The Ultimate Copywriting Tips & Exercises to Jumpstart Your Creativity
Starting the copywriting process is literally the most challenging part ever. That blank web page right in front of you will make you want to grab a big mug of coffee. Well, obviously, it does not help with concentrating. So basically, the thing is if you don’t come up with a starting line right away, you might be going to have a tough time figuring it out.
However, to ease this problem for copywriters out there, here are some tips & exercises that will act as a warm-up to jumpstart your creativity and plan your writing.
Copywriting Tips and Exercises to Jumpstart Your Creativity
- Jot down the requirements first
When starting with writing, most of us have at least a topic or a goal or sometimes both. First, find out what exactly you are writing for here? Is it a blog or a PPC ad? Will it appear on product packaging or social media? Have you been assigned any word limit and keywords? Once you have the answers to these questions, note them down.
When writing for a blog, you get specific keywords to include in the content. These keywords act like steps that will help determine how your writing flow will be. Once you have the topic, keywords, word count, and objectives, you have a headstart for writing.
- Rewriting is writing
You can start writing with something else. Find some excellent copywriting examples that you love. Any favorite ad or campaign that you like is a good start. Read them, observe them, and then rewrite them. Try writing them in a way that it can apply to your company. Maybe you will end up writing something great!
- Visualize your concept
Copywriting and creativity go hand in hand. Being a copywriter, you are skilled, talented, and creative. But copywriters who can visualize their concepts or ideas make the best ones. Not every time, you will get to write a blog. Maybe you are writing video scripts for YouTube. In this case, the best way to give yourself a head start is to visualize your concepts. You can also put your thoughts on paper by drawing pictures or cutting pieces. You will be awestruck by the number of ideas that cross your mind by visualizing.
- Freewriting is a great exercise
The continuous premature editing and compulsive writing can make writing boring. The brain needs to be light and free to develop creative ideas. Try freewriting for around 10-15 minutes. Freewriting means you don’t write on a topic; you don’t worry about grammar, you keep on writing without any rules. It is an excellent exercise and helps your brain to relax and let it all out.
- Do your research well
Most of the copywriting needs research. Do your research on the topics related to your industry, read blogs, watch videos, go through twitter threads, and so on. While researching, you will end up with several ideas that will be more than enough for you to start writing. Even if you don’t derive any ideas from them, having the background will make your overall content reliable and better.
- Keep the introduction for last
This is a tip for copywriters who need to write longer content such as e-books or blogs. If you cannot come up with anything for the introduction, you better skip it for now. Do not stress yourself over it. The introduction tells the readers about what they can find in the content or what they should expect from it. But if you have not written the content, it is more likely that you cannot tell them what to find in there. So jump right to the first topic, then second, third, and so on. Once you are done with the entire piece, you know what’s there. You can then write a better and accurate intro.
- Read your content aloud
Once you have finished writing your content, read it out aloud. When people read something, they often hear the words in their minds due to subvocalization. Therefore, it is better to read your content aloud. Listen to it. Did it sound good? Did you have a tough time following it? You are likely to find some flaws in it. Rewrite and repeat the process. This will make sure that it sounds perfect when it reaches the audience.
- Talk about it with a colleague
As soon as you are done with it, it would be best if you got a colleague for a little talk. Tell him about the current project on which you have been working. While explaining it to him, you will get an idea about how you will present your work in front of the client or your management.
- Try summarizing your project in one line
Consider the topic, objectives, target audience, and keywords of the project. With this information, try to summarize it in one line. If you fail to do so, that suggests you need to study the key points a bit more before you get your hands on copywriting.
- Start with a shitty draft first
You are most likely to hate the first draft. You, of course, don’t have to be too attached to it. As a copywriter, you must keep your mind open for changes. Because after completing your first draft, you will revise it and then edit. So when struggling with ideas, why not come up with the very first shitty draft that you would never want your organization to see?
Make a rough draft with broken, ugly sentences. And you will end up enhancing it and develop great ideas to get you started for the final work.
So, these were a few copywriting tips and exercises to give you a headstart for creativity. Do not forget to pat yourself on the back once you are done. Coffee might not help to focus, but it sure is a good treat. Let us know your views regarding this in the comment box section available below! We hope this helps!