Improve Your Writing By Thinking Like a Copywriter

by Amy Pennza
published in Writing

Have you ever read the side of a Chipotle cup while you eat your burrito? Browsed a company’s home page? Ever chuckled at an online recap of your favorite TV show? What about the little descriptions next to clothes in magazines? Then guess what — you’ve read something created by a copywriter.

Copywriters write a huge portion of the things you read both online and in print — from ads and website copy to press releases and blog posts for major brands. And while it’s true that copywriting is a different type of writing than fiction, you can improve your fiction writing by borrowing these five tools from the copywriter’s toolkit.

1) Trim the Fat

“Kill your darlings.” It’s writing advice that has been attributed to William Faulkner, Stephen King, Oscar Wilde, and half a dozen other literary pros. King elaborated on it when he wrote, “[K]ill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”

In other words, you’re going to fall in love with something you’ve written, but it’s not going to work for the manuscript overall. And you’ve got to have the willpower to axe it.

A darling can be just about anything: a sentence, a scene — even a character. The chubby butler with a spindly mustache who provides occasional comic relief in your novel might be a charming guy, but if he doesn’t really add anything to your story ­— if he’s a distraction — he’s got to go.

This is one area in which copywriters excel. In advertising, every word counts. Whether you’re writing as a freelancer or working for an agency, someone is paying for every word you write. More than that, the copy has a job to do. If it doesn’t convert for the client by driving traffic to their site or making their products fly off the shelves, businesses lose money (and copywriters sometimes lose their jobs).

In copywriting, killing your darlings is often referred to as getting rid of “fluff.” Copywriters must wield a machete along with a pen (or keyboard) in their writing, cutting the fat and keeping eyeballs on the copy.

2) Connect with Your Audience

In copywriting, the goal is to sell a product or service. When you write fiction, you want to sell your book, of course. On the surface, these objectives might seem different.

But they’re really not.

Whether you’re writing a romance novel or a blog post about dog food, you want to capture your audience’s attention…and then hold it until the very end. In today’s fast-paced world, this is an increasingly challenging task.

Copywriters know that the secret to effective copy is to sell without selling. In other words, you can’t just tell people to buy your stuff. Rather, you should offer something of value to the reader — typically advice or information. Some of the best copy does this by telling a story.

You can see this technique on the Chipotle cup I mentioned in the intro. For years, Chipotle has printed humorous stories about its ingredients sourcing on the side of its cups and carry-out bags. Many of the stories talk about local farmers who supply vegetables to the restaurant chain.

Chipotle could simply print its logo with the words “EAT OUR BURRITOS” on its soda cups, but that doesn’t establish much of a personal connection between the corporation and its consumer. By telling a story about the real people behind the food, Chipotle connects with the actual people who buy it.

As you write fiction, ask yourself, What story am I trying to tell? Do your characters merely do and say things, or do they feel them? Will a reader identify with the people on your pages?

3) Self-Edit…and Then Self-Edit Some More

Of course, self-editing is something you should already be doing. But does your paycheck depend on turning in error-free copy for every project, every time?

Some copywriters spend just as much time editing as they do writing a piece. Obviously, they want to catch grammar mistakes and misspelled words, but they also look for ways to make the copy more compelling — and this is something that requires at least a couple rounds of editing.

As a fiction writer, you obviously want to correct spelling mistakes and remove duplicate words in your manuscript. But are there other ways you can improve it? Run a search for words like “very” and “also.” Hunt down crutch words and replace them with more varied choices. Find places where you’ve used passive voice and eliminate it.

4) Do Your Research

As a copywriter, I’ve written about everything from solar panels to pet photography. I’ve never stayed in a Disney resort, but I’ve written so many articles about them I feel like I could book a vacation tomorrow. No matter what I’m writing about, I can’t write convincingly until I research the product or subject matter.

More importantly, I have to back up statements with facts. One of the worst missteps for a copywriter is to publish a piece that’s misleading or outright wrong. An improperly sourced article or blog post can cost a client money, a fan base, and its reputation.

These well-honed research skills are put to good use in fiction writing. Doing your homework and researching a subject or a particular period in history brings your characters to life and makes your story more convincing.

And in fiction writing, it’s often the little details that count. Is your main character a surgeon? Learn what tools doctors use to suture an incision. Does your story take place in 1905? Check out Pinterest and museum websites for images of period clothing.

5) Hit Your Word Count Every Day

It’s common writing advice: Write every day no matter what!

Easy in theory; kind of tough in practice. Unless, of course, your wages depend on your ability to pump out content on the regular.

Copywriters don’t get paid unless they hit their production quotas. Just like any other kind of writer, however, they deal with their fair share of writer’s block and procrastination. To earn a decent living, they must learn to be disciplined and efficient.

You can use this discipline and efficiency in your fiction writing. Writing should be fun, but it can also be difficult, boring, and…well, work. If you approach it as work — as something you absolutely must accomplish — you might find yourself procrastinating less and writing more.

And isn’t that always the goal? To write more.


Amy Pennza is a romance author whose first book published in July 2017. She’s also a copywriter for a digital PR agency. And while she’s not a paid Chipotle spokesperson, she does enjoy their burritos. You can find her on Twitter @AmyPennza.

 

 

 

 

 

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