5 Copywriting Exercises You Can Do Right Now To Get 90% Better

Summary

This video outlines five practical exercises to improve your copywriting skills. The speaker emphasizes the importance of action over mere study, comparing it to boxing. Key exercises include building a 'swipe file' for inspiration, seeking feedback from experienced copywriters, converting sales pages into emails (and vice versa), trimming excess copy, and minimizing distractions by cutting out entertainment. The video encourages focusing on education and practice to rapidly enhance your copywriting abilities, with additional resources offered at the end for further learning.

Takeaways

• 💡 Beginners often get stuck in learning without actually practicing copywriting, which is crucial for mastering the skill.
• 📝 Building a swipe file with effective copy from other companies is essential for finding inspiration and avoiding blank-page syndrome.
• 📧 Sign up for company email lists and analyze ads on social media to build a rich swipe file.
• 👍 Feedback from experienced copywriters is key to improving your skills; friends and family may not provide the best critiques.
• 🔄 Convert a sales page into an email or vice versa to test and improve your copywriting skills.
• ✂️ Trim down your copy as much as possible without losing the core message since people's attention spans are shorter.
• 🚫 Reduce entertainment consumption like Netflix and social media, and replace it with educational content to rapidly improve your copywriting.
• 👥 Join copywriting communities (like a Discord server) to exchange feedback and gain exposure to other writers’ work.
• 📜 Focus on writing concise, powerful copy that conveys big ideas in as few words as possible to keep readers engaged.
• 🎓 Actively consume educational content, implement what you learn, and practice daily to fast-track your copywriting mastery.

Q & A

What is the main point the speaker makes about learning copywriting?

The speaker emphasizes that many beginners focus too much on studying copywriting content without actually practicing and implementing the skills they learn, which is essential to mastering copywriting.

Why does the speaker compare copywriting to boxing?

The speaker compares copywriting to boxing to illustrate that just studying the theory (watching videos or reading about boxing) isn't enough to master the skill—you need to practice it in real-life scenarios.

What is a swipe file, and why is it important?

A swipe file is a collection of effective or interesting pieces of copy that can serve as inspiration when writing your own. It helps avoid writer's block and provides ideas based on what successful businesses use in their copy.

How can you build a swipe file?

You can build a swipe file by signing up for companies' email lists, noting the copy used in ads, or breaking down the sales pages and ads from companies you’ve interacted with to see what makes their copy effective.

Why is getting feedback on your copy important?

Feedback is essential because it allows you to learn from others who have more experience. Constructive criticism helps improve both your skills and the specific piece of copy you’re working on.

What is the benefit of converting a sales page into an email or vice versa?

Converting a sales page into an email (or an email into a sales page) is a great exercise because it forces you to test your ability to communicate the same message in different formats and lengths, helping improve adaptability and versatility in copywriting.

What is the significance of trimming copy effectively?

Trimming copy is important because attention spans are getting shorter, and concise copy is more likely to be read and absorbed. Communicating ideas effectively with fewer words makes the copy more engaging.

Why does the speaker advise cutting out entertainment like Netflix or social media?

The speaker suggests cutting down on entertainment to focus more on educational content, which will significantly improve your skills faster by replacing time-wasting activities with activities that enhance copywriting knowledge.

What is the importance of studying ads on platforms like Instagram?

Studying ads on platforms like Instagram allows you to see real-world examples of persuasive copy that businesses use. Breaking down these ads helps you understand what makes them effective and provides ideas for your own swipe file.

What resources does the speaker offer to help improve copywriting skills?

The speaker offers access to a free Discord server with over 4,000 copywriters who review each other's work, as well as free copywriting training resources and courses available through their YouTube channel.

Outlines

00:00

💡 Mastering Copywriting Through Action, Not Just Learning

In this video, the speaker introduces five actionable copywriting exercises that can help beginners start improving their skills immediately. They emphasize that many people get stuck in just consuming content without practicing, which can hinder true learning. The speaker compares it to boxing—studying alone isn't enough; real improvement comes through action. These exercises are ones they personally used, leading to a successful career making over six figures. Some of the techniques were learned from renowned experts like Dan Lok and Russell Brunson. The speaker promises to offer free training and resources at the end for viewers who stick around.

05:01

📂 Build Your Swipe File for Inspiration and Success

The first exercise is about creating a 'swipe file'—a collection of effective and inspiring pieces of copywriting that can be used for reference when writing. Instead of staring at a blank page, a swipe file provides inspiration and insights from successful businesses. The speaker advises gathering ads and emails from companies you admire, signing up for their mailing lists, and analyzing their strategies. They also recommend studying social media ads for elements like strong headlines or persuasive language and saving those insights to your swipe file for future use.

📝 Get Feedback from Experienced Copywriters

Exercise two emphasizes the importance of receiving constructive feedback from experienced copywriters. Family and friends may not be able to provide helpful critiques, so the speaker recommends joining the 4D Copywriting Discord server, where over 4,000 members actively share and review copywriting work. By submitting your own work for review and reviewing others’ copy, you can improve your skills. The feedback can help you create a stronger portfolio or deliver better results for clients, ultimately increasing your earnings.

