Copywriters are often considered the backbone of any marketing campaign. From producing SEO-driven content to captions and tag lines, every piece of copy needs to hit the brief. That’s where an experienced copywriter comes in. So, if you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering how you can improve your copywriting skills. Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Aside from basic grammar and research skills, there are many more elements involved when you’re wanting to stand out from the copywriter crowd. So, without further ado, here is our fool-proof checklist on how to skyrocket your copywriting skills.
Table of Contents
Find your unique tone
In today’s digital age, everyone is scrambling to produce content. But how can you make sure your content cuts through the noise? Start by identifying your unique brand tone and try not to overcomplicate the message you are trying to get across. Similarly, don’t write things that you would never say in person. Try to keep your sentences short and use more simple language. Using big sentences with lots of fancy vocabulary is great, but the chances are your audience won’t read it. Instead, they will end up looking for other copy that is easier to digest.
Know and understand your target audience
This point can’t be stressed enough. When writing copy, you want to make sure you understand your audience, what they want and what they are interested in. You can find out more information surrounding what your target audience desires are by performing market research, checking out what your competitors are writing about or even simply asking your boss. Writing information that does not resonate with the reader is a huge waste of your time and effort.
Keyword Research
Keyword research isn’t the most entertaining part of copywriting; however, it definitely is one of the most important. Keyword research will give you a fantastic overview of the market including what’s trending, what’s not working so well and what to write about to rank higher in SERPs. We recommend using SEO platforms such as SEMrush to optimise your content and identify relevant keywords. However, be careful not to jam pack your copy with too many keywords. Not only does it not read well to your audience, but search engine bots can also detect when you are keyword stuffing which will negatively impact the performance of your copy.
Make a plan
Planning makes copywriting ten times easier. If you create a simple plan before you start, outlining the points you wish to cover and include some references, you will not only save yourself loads of time but also prevent yourself from getting side-tracked from what you’re actually writing about. Make sure you are looking at what your competitors are writing about, the layout and tone of voice they are using, and what subheadings they have included. Doing this can give you ideas that you may not have previously thought of, and you can use them as a point of reference on how to make your copy better than the competition.
Pick a headline that packs a punch
The headline of a piece of copy is far more important than it may seem. Your headline needs to portray a clear message of what the user will find in the copy, but it also wants to be short, to the point, and attention-grabbing. We recommend drafting a few headlines and once the copy is finished, go back, and rework the best one to suit.
Get your grammar right
One of the top rules for copywriting is ensuring that your grammar is correct. Any piece of copy that is grammatically incorrect automatically loses a tonne of respect and authority. If grammar is something you are particularly worried about, fear not. There are plenty of online plugins you can install such as Grammarly which act as a safety blanket.
Be humble and allow others to help you
One of the most heart-breaking parts of being a copywriter is having another person change the copy that you have worked incredibly hard on. Unfortunately, people are going to dislike certain things you have written or think that parts could be worded better. But it is important not to take that to heart. It is constructive feedback that will improve the copy and could improve its chance of ranking highly on SERPs. After all, many sets of eyes are better than one. Following on from this, when you are creating your copies, do your research! Spend some time reading existing blogs on the same or similar topics online and use them to help you write your own copy. As a copywriter you will not be expected to have a search engine library of knowledge, so use the help whenever and wherever it is available.
Final thoughts
Look, anyone can become a copywriter, but the difficulty lies in becoming good at what you do. It is important to remember that you are writing for people, not for search engines, and sticking to this rule will help to improve your rankings.
The demand for copywriters has drastically increased in today’s digital age, but this also means that the competition is far greater. If you would like any help with your copywriting, would like to know how to rank higher in SERPs, or have any other questions for the team, please get in touch with us at info@modo25.com.
