116: 3 mind-blowing things I wish I knew before I became a copywriter {Plus a Writing Prompt}
Have you ever found yourself staring at a blank page, struggling to start writing?
In this episode, I'm sharing three mind-blowing secrets I wish I'd known before becoming a professional copywriter.
Drawing from my experience in both the nonprofit sector and as a self-employed copywriter, I’m diving into why pro copywriters never start from scratch, how great copy is actually assembled rather than written, and why the "less is more" principle is crucial in crafting compelling messages.
I’m also inviting you to learn how to implement these 3 strategies in your sales copywriting process at my upcoming masterclass “What to say & How to say it” You can register for free at kimkiel.com/masterclass!
Topics We Cover in This Episode:
The truth about how professional copywriters begin their writing process
How to craft copy that doesn't involve "writing" at all
How to make your copy more powerful and persuasive
How to tap into your customers' language for maximum impact
A simple writing prompt that can kickstart your creativity
The secret to turning one piece of content into multiple engaging messages
Why confusion is the enemy of sales (and how to avoid it in your copy)
Want to see these tips in action?! Attend the free copywriting masterclass: What to say & How to say it. Grab your seat at: https://www.kimkiel.com/masterclass
-
[00:00:03]
Welcome to ill communication, copywriting tips and sales strategies for small business. I'm your host, Kim Keel. I'm a copy coach, sales strategist, and direct response copywriter. It's my mission to help women leaders and changemakers amplify their voices through copy. It's why I'm dishing out all the juicy tips, writing prompts, and sales formulas to help you generate more leads, book more calls, and get more high value clients on repeat. Sounds pretty good. It's time to ditch the overwhelm you might be feeling and find confidence in your copywriting so you can get your message out there and attract more soulmate clients. Let's get started. Hey there and welcome to this episode of the Ill Communication Podcast. But I got to start out by saying, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but there are a few things I wish I knew before I became a copywriter because had I known these essential tips, I wouldn't have wasted so much time in the writing process. You see, before I became a self-employed copywriter six years ago, I worked for several decades in the nonprofit sector. Now, if you've ever worked in nonprofit or charity, you'll know how much writing there is. There are donation letters, website copy, promotional materials, grant applications, funder reports, thank you letters, etc. and while I've always been a really strong writer, it would typically take me ages to get started. I'd be so intimidated by the blank page I couldn't write anything. I'd waste a lot of time just starting, and maybe writing a couple words and then deleting it, then starting again and then deleting that.
[00:01:48]
And then I'd go and talk to my work buddies, and then I'd sit down to write, and then I'd check email, and then I'd sit down to write again. You probably know the drill. And then there's the opposite end of the spectrum, where it's like the floodgates are released and all the words flow out of me. I'd write pages and pages, but it was unclear, disorganized and confused. And then I'd have to spend hours editing, tweaking, and refining. Sound familiar? Which is why when I became a copywriter and took advanced trainings on copywriting, reading books about copy, and ultimately doing this thing full time, I was gobsmacked to learn three critical things I'd been missing all along from my 18 years as a writer and copywriter. So here are the three critical things I wish I knew before I became a copywriter. Thing number one copywriters never start from scratch. Pro copywriters don't start from writing from a blank page. Now, when I first heard this, I was like, Wayne from Wayne's World exsqueeze me. What do you mean you don't write from scratch? All this time, I'd open a fresh word doc or Google Doc and stare at the blinking cursor, waiting for inspiration to hit. And before that, I'd have a trusty piece of loose leaf paper and my favorite pen in hand. Remember those days? The truth is, copywriters typically start with a copywriting framework or a writing prompt.
[00:03:10]
These are like simple recipes that give you the idea and structure for whatever you're writing. Take, for example, this podcast episode. I am late in delivering it to my podcast team. Sorry guys, but I couldn't think of what to write. So I scrolled through my writing prompt recipe cards and pulled one. And the prompt is number of things I wish I knew before I became a dot dot dot. And now I'm drafting the content for you using this recipe. I have an idea and I have structure for creating this episode. I'm not staring at a blank page waiting for inspiration. I have a recipe and now I'm crafting it. Thing number two I wish I knew before I became a copywriter is that great? Copy isn't written, it's assembled. This also blew my mind. When you have your recipe, you don't just make up the words that go on the page, you actually use the words and phrases your customers typically say about your product or service. Before we begin any piece of copy. Copywriters spend a significant amount of time several days, typically researching your customer. We send surveys, we interview them, we read their comments, reviews, and testimonials, and from there we find the most common phrases and words that we then plug into those formulas and recipes. We are not creating copy as much as we are assembling copy matching what your customer says about their pains and problems, desires and wishes, and matching that to the structure recommended by the copywriting framework.
