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Confessions of a copywriter - Part 2 1 November 2010

Last week I enjoyed sharing a couple of copywriter confessions with you. Nothing scandalous. Just a few secrets that help me create exactly the kind of copy my clients want. In Part 2 of Confessions of a Copywriter, I’ll divulge two more of the approaches I use to create and complete content.

As a copywriter developing copy for business for more than seven years, you would expect me to have a few secrets up my sleeve. It goes without saying that copywriting is as much about attitude and outlook as it is about writing. Even with the ongoing support I offer to regular clients, these careful copywriter approaches can help to create better results. It’s not a case of simply putting well chosen words together. The process goes a lot further than that.

Copywriter confession 1. Ignore the content (for a little while at least)

So what are these continuing copywriter confessions all about? Well, it’s not anything hugely unusual. More commonsense or some smart tricks I’ve learned along the way. Tricks that anyone thinking about copywriting for themselves can apply to their work. Today’s confessions are more about what goes on around the writing than the wordage itself. My first little secret?

Ignore the copy.

It’s true. Straight from the copywriter’s mouth. Along the writing journey, I set the copy down and step back. Maybe long enough for a cup of tea. Maybe longer.

Time to put the washing out?
The spaces in between the writing can be just as informative as the time I spend developing ideas for content. Ignoring the project for a while gives me a whole new perspective on the copy. Someone once described this kind of creative time as the ‘putting-the-washing-out-pause’. As a copywriter, this break gives me a clear mind for when I get back to the content. Time out has all kinds of benefits. In this case, it provides any copywriting project with more power. The power of a clear mind and a fresh viewpoint. Two things a copywriter needs for every project.

Copywriter confession 2: Do some acrobatics (mental rather than physical)

So now I’ve shared the incredible power of ignoring the copy for a while – and then going back to it. So what other copywriter confessions do I have to reveal on this theme? It’s time for some acrobatics. Not literally. I was never a fan of P.E at school, let alone a candidate for extreme circus skills. This is about the kind of leaping around from one side to another that goes on only in the head. And it’s something I do whether I’m working on web copy for a solicitor’s company or a brochure for a bakery.

It’s the trick of turning myself – or rather – the copywriting project upside down. Throughout the writing process, I make sure I switch sides from copywriter to target audience and back again. I consider the copy from the viewpoint of the client and the people they want to reach.

There always an angle with you.
Someone recently said to me “There’s always an angle with you, isn’t there?”. I think it was meant as a compliment (depends whether they meant obtuse or acute, I suppose) and it’s absolutely true here. As a copywriter concerned with the end result, I’m always looking for a new angle, for an opportunity to see the content differently. That way I can capture what works – and what doesn’t – at an early stage. Issues like:

• Does the tone of voice really work for the audience?
• Does the copy flow consistently the whole way through?
• Is the content written at the right level for its audience?

By changing my viewpoint on the copy I’m writing, I can keep a closer eye on its potential impact. And that’s what the art (and science) of being a copywriter is all about.

So there they are. The confessions of a copywriter. Nothing dodgy. Just some commonsense approaches to create better copy.