How to Become a 'Really Good' Creative Copywriter

There is copywriting, and then there is creative copywriting. What is the difference? Regular copywriting is a very broad discipline that covers all sorts of copy that includes product descriptions, sales materials, and so forth. Creative copywriting is more focused on presenting information in a creative way in order to produce the 'wow' factor. A really good creative copywriter can inspire with minimal words.?

How does one become a really good creative copywriter then? Some training is required, but book learning alone won't do it. To be really good, you need to have some natural creative talent along with the willingness to practise. You learn what you can in your creative copywriting course and then go start writing. With enough practice and some talent, your work improves overtime. Fortunately, there are things you can do to enhance your talent, training, and practice.?

1. Pay Attention to Real World Examples?

One of the best things you can do to help yourself become a really good creative copywriter is to pay attention to real world examples. Read every ad your eye comes across. Pay attention to every landing page you see online, every promotional offer that comes through your email, and every ad that shows up on your YouTube videos.?

What are you looking for? Examples of how copywriters are tapping into emotions. At the heart of creative copywriting is the ability to evoke an emotional response in the reader/viewer. So what types of techniques are successful copywriters bringing into play? That is what you need to know.?

2. Create a Best Of File?

Creative copywriters often refer to something known as the 'swipe file'. I prefer to call it the 'best of' file. It is essentially a file containing all the best examples of creative copywriting I have found. The purpose of the file is to give me something to refer to when my creativity starts to dry up.?

By the way, even the best creative copywriters have dry spells. It's normal. The whole point of creating a 'best of' file is to give yourself a shot of inspiration when you need it most. You can put anything you want in this file. You can even pull old items out and replace them with new ones as you find better content.?

3. Become a Prolific Reader?

If you are not a prolific reader, commit to becoming one. Read a variety of materials including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, news, commentary, and so forth. The idea is to soak up as many different writing styles as possible along with expanding your vocabulary.?

Personally, I find it extremely helpful to read short stories and song lyrics. Lyricists are especially creative at weaving words and phrases together in such a way as to evoke emotions people don't even know they are actually feeling. If you can emulate lyricists and short story writers in your creative copy, you will produce winning copy more often than not.?

4. Become a Prolific People Watcher?

When you're not actually working, get out in the real world and watch people. Better yet, become a prolific people watcher and focus on one thing in particular: human emotion. Pay attention to how people respond to the world around them. Pay attention to how they interact, the expressions on their faces, the tones in their voices as they speak, and even their body language.?

Getting a handle on human emotion will help you craft better copy that evokes the desired emotion. When you get really good, you should be able to tie incidents you have observed in the real world to the creative copy you're working on at the moment.?

Here is just one example: writing creative copy for a coffee shop after observing the exasperated look on a mother's face because her child is throwing a tantrum. Imagine that mother sitting in the coffee shop enjoying her favourite latte after dropping the kids off at granny's house. With that image you have the makings of a great piece of copy.?

5. Keep Things Around That Inspire?

Finally, creative copywriting requires inspiration. You need to be inspired yourself in order to inspire others with your copy. Therefore, keep things around that inspire you. If you are inspired by the Swiss Alps, hang pictures of them on your office wall. If a good West End show gets your juices flowing, play some show tunes quietly in the background. Whatever inspires you to be creative can inspire you to be a better creative copywriter.?

In closing, don't forget to update your training every now and again. As the internet and search engines evolve, copywriting needs to evolve with them. A refresher course every couple of years wouldn't be a bad idea.?

With the right training, natural talent for creativity, and a lot of practice, you can become a really good creative copywriter. You can inspire people by weaving together words and phrases in such a way as to spark the imagination and evoke motion. And when you can do that, you will discover that your services are in high demand.?

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A few of the suggestions above come compliments of my company Connotations. We are a UK-based content creation company that offers, among other things, creative copywriting services. I did also add some of my own thoughts to Connotations' suggestions.