I used to get the worst copywriting feedback

When I first started copywriting, I hated the review process. My editor would tear my work apart.

Sometimes it was just little whoopsies — like fixing passive verbs, trimming down wordiness, the usual stuff.

But other times, it was feedback like:

“Go back and read the content brief again. This isn’t what we asked for.”
“You started talking about a different topic halfway through.”
“Your organization is all over the place. We need to workshop this.”

Ooooof.

It made me want to throw my laptop out the window and crawl into a hole. Or throw my laptop at my editor and scream. Or both.

No matter how many questions I asked or how hard I worked, I could never seem to figure out how to get it right.

Until one day she told me these magic words:

“Copywriting is 90% thinking, and only 10% writing.”

Something clicked. It was like the dark ominous void of copywriting turned into a beam of sunlight with angels singing and unicorns dancing.

TV gif. Ilana Glazer as Ilana on Broad City looking up and nodding, as if she is slowly understanding something.

Here's how it changed my copy

Before, my writing process looked like this:

Read the brief
Research
Outline
Write
Polish

But after getting this advice, it changed to something like this:

Read the brief
Think
Research
Think
Outline
Think
Write
Go for a walk
Polish

The difference: Getting the thing done wasn’t my only priority anymore. Instead, I started asking myself questions like:

👀 What are my readers doing when they see this?

Are they in the middle of a busy workday? Juggling their kids and laundry and dinner? Relaxing at the end of the day?

👀 How would different people respond to it?

For example, what would a competitor say? A skeptic? An ideal customer? Someone who’s tired, distracted, burned out, or cynical?

👀 If I had to explain this piece to a lead — or even better, a friend — what would I say?

What language would feel natural? What makes the most sense with the fewest words? What makes it sound interesting, worthwhile, and not like I’m just saying it because I’m paid to do so?

You get the gist.

Once you start incorporating steps in your process to pause and reflect, it’s amazing how easy it becomes to put the right words on the page.

How to start thinking more and (re)writing less

Like anything worth doing, a big part of this is practice, practice, practice.

But to get you started, here’s a quick list of questions to put on a sticky note at your desk:

What’s the “big idea” or hook that ties this piece together? (put this in the header of your doc for easy reference while you write)
What’s the emotional driver here — fear, hope, belonging, status, convenience?
If I had to explain this in one sentence to a friend, how would I say it?
How do I want people to feel while reading this?
Where might they get bored or confused — and how can I prevent that?
If a skeptic read this, where would they poke holes?
If my ideal customer read this, would they think, “This was written just for me”?
Would I click/buy if I read this — even if I were tired, distracted, or skeptical?
Does this pass the “so what?” test at every line?

…or maybe 2-3 sticky notes.

🫧 This stuff is a LOT easier when you have someone to talk it over with.

My calendar is always open for super-special subscribers like you, and you can book a free 30-minute chat if you want to bounce around ideas.

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Genius of the month: Ann Handley

A writer, digital marketing queen, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author

I couldn’t narrow it down to just one quote, so here are five of my favorite gems from Ann’s book, Everybody Writes:

✨ “Words matter. Your words (what you say) and style (how you say it) are your most cherished (and, yet, undervalued) assets.”

✨ "Our writing can make us look smart or it can make us look stupid. It can make us seem fun, or warm, or competent, or trustworthy. But it can also make us seem humdrum or discombobulated or flat-out boring."

✨ "What matters now isn't storytelling; what matters is telling a true story well."

✨ “The truth is this: writing well is part habit, part knowledge of some fundamental rules, and part giving a damn.”

✨ “Quality content means content that is packed with clear utility and is brimming with inspiration, and it has relentless empathy for the audience:”