As I was getting started in my writing career, I had the good fortune to work with a professional Copy Chief.
Each time I submitted work, he would take a moment to let me know what he liked — he was so good about letting his excitement come through. And he would be very direct about how he thought I could improve.
He would edit my work. He would send me back comments that I could use to guide my revision process.
I learned so much while working with him. And most of my improvement came down to one thing: his feedback.
Now, there are several ways you can get better as a writer.
One of the best is to take a structured course. But, if you’re learning on your own, there are three essential practices that will help you get better at writing clearly and persuasively.
Number 1 — Read more.
Read broadly. Read deeply. Read about marketing, persuasion, copywriting and psychology. Read biographies, history, philosophy, and science. Read fiction and poetry.
Read samples of copywriting.
You get it. Read a lot.
Number 2 — Write more.
Writing is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.
Frankly, this makes perfect sense for actual muscles, but it’s a little weird for writing. Still, I’ve seen it happen time and time again. The more a person writes — even if they aren’t sharing their writing and getting feedback on it — the better their writing gets.
Number 3 — Get feedback.
This is the one we’re going to focus on today, because it has the power to make you a better writer quickly. Reading more and writing more take time to have an effect. They remain important. Essential even.
But, if you want to speed up the process of improving your writing,then you need feedback.
So today, we’re going to look at how you can get quality feedback on your writing, even if you don’t have a writing coach to turn to (although, we’ll talk about that option, too).
Why Does Feeback Work So Well?
Before we get into where to look for feedback, let’s talk briefly about why feedback is so helpful.
When you read, you learn about logic and structure, pacing and flow. You get to see how other writers put together a persuasive argument, use metaphors to bring home a point, and craft descriptions that create an emotional response.
You might not be reading to learn those things, but the more you read, the more you’ll have a sense of what good writing is.
When you write, you practice ordering your thoughts into something that is clear and enjoyable to read… and that accomplishes a goal. That goal might be to persuade a reader to take action or educate them about their options, or it might be simply to share your point of view on a topic.
In any case, the more you do it, the better you’ll get at conveying your thoughts and ideas clearly.
But feedback is different.
When someone gives you feedback on your work, it helps you see your work from the reader’s perspective — what’s working well and what’s falling short. The strongest feedback tells you why some things are working well and why other things are falling short… and it gives you ideas on how to fix what isn’t working.
In academic circles, feedback has been shown to accelerate the learning process, when it comes to writing ability. In addition, feedback also prompts revision of your work (or, at least, that’s the case for most writers I know), and the revision process itself helps improve your skills.
Research has also shown how to make feedback more effective.
When you’re requesting feedback from someone, ask for it after you’ve written your first draft and done a round of revisions, but before you feel like you’ve got a finished product.
Request feedback before letting your draft rest. Stepping back from your work for a day or two, or even a week, before doing a final revision is good, but request and review feedback before you get to that rest process.
Finally, ask your reviewer to provide you with specific suggestions or questions. Rather than saying, “This paragraph felt awkward,” you’ll get more from feedback that says, “You use several long words and sentences in this paragraph. Is there a way you can simplify?”
Now that you have some ideas about what to ask for, let’s look at who to ask.
Good Feedback — Ask a Friend or an AI Tool
If you’re not sure who to ask for feedback (or you feel uncomfortable asking at all), start by asking a friend you trust to be kind, but honest, with you. This person doesn’t have to be a professional writer or have any understanding of marketing. They just have to be willing to read through your piece fairly soon after you make the request and give you thoughtful, specific feedback about where things can be stronger.
If you don’t have a friend you feel ready to entrust with this task, try asking your favorite AI tool. Be specific about what you want. Your prompt might look something like this:
“The goal is not to improve this piece of writing for me. The goal is to help me understand what I’m doing well, recognize where my writing could be stronger, and practice making those improvements myself.”
Once you receive feedback, review it critically. Don’t just assume your friend or the AI tool is correct. Weigh what they say and think about how applying it will strengthen your work. In some cases, you might decide to disregard suggestions. That’s absolutely okay. Part of this process is learning to trust your judgement.
Better Feedback — Reach Out to Someone in Your Industry
You can get even better feedback by asking a fellow writer to review your work. When someone who knows writing looks over your work, you’re likely to get more specific and insightful comments back… comments that are well-reasoned and easier for you to apply going forward.
If you can’t think of a fellow writer to reach out to, the first place to look is your LinkedIn network. You probably have a connection or two there with professional writing experience. Send a DM and ask if they’d be willing to look over some of your work. Be respectful of their time — only send a page or two for review with the plan to apply what you learn to the rest of your piece. And remember to ask them to give you suggestions and ask you questions rather than simply fixing your work.
Another source of “better” feedback is a member of your target audience. If you’re writing an email series about a supplement meant to help regulate blood sugar, ask your grandfather who has lived with type-2 diabetes for years to read through your work and share his thoughts.
The insights will be different than those of a professional writer, but they can be even more helpful when it comes to connecting with your audience and writing a successful piece.
Best Feedback — Work with a Coach
It’s not always feasible to hire a writing coach, but if you’re in a position to, this can be very useful. You’ll get feedback from a professional writer whose goal it is to make you better at your craft. And when working with a writing coach, you don’t just get feedback on one piece, you get feedback over time, so you can see how you’re improving and what you’re still struggling with.
Finally, don’t underestimate the value of your own objective critique of your work. When you’re able to recognize where your train of thought wanders, where your pacing needs work, or where you make leaps of logic instead of building a case, then you’ll become your own best resource for improving your writing faster.
Feedback is an excellent way to improve your skills and boost your confidence. And there are so many options for soliciting feedback, there’s no reason not to tap into this valuable resource. Make a plan to get feedback on your next two or three pieces and then come back here to share in the comments how well it worked for you.