Great writing can be fast.
I’ve written 1,007 ads for @TheHustle
That’s in the ballpark of 250 different startups. At 150 words an ad, it’s a LOT of writing.
You learn to write fast.
Here’s my framework for writing a great ad in 61 minutes w/minimal effort ?
1/ Do your research – 10 minutes
We collect briefs from our ad clients. The who, what, why, stuff
NEVER read that first.
Clients tell the story they want to hear. It’s not always reality.
Start with a google search. Search results reveal a lot about them and competitors.
2/READ the brief – 5 minutes
I’ve worked in ad agencies and you’d be surprised how often folks don’t read brief materials.
FWIW I’m guilty of this too. But it’s critical to sit down and read it.
And if a client calls you out, you look amateur.
Example ?
3/Pick a SINGLE value prop – 5 minutes
Ads in the newsletter typically 150 words or less.
It’s not much room to elaborate on every benefit and feature.
I’d pick just one. It’d give the ad a clear compass and grounding.
Bonus: it’s an excuse to sell multiple placements
4/START at the CTA – 1 minute
This is typically the most prescriptive bit of copy. Lots of times you know what this will be beforehand — *hint* from the brief.
Put it down so you’re not starting at a blank page.
5/WRITE nonstop for 10 minutes
You’ve down your research, read the brief, got your value prop and CTA down. NICE.
Now, write and don’t come up for air until 10 minutes are up. Doesn’t matter if it’s trash, it won’t be for long.
6/Let it COOL – 10 minutes
This is the MOST important step. After you write something, it’s hot. Too hot to read.
Let that beauty cool. 10 minutes. An hour. A whole day if you have the time.
The subconscious is the most powerful tool we have, let it do its thing.
7/ KILL your darlings – 6 minutes
Read it once out loud — very important!
Kill anything that makes you stumble. If it does that when you read it, think of what it will do that to your reader.
Nothing is precious. Kill sentences liberally.
TRICK: Delete every adverb.
8/Check your FLOW – 6 minutes
With the writing tightened up. Check the flow. Is it logical? Natural?
You can use a framework like AIDA to guide you.
I’ve never written something where I didn’t swap paragraphs around.
(We’re at 53 mins!!)
9/The copy edit – 8 minutes
Take the full 8 minutes here. Relax. No more writing just reading and checking for typos.
I’ve noticed that the really great writers I work with share drafts that are pretty tight: free of typos, grammatical errors etc.
“Pros fine sand their work”
10/You’re done
Ship it, and move on
I see a lot of early writers get hung up on a single piece. Don’t
It’s about reps early on
For me, writing 1k+ ads was a great way to:
1) Ship & DGAF
2) Write a ton
3) Master persuasive writing
Writing to sell > any digital skill.