There are copywriters, and then there are copywriters.
The first group treats copywriting as a means to an end: “I write this many words and get paid this amount.”
The second group holds the masters of the craft. These are the copywriters who are changing the face of marketing communications with their elegant lines of highly effective copy.
Want to know their secret? Here are four ways anyone can become a top copywriter.
1. Master the psychology of formatting & syntax
Crafting effective copy involves a special kind of psychology. Mastering it separates the mediocre from the superb. Great copywriters know that every headline, underline, paragraph break, and variation in sentence length pulls readers through the text, and they know how to employ such strategies in their writing.
You’ll never see a great copywriter filling out their text with fluff just to meet a word count. Nearly every choice they make adds meaning and relevance. That’s what makes their work so effective.
2. Think impact, not deadlines
Meeting client deadlines is important, but that is not what drives great copywriters. Great copywriters think first about how to create the most effective copy for their clients. For example, what is the goal of the piece? Is it to convert site visitors into customers? To increase email engagement? To get recipients to open a direct mail package? Meeting any of these goals requires approaching the copy in different ways.
The client’s goal — along with the intended audience — will determine the words chosen to frame the piece, the call to action, and even which keywords get optimized. Copywriters who begin writing with outcomes in mind make magic.
3. Simplify
Today’s world has become complex…and very busy. Readers simply don’t have the time to parse highly technical ideas couched in walls of text.
Master copywriters have the ability to put Ph.D.-level concepts into 6th-grade language. After all, if the copywriter can’t fully grasp a difficult concept, what chance does the reader have?
Simplifying is difficult skill, but a highly valuable one. Copywriters who can simplify rarely lack work.
4. Edit like a devil
Much could be said about today’s trend of employers demanding that copywriters be able to edit their own work. It’s not a healthy one.
However, the best copywriters know how to edit, and they’re ruthless about it. These lords of language know how to shorten sentences, eliminate fluff, turn passive verbs into active ones, and polish lackluster copy until it sparkles with energy.
Anyone can put words on a screen. Only the best can make them shine.
To sum it up…
Writing like a marketing pro requires intention, practice, and passion. That’s why copywriting is called a craft. Those who can master the craft will lead the industry in the future of marketing communications.
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