🔄 Convert Between Sales Pages and Emails

The third exercise challenges writers to convert a sales page into an email, and vice versa. Sales pages are typically long, while emails are shorter and more concise. By practicing this conversion, you can refine your copywriting skills and generate more content. This exercise not only enhances your ability to write both formats effectively but also provides valuable material for your portfolio or future projects.

✂️ Learn to Trim Copy and Keep It Concise

Exercise four focuses on trimming unnecessary words from your copy, making it as concise and engaging as possible. Attention spans are short, especially with the rise of platforms like TikTok, so it's crucial to communicate big ideas in fewer words. The speaker advises always reviewing your copy to see if an idea can be expressed more concisely. This practice ensures that your audience remains engaged and more likely to take action.

📚 Replace Entertainment with Education to Improve

In the final exercise, the speaker advises cutting down on entertainment, such as Netflix or social media, and replacing it with educational content. The time spent on entertainment could instead be used to improve your copywriting skills. They suggest watching educational videos and using their free resources available on YouTube and in the Discord server. By actively learning and implementing new techniques, you’ll progress much faster and outperform others. The speaker concludes by directing viewers to additional resources to continue their learning journey.

Keywords

💡Copywriting

Copywriting refers to the art of writing persuasive content to promote a product, service, or idea. In the video, it is the central theme, as the speaker discusses ways to master this skill. The exercises focus on practical tips to help beginners implement and practice copywriting instead of just consuming content.

💡Swipe File

A swipe file is a collection of effective or intriguing copy that copywriters can use for inspiration. The speaker encourages viewers to build a swipe file by collecting copy from successful businesses to help overcome writer’s block and generate new ideas when starting a new piece of copy.

💡Feedback

Feedback in the video refers to getting input and critiques from experienced copywriters to improve one's writing. The speaker emphasizes that seeking feedback from knowledgeable sources is crucial for mastering copywriting. The example provided is using a dedicated Discord server to submit copy for review by other copywriters.

💡Sales Page

A sales page is a long-form copy designed to persuade readers to purchase a product or service. In one exercise, the speaker suggests converting a sales page into a shorter email and vice versa. This exercise helps develop versatility in writing copy for different formats.

💡Email Copy

Email copy refers to the content written for emails, typically shorter and more concise than a sales page. The speaker discusses how writing email copy can help copywriters improve their ability to communicate effectively within a limited word count, which is essential for holding the reader’s attention.

💡Trimming Copy

Trimming copy is the process of reducing unnecessary words or content in a piece of writing to make it more concise. The speaker highlights the importance of being ruthless in cutting down long-form copy to keep the reader engaged, particularly in a world of shrinking attention spans.

💡Attention Span

Attention span refers to the length of time a person is able to focus on a task without becoming distracted. The speaker mentions that with the rise of platforms like TikTok and short-form content, attention spans are becoming shorter, making it critical for copywriters to deliver their message quickly and effectively.

💡CTA (Call to Action)

A CTA, or Call to Action, is a prompt in copywriting that encourages the reader to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. The speaker mentions how effective copy typically ends with a strong CTA to drive conversions, and they suggest studying other businesses' use of CTAs.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of a copywriter’s best work, used to showcase their skills to potential clients or employers. In the video, the speaker mentions that as copywriters improve their skills, they should build a portfolio to attract clients and demonstrate their capabilities.

💡Short-form Content

Short-form content refers to brief and concise pieces of content, such as those seen on platforms like TikTok or Instagram. The speaker references the rise of short-form content as a reason why copywriters must be able to convey big ideas in fewer words, as people's attention spans are shrinking.

Highlights

Many beginners get stuck consuming content without implementing, similar to how reading about boxing won't help in the ring.

The video will cover five practical copywriting exercises that the speaker used to become successful.

Building a swipe file helps avoid staring at a blank document and provides inspiration from effective copy.

Signing up for email lists and analyzing ads are effective ways to build a swipe file.

Getting feedback from experienced copywriters is crucial for improvement, which is facilitated by the 4D Copywriting Discord server.

The Discord server offers a platform for over 4,000 copywriters to review and get feedback on their work.

Converting a sales page into an email and vice versa is a good exercise to test copywriting skills and generate content.

Being ruthless with trimming copy is essential due to decreasing attention spans; short and concise copy is more effective.

Eliminating distractions like Netflix and social media in favor of educational content can significantly improve copywriting skills.

The speaker offers numerous free resources, including a YouTube playlist and Discord server, for further copywriting education.

The first exercise is to build a swipe file by collecting effective pieces of copy from various sources.

Using feedback from skilled copywriters helps improve both skills and the actual copy itself.

The third exercise involves transforming different formats of copy, such as turning a long sales page into a short email.

The fourth exercise focuses on being concise, ensuring every idea is communicated in the fewest words possible.

The fifth and final exercise is cutting out entertainment to focus on educational content, accelerating skill mastery.

