Things are changing fast in digital marketing. And that means, as a digital copywriter, you need to be ready to adjust accordingly.
You can prepare yourself to thrive in the ever-shifting landscape by adopting a few key mindsets and critical habits.
I’ve outlined 12 in this article and provided tips to help you work on each one.
1. Seek Out Creativity and Innovation
Successful copywriters embrace creativity and seek out innovative ways to deliver messages and reach audiences.
To cultivate your own creative mindset, spend time each day just being curious about how companies are marketing themselves and positioning their messaging. By studying what you come across, you’ll add ideas to your “creative inbox.” You can repurpose these to come up with new ways to craft messages for yourself and for clients.
The other half of the creative mindset is being willing to try things even if you aren’t sure about the result. Experiment with new marketing methods and new messaging angles. Even if you don’t hit on a winner, you’ll learn new things, which can help you deliver future wins.
2. Embrace Feedback
A successful copywriter values feedback and sees it as an opportunity for growth. They’re open to constructive criticism, which they use to refine their work, improve their skills, and deliver better results. This mindset fosters continuous learning and development, leading to higher-quality output over time.
Receiving critical feedback on your work can be tough, so practice with someone you trust. Have a friend or fellow writer read through your work and gently point out one or two things they see that can be improved.
Also, remember that your client wants your work to succeed, so their feedback is meant to make your work stronger. Make “It’s not personal” your mantra, when it comes to feedback.
3. Pay Attention to the Details
Copywriting requires meticulous attention to detail. Successful copywriters pay close attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling, and overall readability. Make it your goal to turn in copy that’s as clean as possible.
To help you achieve this goal, build the habit of finishing projects a day or two early, so you can step away from what you’ve written and come back to it with fresh eyes.
4. Nurture Empathy and Understanding
To create compelling copy, you need to put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Every project you take on should start with understanding your audience.
Get in the habit of asking your client lots of questions, reading through their customer reviews, and listening to your audience on social media. Strive to develop a deep understanding of your audience’s demographics, as well as their needs, preferences, pain points, and aspirations.
Once you feel you understand them, try to put yourself in their shoes, imagining how they’ll feel and what thoughts they’ll have as they encounter your writing. This empathetic mindset will help you craft messages that resonate on a personal level and drive meaningful engagement.
5. Be Adaptable
The marketing landscape constantly changes, with new trends, technologies, and consumer behaviors emerging regularly. Work to stay updated on industry developments, experiment with different techniques and project types, and adjust your strategies to keep pace with changes, or even better, stay ahead of the curve.
When new technologies arise or new marketing approaches emerge, don’t shy away. Embrace them with enthusiasm.
6. Practice Good Time Management
Delivering projects on time without compromising quality showcases your professionalism and reliability and is an important building block of success.
Time management will play a crucial role in doing that.
Build a habit of thinking in terms of priorities. Identify one to three important things to do each day and focus on those first.
Work to learn how to allocate time wisely. Start by paying close attention to how much time different tasks — researching, outlining, drafting, editing — take you. The better you know your own work process, the better you’ll be able to plan for your projects and deliver them with time to spare.
7. Continue to Learn
Invest time in reading books, attending workshops, taking courses to learn new skills, and staying updated on industry trends. Nurturing this habit will fuel your creativity, expand your knowledge base, and provide regular doses of inspiration… which goes hand in hand with being innovative.
8. Value Routine and Discipline
Establishing a daily routine and sticking to it is one of the hallmarks of many of the most successful copywriters.
They schedule time for work, for marketing, for learning, and for managing their business. And then, they stick to their schedules.
You can start developing this habit for yourself by taking time each week to plan out time blocks for different activities.
9. Seek Inspiration
Inspiration will keep you motivated and infuse your work with satisfaction and joy. You can draw inspiration from various sources, including art, literature, music, and everyday experiences.
Start actively seeking out new ideas, new perspectives, and new people. This mindset will enrich your writing by giving you the tools to bring fresh new angles, analogies and stories into your work. And that will help you connect with your audience on a deeper, more memorable level.
10. Network and Collaborate
In your copywriting business, relationships are one of the most important things.
Successful copywriters understand the value of networking and building relationships within the industry.
Make a commitment to attend networking events regularly, connect with fellow professionals often, and collaborate on projects when the opportunities arise. You’ll expand your professional network, and that will open doors to new opportunities and collaborations.
11. Take Care of Yourself
Running your own business can be demanding, both mentally and emotionally.
Get into the mindset that your success relies on your being at your best. To make that happen, you need to prioritize your well-being and take care of yourself.
Create a habit of taking regular, small mental breaks throughout your day.
And set a stopping point for each work day, so you can spend time engaging in activities you enjoy that recharge your batteries.
Also, don’t forget to exercise and get enough sleep — both are crucial to staying at the top of your game.
12. Set Goals
Goal setting is essential for success in any field, including copywriting.
Start setting clear, measurable, yet achievable goals, whether it’s completing a certain number of projects per month, improving your writing skills by finishing a course or doing a certain amount of practice, or landing high-profile clients.
Once you set goals, identify the specific actions you need to take each day, track your progress, celebrate milestones, and adjust your goals as needed to stay motivated and focused.
As we wrap up our exploration into the mindset of a successful copywriter, remember that the journey to success is ongoing and ever-evolving. Each day brings new opportunities and challenges to grow, learn, and refine your craft. So, keep a positive mindset, embrace challenges as steppingstones, and celebrate every win, no matter how small.
