Copywriting Q&A: The Case for Slowing Down

A lot of new copywriters equate speed with getting better at writing copy. And in some ways they’re right—but in others, they’re dead wrong. Here’s the case for slowing down. Read on…

Today’s question comes from Jose T., who asks, “Now that I’ve been writing copy for a while, I want to make sure I’m progressing the way I should be. I’m thinking that I should be working on my speed to complete projects. Does that make sense to you?”

Speed does not equal increased skill.

Yes, as you practice copywriting for longer, you’ll likely find that ideas come to you a bit quicker. But the best ideas aren’t always the first ones—you still have to sit with the project and brainstorm.

Remember, too, that being fast isn’t necessarily great; especially if you’re being paid by the hour! You want to be efficient, but you don’t want to unnecessarily push yourself to be fast and miss out on getting paid for time.

More often than not, “fast” doesn’t equally “better,” it equals “sloppy” and “half-baked.”

When you’re trying to move fast, you do things like skim over the creative brief instead of giving it a good, thorough read. And what happens then? You miss key details and end up with a piece that doesn’t meet your client’s/boss’ needs.

They gave you the brief, but you missed the details. That just makes you look sloppy and unprofessional.

When you’re trying to be fast as you write, you don’t give yourself much time to concept and brainstorm. But, guess what? Your best idea isn’t always your first.

In fact, when you’re first starting out, your first idea is rarely your first. It takes to time to mull over a creative brief and possible solutions, before you come up with a concept that meets all of the requirements, really resonates with an audience, and truly stands out from what comes before it.

As you’re building your copywriting career, don’t focus on speed. A bit of speed will very likely come naturally as you practice.

Instead, focus on challenging yourself to get into the heads of your target audience, to understand your creative brief from both client and audience perspective, and to come up with innovative solutions.

It’s not the fast copywriter that gets the work; it’s the better copywriter that gets the work. Challenge yourself to become better in those ways, and you’ll reap the rewards.

Your turn! What have you found has helped you increase your skills as a copywriter? Let us know in the comments below!