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To succeed as a copywriter, you have to wield substantial creativity.
Yes, yes, I know. There are a zillion rules and formulas that copywriters follow to write effective copy. And yes, you can make a living just writing the same copy over and over for different clients. I even know one copywriter (no I won’t say who it is) who has admitted to literally cutting and pasting copy from one project to another to get work done.
But most copywriters find that creativity is an essential tool for writing well. This is especially true today, because there are so many different media and so much innovation in advertising and marketing.
I’ve written about ways to boost your creativity. But today we’re going to talk about some of the roadblocks to creativity.
You see, I believe creativity is something you’re born with. But along the way, we pick up bad habits that block this creativity. And if you want to energize your creative powers, you have to first consider what might be holding you back.
Ready? This might be a little painful. Or enlightening. Or both.
Program your brain for writing success in 7 easy steps
Did you ever wonder how some people can just sit down and joyously write for hours, while others struggle to crank out even a few paragraphs?
I’m not talking about writer’s block. I’m talking about what some people would call willpower, the willpower to write regularly, stick to writing schedules, and succeed.
But what is willpower? We tend to define “willpower” as energetic determination or inner strength. It’s as if we’re saying, some people can overcome their hurdles while others are just too weak. It’s a comment about character.
But hold on a minute. I think that’s unfair and inaccurate. In my opinion, some people are simply programmed for writing success while others lack that programming. So it’s really about learned behavior.
Those who can flip a switch in their brain and start writing aren’t overcoming anything or exercising great power of will, they simply enjoy writing. And that enjoyment comes from programming in their brain that gives them pleasure and satisfaction.
This makes a big difference in how you think about writing, because while it’s hard to change character, it’s much easier to change learned behavior. We’re simply talking about breaking old habits and forming new ones. Right?
So let’s drop the judgmental attitude, and concentrate on creating some positive habits that can lead to greater pleasure from writing and greater writing success in your life and career.
How? I thought you’d never ask. I just happen to have 7 suggestions.
Merlin’s 5-step method for managing your email inbox
Isn’t email wonderful?
I’m serious. Everyone complains about email now, but many copywriters just starting out now don’t remember the good old days when there was no email. I remember having to actually pick up the phone to talk to clients. *gasp!* To send copy, design, proposals, invoices, and other documents, I’d use a fax or FedEx.
Sometimes, I would use an ancient data storage device called a “floppy disk” to send files. I still have a small pile of them in my office somewhere, sitting idle and useless since most computers now don’t have a floppy drive.
But today, it’s all done by email. Send a message. Send an invoice. Send copy. The copywriting business today is all about managing a blur of emails all day long.
Which brings me to my point. Isn’t email a pain in the butt?
CrowdSPRING cattle call: “Work for FREE, suckers!”
If you’re a designer, you’ve probably heard of CrowdSPRING. If you’re a writer, you’re going to hear of them soon.
They’ve been around since 2008 and have billed themselves as a way for freelance designers to access a worldwide market, and an affordable way for small and medium-sized businesses to get logos and graphic design quickly and affordably. Now they’re expanding into freelance writing services.
Sounds great, right? That depends on your point of view.
From the point of view of hobbyists, stay-at-home-moms, out-of-work creatives, students, and desperate freelancers, CrowdSPRING probably sounds like a pretty good idea. From the point of view of a professional, the idea is pernicious and borderline unethical.
What CrowdSPRING is really doing is sounding a freelance cattle. They’re automating the spec work concept. They want to convince you to work for free … and like it!
Here’s how it works.
How to write a fundraising letter for Sister Catherine
Imagine a local school asks you to write a fundraising letter to raise money for a new library.
You sit down at your computer and start typing.
They laughed when I suggested a new library, but when the kids started to read …
Dear Parent,
It hit me like a bolt of lightning!
The kids at St. Mary’s Middle School don’t read. For years, no one could figure out why. But now, a new breakthrough scientific study has revealed the shocking answer. NO LIBRARY!
That’s right. How can kids read if they have no books?
I ran into the same situation at my former school and after years of hand-wringing, trying every reading program under the sun, we experimented with a simple, book-lined library. And it worked!
Instantly, kids started to check out books and read them. The results were astonishing. And now you can get the same breathtaking results at St. Mary’s. With no risk or obligation.
Track your copywriting projects the easy, low-tech way
Organization doesn’t come naturally to most writers, but when you become a professional copywriter, you enter the business world. And that means you MUST organize and track your copywriting projects.
This is especially important when you work for a busy marketing department or launch a freelance practice. You could have a dozen copy projects running at one time. Without a practical way to track all those projects, you’ll be a nervous wreck. And you’ll start screwing up and missing deadlines.
Does this mean you have to buy an expensive, complex project tracking computer program with a 300-page user manual? Nope. I use a simple low-tech system that you can set up in a few minutes.
If you can find a computer program or online tool that works for you, fine. I use a wide variety of programs and tools for my business.
But for tracking projects, most of the tools I’ve seen are vastly over-complicated. And if a program doesn’t make the job simpler, why bother? With my system, I spend less time wrestling with software and have more time available for writing.
So how does my copy project tracking system work? You’ll need …
How to write a mission statement to guide and inspire
Let me start off by saying that I’m not a poofy, hand-holding, kumbaya kind of copywriting guy. I’m more of the roll-up your sleeves and get down to business kind of copywriting guy.
So I have a love / hate relationship with mission statements. Too often they’re an exercise in overinflated ego and empty rhetoric. (The photo is a tongue-in-cheek reference to “the vision thing” that leads some companies to write a fuzzy, self-indulgent mission statement.)
However, it is important for an organization to have a mission and that mission should be expressed in a well-written mission statement. It’s the corporate version of an elevator pitch.
Recently while writing a mission statement for one of my clients, I realized how hard it can be to express in just a few words the whole of an organization’s purpose for being. But in my usual, step-by-step approach to projects, I came up with a set of rules for how a mission statement should be written to make it useful.
It’s important to understand that a mission statement must guide and inspire. It’s a verbal road map that shows where an organization is and where it’s headed. It describes why an organization exists, what principles it adheres to, and what it strives to accomplish.
In other words, it defines the philosophy, mores, and goals of the organization. Generally, there’s a somewhat lofty tone that lifts the mission statement above the task-oriented language of most marketing. However, as I’ve already pointed out, this can easily spiral out of control and become empty rhetoric. So be careful.
Here are 4 tips for writing a good mission statement.
Copywriting apocalypse: 6 survival tips for when the shtf
No matter how professional or experienced you are, the day will come when the sky turns dark, the earth trembles, and the apocalypse crashes the world around you.
In other words, a copywriting project will go bad. Way bad.
Maybe it’s your fault. Maybe it’s the fault of your client or boss. It doesn’t matter. One way or another, you have to deal with it. So I’m going to give you a simple, 6-step survival strategy.
But first, let me tell you two stories. In the first, I screwed up. In the second, my client pulled a fast one. In both cases, the SHTF and I survived.
Story 1: Years and years ago, when I was just starting out as a freelance copywriter, an agency asked me to write copy for a self-mailer. It was an easy assignment to promote an award show for a local advertising organization.
So I came up with a headline, wrote a few paragraphs explaining the show, crafted a simple call to action to register for the event, and typed up a list of the various sponsors and speakers. Simple right?
Unfortunately, I made one giant blunder.
