Five Top Tips for Copywriters

Whether you’re an established copywriter with years of witty straplines under your belt or you're new to the world of copywriting, there’s always something to learn.

Here are five top tips to call upon when you start a new brief, project, or job.

Tip 1: Do your homework

Research the brief from start to finish so you know it like the back of your hand prior to getting started.

Knowledge is key, and it’s vital you know what you’re talking about. This may sound simple, but when we say do your research, we mean DO YOUR RESEARCH.

As some of the greats say, ‘stuff your consciousness with information’.

When your head is full of interesting ideas, it's easy to create an engaging piece of copy.

Tip 2: Be a master of disguise

You need to adapt to a brand or client’s tone of voice.

Read everything you can, ask for brand guidelines, and get into the nitty-gritty so your content fits seamlessly in with the rest of the brand's output.

Tip 3: Straplines are powerful

When you think up a super strong strapline, you know everything’s going to be ok.

For most copywriters, coming up with an engaging and effective strapline can be the hardest part of a brief.

So, write the strapline last.

Use the most powerful phrases, quotations, or stats from the body copy in the strapline to pull your user in and get them interested.

Tip 4: Copywriting is a conversation

Write naturally and conversationally.

Write how you talk. Even better, write how your customer talks.

Write copy that feels like you’re inviting your customer to join a conversation. A really interesting one.

As David Ogilvy said ‘If you’re trying to persuade people to do something or buy something, it seems to me you should use their language, the language they use every day, the language in which they think’.

Tip 5: Read all about it!

Read anything and everything. Any time. All the time.

At the supermarket, the gym, the bus stop, and the pub – words are everywhere.

The more copy you read for different products and different people, the more you’ll see what works and what doesn’t, and it will all be ingrained on your brain.

We hope these tips help you out next time you’re tackling a brief.

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