Copywriting Dos and Don’ts with Carla González

Top marketing copywriter Carla González shares her vital Dos and Don’ts.

Being a good copywriter is about much more than knowing how to write. Copywriting involves creating texts for advertising. As such, it persuades and informs, which is a more complex task. To ensure your words convey precisely what you need to say in the clearest, most direct and entertaining manner, you need to master a series of techniques and learn to apply them on a daily basis.

Carla González (@carlagoon) has worked as a marketing editor for brands including IKEA, BMW, Vueling, Banco Sabadell and Casio. She shares her experience and defines her top three key copywriting Dos and top three key copywriting Don’ts. Find out what they are in this video:

Copywriting Dos

1. Have a very clear idea of what you want to say.

Your first step as a copywriter is to clearly define your objective and message. This ensures you don’t get lost or sidetracked. Jot down what you want to say and try to achieve your objective in words.

2. Rewrite and refine.

Write, re-write and write some more. Ask yourself “Could I express this differently?” The answer will always be ‘Yes’ so don’t get held up on the first option that comes to mind. