Having spent the past 20 years writing marketing copy for a whole host of businesses and organisations I wanted to share a few tips that I find really useful and always help me when developing a new piece of content either for my clients or for my own content.
Whether you are writing your LinkedIn posts for the next month, developing text for a new page on your website, or crafting that blog post you know isn’t going to write itself it can be difficult to focus and get started.
If you find yourself struggling to make headway try some of these ideas for inspiration:
1. Write down what you want the piece to achieve.
What is the aim of the marketing copy you are writing? This could be a whole manner of things depending on the type of content you’re crafting. For example with this piece of copy, I want the article to provide some key nuggets of copywriting advice business owners will find useful and may want to try.
2. Put your ideal customer hat on and think like one.
Note down what keywords they use to describe the problem they have and any specific language you know they identify with. I also find it useful to create a picture of them in my and use a buyer persona profile so I can really focus on whom I’m writing for. (You can find more detail on that here).
3. Go to a different place to brainstorm your initial thoughts.
I often go to a local coffee shop, pop into Wetherby to sit by the river, or just work in a different room. Moving out of your normal ‘space’ can be super helpful. I usually just take a notepad as well rather than my laptop and write down everything and anything that comes to me in the first instance. You can always edit these ideas down and strikethrough anything you don't think deserves to make it into the final piece. It’s the same principle as taking loads of photos...you know one shot will be amazing but you might have to take 100 to get it.
4. Get your favourite beverage.
Writing with a cappuccino in hand is a must for me. I know coffee helps get my creative juices going so it’s important for me to have one if I want to produce good work. Can you pinpoint anything that gets you in your creative zone?
5. Be prepared for ideas to flourish a few hours (or sometimes even a couple of days) after your initial planning time.
Ideas often come to me after my first brainstorming session’. If additional bits and pieces come to you make sure you make a note of them and add them to your initial scribblings.
6. Recognise when you write your best work or when you’re more likely to feel more creative.
For me, I get the best results when I write between 11am and 3 pm. There are also certain weeks in my calendar when the words seem to flow more freely. Try to identify any patterns you can see emerging, make a note of them, and base your writing times with these in mind.
7. Allow yourself plenty of time as writing can’t be forced.
No matter what type of content you are writing, if you leave it to the last minute it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get the message you want across. It also puts you under unnecessary stress and pressure. Be mindful of your deadlines and plan in allocated writing time to your schedule when you know you’ll be on killer form (see above). I use the project management tool Asana to help with this.
If you start with some of these tips when you come to actually write your content you’ll then have lots of ideas to draw from and getting to the finished piece will become so much easier.
And finally one last tip...
8. Don’t forget to enjoy the process!
I love using these ideas to formulate content that will really resonate with the intended target audience.
If you try these but still aren't getting the result you want and it’s eating up your precious time I’m always here to help. Using the ‘Torchlight Search’ method I’ve designed and created together with my 20+ years of writing experience I can help you effectively communicate with the customers and ideal clients you are trying to reach.
Why not book in a 15-minute copywriting chat so we can discuss exactly what you need?
Or just get in touch. I'd love to hear from you!
Feel free to share any other tips you find useful in the comments below. I'd love to hear them.
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