So you want to be a better writer? That’s great. You’ll find some handy exercises for copywriting right here in this post. Because, seriously, writing better copy will:

The long and short of it is, if you want to be a better writer, practice makes perfect. I mean, everyone can learn to write better; its a skill, but you have to practice it to make sure your voice (or your brand voice) comes through above all else.

And no, before we get started, relying solely on AI is not the answer. It still need editing and adding a human twist on!

Best Practices

As a professional copywriter with over 8 years in the trenches working in everything from small, aggressive start ups to large established corporations, I’m expected to produce high-quality written content under tight deadlines.

To meet these deadlines, I’ve had to learn technical aspects of great writing combined with sound business knowledge, as well the general, psychological depths of “what makes people tick”. And if you’re dead serious about your business, I suggest you do the same.

Hard work

You must hone your writing skills and become as efficient as possible when writing for your business — and it’s tough! No one said it was easy. Your attention span won’t want you to focus so much on writing copy. But it’s the best investment you’ll ever make in your business.

Copywriting is a skill that improves with time and intention. The more you do it, the better you’ll get at crafting persuasive, compelling copy that engages your readers, builds a loyal following and stimulates them to take action.

exercises for copywriting post: A beautiful scene of a lake with mountains beyond

What clients usually love

One of the things my clients love about my way of writing copy is how easy I am to work with. It’s a phone call or an email and you’ve booked me.

My writing process is usually quite streamlined (I use a system called my brain), but my strategy to acquire clients is not. I work off a plan once I’ve spoken to the client and rely heavily on intuition and creativity, because, people are people, and everyone has their quirks.

I share this to give you motivation.

Because business isn’t a linear thing. What works for one person doesn’t work for the other. My aim here is always to guide you to believe that you, too, can write really, really well for your own business.

Exercises for copywriting

1. Keep your own swipe file

Your own swipe file is where you store examples of good writing and use them as inspiration. You don’t copy word for word but you can certainly model the tone, style, cadence and voice.

You’ll notice that I routinely write in short, snappy sentences. I rarely use long sentences because, it’s just not me, but I also despise the use of the em-dash or hyphen, as these tend to flag non-human vibes if you get what I mean.

I suggest you look into ads on social media, emails, marketing flyers, aka anywhere you see words used to convert an audience. Keep your swipe file on the computer you work off, so it’s nearby when you start writing and need a helping hand or an idea boost.

2. Journal it out

To discover your own tone and voice, you must write! Keeping a journal is basically the same as a diary. You can write whatever spills out of your head onto the page.

Think along the lines of: navigating the tough times, planning for the future, keeping a memory log. Journaling will help you with your writing style. We all have a style — it just needs to develop over time and with practice.

3. Practice your headlines

Try to see every headline you create for your business as a reason to practise good copywriting. Keep your eyes open for good ones wherever you go, on billboards, in magazines etc and remember to note down what you like about it.

Questions to ask yourself:

4. Allow a bad first draft

I tend to always work off first drafts I admit. As a creative type I have a burst of inspiration (I also write poetry did you know?) and I just need to get the words out. I do re-read and edit a day or so later, but only grammar mistakes in truth.

However, I would advise anyone new to copywriting to remember that a first draft is usually pretty shit.

So always allow yourself the space to just write something. Go away for at least 24 hours, leave it, don’t look at it. Then a day later, come back, edit, and rewrite if needed.

5. Practice more and more (daily)

Simply practice writing!

It certainly doesn’t have to be good, but the more you write the better you’ll get. I’ve been writing professionally for 8 years like I said. When I average writing 1000 words + a day if not more, it’s no wonder I’m quicker and better than I was when I began.

So go on, get your notepad or your laptop and get writing. Enjoy! It’s addictive.

(Note, this blog post was first published in 2025 on my previous website)