How to Get Good at Writing Brand Copy and Push Boundaries

“Good advertising does not just circulate information.
It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief.”

Leo Burnett

That’s right, I’m going to teach you how to write great brand copy and why you should learn it. If you learn how to write brand copy, you can do a lot of things, such as:

  • Building Stronger Brands: Good brand copywriting can help you make your brand stand out and be easy to remember.
  • Boosting Engagement: You’ll be able to keep people’s attention, which will help them feel more connected to your brand.
  • Driving Conversions: If you write persuasive copy, you can get people to do something, like buy something or sign up for your newsletter.
Red Bull excels at engaging its audience with high-energy content. Through their “Red Bull Stratos” campaign, they captured worldwide attention by live-streaming Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking skydive from the edge of space, effectively driving brand awareness.

As a result, not everyone gets involved with brand copywriting. There are several reasons for this:

Reason #1: Lack of Knowledge A lot of people don’t know what brand copywriting is or how important it is in marketing.

Reason #2: Fear of Creativity Some people are scared of the creative part of copywriting because they think they don’t have the right creative flair.

Reason #3: Limited Time A lot of people think that copywriting takes a lot of time and that they don’t have the time to do it.

Reason #4: Uncertainty About ROI People don’t want to learn brand copywriting because they don’t believe it will give them a good return on their investment (ROI).

Reason #5: Overwhelm A lot of information and techniques can be too much for people who want to become copywriters.

But, don’t worry! Don’t worry, though! I’m going to show you how to get past these problems and become a great brand copywriter.

Step 1: Learn the Core of Writing Brand Copy

Before you start writing brand copy, you need to know what it is and why it’s important. If you want your brand to stand out, you need to write brand copy. Check out how well Nike did with their famous slogan, “Just Do It.” They really know how to write brand copy. This simple phrase summed up the brand and inspired a lot of people.

Key Objectives of Brand Copywriting

  1. Communicating Brand Identity: This is the process of putting a brand’s essence into words. It’s about capturing the brand’s ideas, values, personality, and what makes it special. It’s important for people to be able to recognize and remember the brand.
  2. Engaging the Audience: Good brand copywriting gets people to pay attention and keeps them interested. It speaks directly to the audience’s wants, needs, and feelings, making a connection that feels real and personal.
  3. Driving Action: The end goal is to get people to do what you want them to do. That behavior could be buying something, subscribing to a newsletter, sharing something on social media, or anything else that fits with the brand’s goals.

Dollar Shave Club, a men’s grooming brand that you can subscribe to, made a big splash with a marketing campaign that was built around a single viral video. This example shows how a smaller, less well-known brand can use creativity and clever messaging to get a lot of attention.

Elements of Effective Brand Copywriting

  • Clarity: Stay away from jargon and hard-to-understand language in the message. Each word should have a purpose, and it should be easy to see what the main point is.
  • Consistency: By using the same tone, style, and voice in all of your communications, you strengthen your brand’s identity and help people trust you.

The fact that Apple always uses simple design and clear language in their product descriptions and website copy helps to build their brand’s reputation as innovative and user-focused.

  • Creativity: Brand copywriting should be fresh, original, and captivating. It should stand out in a crowded market and capture the audience’s imagination.
The “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign from Old Spice was creative and funny, which made it easy to remember and share on social media.
  • Persuasion: This means using rhetorical strategies to change the beliefs, attitudes, or actions of the audience. It’s important to know what drives your target audience and how to appeal to those drives.
  • Relevance: The content should be up-to-date and relevant to the needs and interests of the audience. It should be useful in some way, like by entertaining, informing, or inspiring.

User-generated content is an important part of GoPro’s content marketing strategy because their audience loves adventure and capturing real-life moments.

  • Storytelling: People are naturally drawn to stories. Storytelling is often used in good brand copywriting to make an emotional connection with the reader, which makes the brand more relatable and easy to remember.

Airbnb’s “Belong Anywhere” campaign is a prime illustration of storytelling. They use user-generated stories to showcase unique travel experiences, effectively building an emotional connection with their audience.

Step 2: Develop Your Creativity

A brand’s copywriting can succeed or fail depending on how creative the writer is. Stepping out of your comfort zone and accepting the challenges that creativity brings are necessary to create truly remarkable brand messages. Playing it safe and relying on tried-and-true methods is something that a lot of people do, but the results are often forgettable content. Consider Coca-Cola’s famous “Share a Coke” campaign to see how important it is to be creative with brand copy.

