Ever since I became a freelance copywriter, people have asked me how I do it. When talking about themselves, they say, "Oh I'm not creative" or "I know what I want to say, but I don't know how to say it." My reply is always, "just say it!"

We all know that good copy needs a structure; it needs to be in the right tone of voice and it needs to capture and hold the attention of the reader, inspiring them to act. To buy!

Daunting blank page stage

What people don't always realise is that to achieve good copywriting you need to work on it. I've not met a copywriter or any writer that can get it right first time, so you shouldn't expect to. But that's actually a good thing, because if you 'know what you want to say' you can just say it; write it down in any clumsy style you like and all of a sudden you've made a start. The daunting blank page stage is over.

Once you've written it you can begin to edit. Trim out any words that are unnecessary. Words like 'that', 'therefore' and 'however' are often surplus to requirements. Phrases like, 'it enables you to' get in the way of the key message, so just say what it does. If you haven't removed about a third of the words the first time you edit, then you haven't done enough.

Key messages

Next is to bring in key messages. Think about what it is you are communicating with this piece of copy and think about the key benefits of any product or service you are trying to sell; think about it from the point of view of someone who knows nothing about your subject, what are the three most essential facts that they need to know to interest them in buying.

Once you have your key messages, put them into the copy, making sure that they are easy to find, if not at the beginning, then certainly quite near it. Don't be afraid to repeat them throughout your piece, in most cases this is essential. Now for a bit more tidying up, read through again making sure every sentence is interesting and necessary. Make sure your message is clear and make sure there are no sentences or phrases that could be perceived as meaning something else.

Add the flavour

At this stage it is a good idea to add a few extra adjectives and verbs, not too many though, just enough to illustrate your meaning and lift your copy; to give it some flavour. This is one of the key tricks of copywriting you must get the right balance here. A good copywriter will think of a hook at this stage, the grabber that attracts the eye and seizes attention. You should do this too, make it short, punchy and effective.

The life of a freelance copywriter

Finally read through again, making final adjustments and checking for grammatical and spelling errors; if your reader finds any of these, your credibility disintegrates. Ideally you should have someone else read it for you; it's very hard to spot your own writing errors. When the right methodology is applied, anyone can become a great copywriter and as a freelance copywriter, you'll be your own boss, choosing your own lifestyle. Now I think that's a line that's attractive to everyone.