox: those attention-grabbing subject lines are perfect mini-lessons in what works and what doesn’t for email copy. Next time you check any piece of email marketing, take a moment to analyse which subject lines caught your eye and why.
This idea analysis can really help to kickstart creative thinking, and is invaluable for building your own writing skillset as a great copywriter.
When you’re out and about, keep your phone handy to take pictures and make a note of compelling ads you encounter. Whether it’s a billboard, a flyer, or an ad on a bus, capturing these moments allows you to study them later and understand the elements that make them effective. It also means you’ve got a wealth of examples in your back packet to pull from, ultimately helping you make a bit more money.
Identifying the individual elements of effective ads (like strong headlines, clear calls-to-action, and emotional appeal) helps you apply these principles to your own copywriting. Engaging with real-world copy provides practical and insightful copywriting tips that are easy to weave into your own work.
2) Rewrite Successful Sales Copy
Another top tip is to have a go at rewriting a bit of writing yourself: perhaps ads you see on your commute, or headlines in a magazine.
Get into the habit of rewriting one ad every day, and it can significantly enhance your content writing skills to help you grasp the nuances of building resonant messaging. Start with sales pages or landing pages from well-known companies and dissect their selling copy, and go from there.
One effective technique is using the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) formula to structure your rewritten copy. This approach ensures that your copy grabs attention and also maintains interest, builds desire, and prompts action. When you write copy, always lead with the benefits of your products or services to capture attention and interest.
We find this is a great way to learn the ins and outs of building a strong tone of voice strategy too; pick up on how different brands talk, and get under their skin.
You don’t just need to look at the good stuff, either. Don’t shy away from rewriting poorly written copy to see if you can improve it! This exercise helps you understand what doesn’t work and how you can make it better.
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3) Translate Features Into Benefits
The mantra of “features tell, benefits sell” is a cornerstone of effective copywriting. First and foremost, customers are primarily interested in how a product or service will benefit them, solve their problems and make their lives easier. Effective copy should highlight these new features and benefits clearly and concisely, especially when selling products.
Understanding your target audience is vital for tailoring marketing messages effectively to potential customers in the market. It makes sense: when you know what your audience cares about, you know what they want to hear.
You can translate features into benefits that resonate emotionally, enhancing brand recognition. People often make purchasing decisions based on emotional responses before rationalising them with facts.
Focussing on the emotional connection customers have with pain points and benefits makes your copy more compelling and persuasive.
4) Handwrite Your Copy
It’s old school, but it works. There’s something about putting pen to paper that makes the words stick (lots of our team of SEO content writing experts swear by drafting articles or making notes by hand first, even with digital drafts!). Handwriting copy helps retain information better than typing and we find that even though it’s an offline practice, copywriting online improves just as much.
Good grammar is, of course, a necessary aspect of all copywriting; but what really makes your writing shine is reading it aloud with emotion. Reading aloud helps catch grammatical errors and improves the flow and engagement of your copy. Remember, as a copywriter, you are an educator teaching your audience about the products and features they need.
By making handwriting a daily habit, you keep your creative juices flowing and develop a deeper understanding of what makes great copy. This practice is a good way to refine your first draft and ensure your writing is both effective and engaging.
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5) Build Your Own Swipe File
Another great tip our team recommends is thinking of yourself as a reader first. Build up a ‘swipe file‘: your personal collection of great examples of copy, organised for reference and inspiration.
Building a catalogue like this is important because it allows you to gather and reference effective copy examples that can help later in writing amazing copy. It works whether you prefer physical folders or digital spreadsheets with screenshots and copies; the key is to create a system that works for you.
Identify your specific copy needs, such as headlines, email templates, or ad copy, to create a useful collection of examples based on what you’ll likely need to write. This resource becomes invaluable when you’re looking for inspiration or need a little nudge to overcome writer’s block.
It also helps to follow influential copywriters or social media accounts posting tips and examples too; you never know when inspiration will strike!
6) Practise Writing Headings Daily
Headlines are the first impression your copy makes, and practising writing them daily is essential for mastering this skill.
