The Benefits of Creative Writing Projects for Copywriters

Being a copywriter is one of those professions that offers an opportunity for lifelong learning. Aside from studying each client’s sector and services, you also have to work hard to not commit the sins of repetition, flatness and inaccessibility.

The more you write, the more likely you are to accidentally recycle previously used ideas and phrasing, which results in content lacking originality. The same goes for switching onto autopilot and writing copy that has no oomph and wallop, or equally as bad, using messages that are so full of jargon and stale terminology that only people working in that particular industry will be able to understand it.

I’ve been a copywriter for ten years. In that single decade, the ways in which we communicate have changed enormously. Long gone are the days when keyword stuffing was considered an acceptable practice, with websites blatantly trying to capture the attention of Google’s crawlers rather than offer clear solutions to the visitor’s problems. As someone who adores the power of language, the modern approach of investing in truly valuable copy is the best thing to happen to the internet since the gif of that disgruntled panda destroying an office worker’s desk (just search for “angry panda” in Giphy, it’ll be worth it).

Social media has also played a hefty role in transforming how we talk online, with short, conversational messages replacing the fusty newsletter that contained more text than the Magna Carta. The relatively recent practice of even the most corporate businesses using emojis in their posts is also growing in popularity, helping to add a little colour as well as triggering the reader’s brain to immediately connect with the subject being discussed. In other words, how we communicate online is constantly developing, and copywriters need to stay ahead of the game by keeping their work fresh and engaging.

Right then, time to address the core theme of this article: why do creative writing projects help copywriters to deliver better work? In my opinion, spending a little spare time writing something that isn’t for a client or your bank balance is a great way to mentally cut loose and mess about with new ideas. You can write anything you like, from science fiction to a series of autobiographical anecdotes, just as long as you forget about your day job for a while and write in whichever style feels right.

Why bother doing this? Well, I’ve found that it’s helped me to become a better editor, use a range of voices, increase my levels of patience and attention to detail, enable brevity even when there’s a lot to say, and of course, remind me why I became a copywriter in the first place.

My approach was very specific. A couple of months into lockdown I wrote a 300-word story, then another, and another, and so on. Fast forward to today and I’ve grown a brand new audience through my website BeardyBiscuits, plus I’m now working on self-publishing a collection of these tiny tales so that they can be enjoyed in printed form as well as online. In the process, I’ve found that my copywriting has taken on more life and energy, which benefits my clients as much as it does my business.

So, if you’ve been copywriting for a while and it’s starting to lose its lustre, I highly recommend writing something for your own enjoyment as soon as you get a chance. Not only will it switch off the old mental autopilot, it’ll also help you to explore different techniques for expressing ideas and getting a point across. And you know what? I’d love to read your work, so make sure to share it with @beardybiscuits if you fancy a chat about all things wordy.