Exercises for Copywriting

So you want to be a better writer. Good on you! Writing better copy will:

• Get you more sales or clients
• Get you more traffic (eyes on your offers)
• Get you more business (collaborations and sign-ups)
• Get you more interest in what you offer

The long and short of it is - if you want to be a better writer, practice is essential.

In this post we'll discuss the importance of writing practice, how to find good examples of business copy for inspiration, how actually to practice copywriting, and the benefits of becoming a better copywriter for your business.

By the end, you'll have a list of the best resources for copywriters at your disposal. So let's get started! First up, a few pointers.

Best Practices

As a professional copywriter, I'm expected to produce high-quality written content under tight deadlines.

To meet these deadlines, I've had to learn technical aspects of good writing combined with sound business knowledge.

Now, if you're dead serious about your business, I suggest you do the same.

Hard work

You too must hone your 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. Nor writing skills in general. But it's the best investment you'll ever make in your business, believe me.

Copywriting is a skill that improves with practice. The more you do it, the better you'll get at crafting persuasive, compelling copy that engages readers and stimulates them to take action.

As you practice, you will also better understand what works and what doesn't, so you can fine-tune your approach and produce even better results next time.

Small business owners

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

My writing process is streamlined (I have 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 to aquire them in the first place.

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 guide you to believe that you, too, can write well for your own business.

And by well, I mean - writing that gets your business the results it deserves.

Exercises to practice 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 as that's illegal (and really a bad thing to do morally) but you can certainly model the tone and voice.

Content writing is something worth reading.

Blog posts are typical of content writing, where the information given is informative and educational.

By studying various examples, you'll be able to develop your style and voice as a business owner.

Also look into ads on social media, emails and marketing flyers and anywhere else you see words used to convert an audience.

Keep your swipe file on the computer that you work off.

So it's nearby when you start writing and need a helping hand. Again, never be tempted to copy. But read it. Get ideas. T

Throw those ideas down on paper and see where they take you.

2. Journal it out

To discover your own tone and voice, you must write! It's as simple as that. I mean, me, a professional writer, I wouldn't be lying if I said I write more than I speak.

Keeping a journal is basically the same as a diary. You can write whatever spills out of your head onto the page.

Go nuts (I do!) Hand on my heart - keeping a journal since I was a teenager has helped me in so many ways.

Think along the lines of:

• Navigating the tough times
• Planning for the future
• Keeping a memory log

And journaling too, will help you with your writing style. Trust me when I say, we all have a style! It just needs to develop over time and with practice.