Aim to create three to five new headlines each day to hone your ability to spark curiosity and draw readers in. Having compelling, relevant headlines is a key part of our article writing service at Empowered English, and practice makes perfect!
Mix and match different heading formulas and practise covering various everyday topics to diversify your skills. This daily habit not only improves your general skill but also ensures you stay sharp and creative in your approach to crafting compelling headlines.
7) Read Your Writing Out Loud
Reading your copy out loud is a simple yet powerful copywriting exercise that can significantly improve your skills. It helps you identify awkward phrasing, grammatical mistakes, and issues with organisation and transitions that might not be obvious when you’re reading in your head.
It can be even more effective if you can have someone else read your writing to you. Hearing your work from another voice can uncover additional areas for improvement and help you spot any clunky phrases or odd syntax moments
Whether it’s you or someone else, reading what you write out loud is so vital for improving clarity and flow in your writing, so try to build up a habit of reading your final draft through at least once before you submit it.
8) Dedicate Time To Learning
Continuous learning is the key to staying relevant and sharp in the copywriting business. Dedicating time each day to learning about new trends, techniques, and industry updates can significantly boost your creativity and skills.
Set aside specific times for reading articles, taking a course, or practising freewriting to integrate learning into your daily routine. This consistent effort not only keeps you up-to-date but also fosters a growth mindset, helping you continually improve and adapt in your craft.
9) Shorten Long-Form Copy
The art of condensing lengthy content into concise messages is an invaluable copywriting skill. Shorten long-form copy on websites or in articles by cutting unnecessary or repetitive parts, making sure every word serves a purpose, and take notes on what works best to save time in the article.
This cutting process is essential in content writing, as you’ve only got a certain amount of time to capture your reader’s attention: if you can say it in fewer words, they’re more likely to remember it.
Effective editing means determining the relevance of each and every section of content and eliminating superfluous information. However, keep in mind that certain forms of SEO-driven copywriting are intentionally long to appeal to search engine algorithms.
10) Freewrite Regularly
Finally, the fun stuff! Freewriting involves letting loose and writing without structure for 10-15 minutes. This exercise can eliminate the pressure of achieving perfection and allow you to tap into your creativity, potentially revealing new ideas or fresh angles.
Our team likes to set a timer during freewriting sessions to help get a bit of structure, while still allowing creative freedom. Regularly updating your swipe file with new ideas and resources from these sessions can help combat writer’s block in the future, so save anything that has even a bit of merit!
So, Which Practices Help You Write the Best Copy?
In summary, whatever you choose to do, you need to practise, practise, practise. It’s the same whether you’re creating a landing page for your website, ad copy to sell a product, or blogs to grow visibility. The whole point of copywriting is to convince readers to read on, so it’s important to stay on trend, look for advice, and keep on improving.
The 10 tips above are the things our team of top writers regularly build into their schedules, and it’s helped us gain a (very) happy customer base all around the world.
Our team is here to help you become more effective and confident writers. Continue your learning journey by exploring our company copywriting blog for more exercises, tips and tricks. We’ll explain exactly how we’ve built a trusted formula for crafting copy that converts.
Remember, the journey to becoming a great copywriter is ongoing (as with all things digital marketing!). Dedicate time to learning, read your writing out loud, shorten long-form copy, and freewrite regularly.
Get used to doing these practices daily, and you’ll see your copy shine brighter than ever.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Keep your mind sharp and your techniques up to date, and what starts as a habit will soon become a natural, polished style.
Building some of our 10 favourite copywriting practices into your daily routine can help you focus on what really makes great copy, and help you cut out the fluff.
You should read your writing out loud because it helps catch awkward phrasing and mistakes that you might miss while reading silently. It’s a great way to improve clarity and flow!
Freewriting can really boost your copywriting skills by letting you brainstorm freely without the pressure of structure or perfection. This process helps you tap into fresh ideas and enhances your overall creativity.
To really nail the art of attention-grabbing writing, aim to practise writing three to five headings each day. This consistent effort will boost your overall copywriting skills!
Translating features into benefits is crucial because it answers the customer’s burning question: “Why should I care?” This approach connects emotionally and shows how your product or service genuinely solves their problems.