[00:04:51]
It's kind of like building a puzzle on the page. One of the most common mistakes I flag when I'm reviewing copy for the members of the Joy of Copy Club, or on live copy coaching calls, is when the words don't sound like a real person. Said it. So often in business writing and marketing, we use jargon and insider words that our customers would never say in a million years. When I'm reviewing an email or sales page, I'll read a sentence or a headline and be like, wait a minute, did someone actually say that? And no. Often a client didn't say that, and they wouldn't say that, at least not in those words. For example, I'm hosting a copywriting masterclass called What to Say and How to Say It, and it's named that because my clients and followers always say things like, I get freaked out when I stare at a blank page. I don't know how to get started. I just don't know what to say or how to say it. And based on how fast and furious registrations are coming in for this masterclass, I think I've nailed the name of it and the messaging to sell it. All of which is to say, doing the research into the actual words your ideal buyer uses is the secret to assembling, not inventing great sales copy. And the third thing I wish I knew is this rule less is more.
[00:06:07]
In copywriting, business owners often write emails or posts and stuff them with way too much information and full disclosure, this used to be me. I'd write literal pages of persuasive argument and it was way too much. And while there are always a few exceptions to the rule, in general you want to limit each email or post to one big idea or theme, which often means cutting out extra words and ideas that really don't matter to the email or to the action you're trying to persuade your reader to take. The good news is that what was a single email suffering from TMI can be turned into several separate emails, which means you now have future emails pre-written. But make no mistake, writing clearer, more succinct copy takes effort, time, and practice. Mark Twain is quoted as saying, I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead. And that quote is a riff on one from Blaise Pascal, a French philosopher and mathematician from the 1600s, who said, I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter. Writing clear, compelling copy takes effort and time. The trick when you're writing your own copy is to keep this rule of one in mind and narrow your focus from the very beginning to write about one theme or big idea, to know you're writing to one reader and you have one call to action. Less is more effective.
[00:07:38]
If you write too much, you risk confusing your buyer and a confused mind never buys. So my friend, those are the three things I wish I knew before I became a copywriter one. Copywriters never write from scratch. Two. Great copy is not written, it is assembled and three less is more in copywriting and marketing. Now, I have just given you a really quick overview of these three things, but I want to show you what I mean and dive deeper into how I choose the best recipes and how I research the words and how I assemble those messages onto a page. That's why I'm hosting a free online masterclass on Friday, October 18th called What to Say and How to Say It. When you come to this masterclass, you'll get three of my favorite copy recipes and my best strategies for researching your customer's words. I actually give you an over-the-shoulder example where you can follow along on how I actually get these words. Plus, there will be time for live copy coaching so you can share some draft copy with me on the call, and I can help make sure you're sharing a focused, compelling, and persuasive message that will get your reader to take the action you want them to take. Tickets are free, but you must register in advance. Just go to Kim Dotcom slash masterclass and claim your free seat. And then after you do that, use this writing prompt that I shared in this podcast episode. Number of things I wish I knew before I became a blank and quickly write and send this to your email list this week.
[00:09:13]
Heck, you could draft this email and then bring it to the copy critique during Friday's masterclass. Once again, you're invited to see how to actually use these three strategies in your sales copywriting process. At my upcoming masterclass. What to say and how to say it. Register for free at Kim Dotcom slash masterclass. I hope I see you at the masterclass and then again back here next week for another episode of the Ill Communication podcast. Bye for now. Hey, would you like to hang out with me and other women business owners doing rad things in the world just like you? Then you should join the Joy of Copy Club. It's a group copy coaching experience where you receive access to all my sales templates, writing prompts, and copy recipes so you're never wondering what or how to write once a week. You can pop into my open office hours, where we'll live, review and edit any kind of copy you've written. Seriously, you can bring a social post, an email, or even some edits to your homepage and I'll help you optimize it before you send it out into the world. The Joy of Copy Club gives you the tools and the confidence to get your message out there so you can grow your impact and your revenue. Find out more at Kim Dotcom slash Copy Club. I'll see you next week.
Resources Mentioned
Grab your seat for my free copywriting masterclass: What to say & How to say it
Additional Resources
Follow & Review
Are you following the podcast? I want to encourage you to leave a review and follow today so you don’t miss any future episodes.
I would also appreciate it if you would leave me a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! I read each of them, and they help me make sure I am providing the content you love to hear! Plus, you get to pay it forward because it will allow other listeners like you to find the podcast!
