Want to Be A Smart Copywriter? Learn to Snip and Trim Like An Artist

Copywriting is the art of stealing and making it into something better – or something different. A smart copywriter welds his theft into a whole of persuasion which is unique and utterly different from which it was ripped.

Every copywriter yearns to craft a unique and original copy. But, is it actually original in its true sense?

Not really!

It’s just a trimmed version of the original.?

A smart copywriter observes and absorbs ideas from his surroundings and paints them into an empty document with a unique twist, like an artist.

Your job as a copywriter is to collect actionable ideas from anywhere that fuels your creativity and imagination.

You can devour old business movies, traditional marketing flyers, books, quotes, random content on a menu card at your favorite restaurant, adverts, shopping spree posters at your local mart, or a random business card you get while visiting a spa.

Absorb everything that fascinates the creative genius inside you and gather the points that speak directly to your heart at the first gaze.??

If you do this, your copy (and theft) will be authentic and influential.

Good copywriters understand compelling copy isn’t written; it’s assembled.

Be a shameless thief and make your theft golden

Does it sound Cynical? Not at all.

It's sound advice.

Great copywriters delve into the world of?creative thievery and use their theft in a creative way to craft kickass copy.

All master copywriters and authors are creative thieves. They look upon the universe and read about the lives of their mentors to steal great ideas, then prune their own craft.

But creative stealing doesn't mean taking word-for-word chunks from another writer's story/copy and making it your own.

Creative thievery is about evolution - reshaping or reforming a piece of existing creative work by exploring different options.

Author Austin Kleon explained the concept of stealing at its best. He said,

“A great artist collects from sources that inspire him. He stands on the shoulders of great artists before him, remixes their work, and then adds something of his own.”

Since there are a lot of people around the globe and there are 90% chances that any existing marketing content or technique that a company is using has not reached your client’s target market. You can steal the ideas that are working for your competitors, remix them, and give your own twist to create a brand new copy.

Pull out the points you like as a reader

Whenever I find something overwhelming or fascinating, I snip some sections/words/sentences to use them later in my writing with my own twist.?

My brain robbery didn't stop there, though. I copy and copy until I find my style.

Because replicating someone’s else work with a creative spin is like reverse-engineering. It’s like a mechanic taking apart an old car to learn about its functionality.

Taking an idea from the original to creating a new one in a different style is an art. You have to master that art to find your style.

Have an eagle eye on words and sentences

A big part of being a copywriter is having a good taste in words. Just like fashionistas have good taste in clothing, sommeliers can suggest mind-blowing pairings.?

Great writers don’t get the words right from the jump, they have the inner abilities to understand and then do all the edits.

Snip the words from the content you like, use exact similarities, or find these words from ads, books, flyers, anywhere.?Use powerful persuasive words to add meat to your copy.

Steal from many sources. Copy your favorite passages out of the books, articles, or success stories. Listen to podcasts, videos, and webinars to collect useful information.?Read old ads, newsletters, customer reviews, sales copy, and books from master copywriters.

Google everything - I mean everything - your fancies, questions, opinions...

Enjoy the creative stealing process

If you are thinking that stealing will kill your creativity then you are wrong. Being creative doesn't mean being original.

Creativity is equal to connectivity. When you learn to put old things together in a beautiful way, you will be able to create new things.

All artists/writers/innovators produce derivative works by emulating others. It is the only way to find yourself and you should be proud to be called a creative thief. It's the part of the process we (copywriters) love.