Transcripts

in this video I'm going to share with

you the five copywriting exercises that

you can start doing today so that you

can start mastering the skill of

copywriting you see so many beginners

get so caught up in doing nothing but

studying and consuming copywriting

content that they fail to actually learn

and Implement and do the work necessary

in order to get good at the skill and

it's a lot like boxing for example if

you just sit around and read books watch

videos about how to box well as soon as

you step in the ring you're probably

going to get your ass kicked so these

exercises that I'm about to show you are

ones that I've done myself to get good

at copywriting which I now make over six

figures doing and a lot of them I

learned from other top level copywriters

like Dan Lok and Russell Brunson for

example and of course if you stick

around to the end I'll hook you up with

a bunch of free trainings resources and

courses for copywriting again 100 free

only if you stick around until the end

so exercise number one to greatly

improve your copywriting skills is to

build your swipe file so one of the

biggest mistakes that I see beginner

copywriters actually make is starting a

piece of copy by sitting there and just

staring at a blank document while the

cursor blinks and they just have no idea

what to actually write instead you want

to build yourself something called a

swipe file now oh swipe file basically

is is a document that consists of a

bunch of other pieces of copy that you

found effective or intriguing or that

you can find inspiration from when you

actually sit down to write yourself a

piece of copy and guys I feel the need

to say this great copy is not hidden

it's not a secret right all the best

copy is just made by the best businesses

because they hire the best copywriters

so go ahead and find some huge

businesses or some businesses that

you've bought from before and really

break down their copy and see what makes

it tick what makes it intriguing what

makes it interesting and make you

actually want to take action and buy it

so there are a couple ways to go ahead

and build your swipe file one is to sign

up to other companies email lists and to

do this all you would really need to do

is sign up for their free webinars or

free trainings or get any of their free

resources where you get the resource in

exchange for your email address usually

they'll send you some sort of content or

value and also offer a CTA at the end if

you want to go ahead and purchase their

product another great way to build your

swipe file is to take note of all of the

ads that you usually would scroll past

so so on Instagram for example I get

tons and tons of ads so instead of just

scrolling past them like I regularly do

I might click on them or I might

actually just watch them and I would

break down their ad or the sales page of

their ad and really see you know is the

headline good does it make me want to

read more how does that actually

communicate that value and whatever it

does I'm gonna actually take what I like

and put it into my swipe file exercise

number two to get great at copywriting

is to get people who've been writing

copy longer than you to actually give

you feedback and tips on your copy so

simply getting feedback is pretty much

the backbone to mastering just about any

skill and I don't want you to go ahead

and feedback from just some Joe schmoe

because the problem is that just some

random off the street like a family

member one of your friends doesn't

actually know how to write copies so

they're not really going to be able to

give you a good critique that's why I

created the free 4D copywriting Discord

server that you can join by clicking the

link in the description because under

the copy submissions tab we have over 4

000 copywriters who submit their copy

every single day where you can go and

get your copy reviewed and also review

other copywriters work so if you've

already written a little bit of sales

copy what you're going to want to do is

get your copy reviewed in there and then

use that review of course to make it

even better now not only are you going

to be able to improve your copywriting

skill but you'll also be able to improve

your actual copy itself so that you can

add it to a portfolio or you can

actually use it for a client and of

course get them more results thus making

you more money now exercise number three

is to take a sales page and convert it

into an email and of course vice versa

so usually sales pages are pretty long

while emails are about 200 to 300 words

on average so a great way to actually go

about finding content to write about is

to take some sales page and turn it into

an email or take some email that you

like and turn it into a sales page this

is going to test your copywriting skills

while giving you something to write

about and giving you a little bit of

copy that you can take and improve move

and of course make your own now exercise

number four is to be ruthless with your

ability to trim copy so one of the most

important skills in copywriting is to

communicate Big Ideas in small amounts

of words because let's just keep it 100

attention spans are only getting shorter

and shorter and shorter with things like

Tick Tock and the whole short form

content Revolution this means that

nobody's going to want to sit around and

read your long email that's just

paragraph after paragraph after

paragraph because people are going to

get bored and they're gonna go and do

something else so what you want to do

instead is to make your copy as short

and concise and entertaining as possible

so that people will actually consume it

the next time you write or review a

piece of copy always ask yourself this

can this same idea be said in a smaller

amount of words the answer is yes then

you know exactly what to trim now the

final and probably most important

copywriting exercise that I'm going to

show you is to cut out as much

entertainment as possible that means

Netflix or the social media like Tick

Tock or funny YouTube videos or anything

like that and while yes of course those

things might be entertaining and funny

and nice to watch the fact of the matter

is that if you replace that with

education your copywriting skills are

going to go through the roof because

just think about how many hours you

spend a day wasting time just being

entertained when you could be building

your skills and consuming education now

of course if you're looking for more

copywriting educational videos to watch

well between my Discord server and all

the free courses on my YouTube there's

hours probably dozens of hours of

content that you can watch and binge

watching content while listening

actively and taking notes and actually

implementing what you've learned on a

day-to-day business is going to make you

learn and master the skill of

copywriting so so so much quicker than

anybody else so check out the YouTube

playlist on screen now and go check out

the resources in the Discord server and

of course I'll see you on the next one

peace