Eight ideas to help you be more creative:

  1. Diverse Inspiration: Being open to a lot of different experiences and sources can help you come up with creative ideas. Don’t be limited by your niche or industry. To broaden your creative horizons, read, travel, and experiment with different types of media.
  2. Brainstorming Sessions: Brainstorming sessions with other people can be a great way to come up with creative ideas. Get together a diverse team or group of coworkers and encourage them to share their ideas without any fear.
  3. Research and Analyze: Look into examples of creative campaigns that worked well. Check out what made them unique and interesting to the audience. Learn from the strategy and methods that were used in those campaigns.
  4. Challenge Assumptions: Being creative often means going against what most people think. When writing brand copy, you should question assumptions, challenge the status quo, and look at things from different points of view.
  5. Experiment and Iterate: Creativity is an iterative process. Don’t be afraid to try out new things and come up with new ideas. Make small changes to your copy until it really speaks to the people you want to reach.
  6. Ask for Feedback: Show your drafts of creative works to friends or teachers who can give you helpful feedback. Their points of view can help you improve your ideas and find places where they could be better.
  7. Practice Regularly: Just like any other skill, creativity gets better with use. Plan to do creative activities, write about things that come to mind, or work on personal projects that let you use your imagination often.
  8. Stay Curious: Keep an open mind. Stay open to learning, ask questions, and look into new things. Being curious opens your mind to new ideas and points of view, which makes you more creative.
GEICO’s consistent and funny ads come from knowing their customers’ likes and dislikes and where they’re having trouble.

Step 3: Dedicate Time and Effort

It is possible to get around the time limit. You should set aside time to learn and practice writing brand copy. You can think of it as an investment in your skills. Remember that even big companies like Starbucks work hard to create their brand voice, which makes customers loyal and helps them become known around the world.

Here’s a basic outline to follow if you’re itching to get going right away.

  1. Brand Immersion: Learn about the brand’s history, values, products, and culture by putting yourself in its world.
  2. Market Research: Do a lot of research on the target audience, the market, and your competitors.
  3. Content Strategy: Make a content strategy that fits with your company’s overall goals.
  4. Writing and Editing: Do your best to craft and improve text.
  5. Collaboration: Work with designers, marketers, and other important people as part of a team.
  6. Adaptation: Tailor your writing style to suit different mediums and contexts.

Step 4: Understand the ROI

Brand writing has a big return on investment (ROI). Think of it as a valuable asset that builds the identity of your brand and brings in loyal customers.

For example, Google’s consistent brand voice connects with users and helped the company become famous and successful around the world.

According to a study by AdAge, Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign increased the company’s market share from 18% to 43% within a decade of its launch.

Step 5: Manage Overwhelm and Stay Committed

Last but not least, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed. But breaking up the learning process into manageable pieces can help you do it. Remember that getting good at brand copywriting is like getting better at everything you do. Every step you take makes your brand presence stronger and more appealing.

Here are some ways to deal with too much to do and stay committed:

  1. Set Achievable Goals: To start, make goals that you can reach. Instead of trying to learn all about brand copywriting at once, focus on the parts that relate to your current needs or interests. For example, start by writing catchy headlines or better descriptions of your products. Your confidence and skill will grow as you reach these smaller goals.
  2. Learning Through Practice: Remember that learning is an active process. While learning about the theory is important, the best way to really understand the art of brand copywriting is to put what you’ve learned into practice. Try out various writing styles, tones, and ways of communicating. Every piece of copy you write is a chance to learn something new.
  3. Seek Feedback and Guidance: Don’t be afraid to ask peers, mentors, or experienced copywriters for help and feedback. Giving you constructive criticism can help you learn new things and get better at what you already do. Working with other people in the same field can also give you new ideas and perspectives.
  4. Stay Informed: Know about the newest brand copywriting trends and the best ways to write for brands. The digital world is always changing, and people’s tastes change over time. To stay useful and relevant in this field, you need to keep learning and changing.
  5. Practice Patience and Persistence: You should be patient with yourself and know that you will get angry at times. Accept setbacks as chances to learn and grow. Your path to becoming a skilled brand copywriter is a slow one, just like Rome wasn’t built in a day.
  6. Celebrate Small Wins: No matter how small the accomplishment may seem, you should be proud of it. Every well-written message, catchy headline, or positive response from your audience brings you one step closer to your goals.
  7. Connect with a Community: You could join online forums, social media groups, or events where people meet and talk about copywriting. Joining a group of people who share your interests can give you support, encouragement, and a sense of belonging. It’s a great way to share your experiences and learn from others.

“I’ve learned that it’s not about having a perfect plan; it’s about taking imperfect actions.”

Unknown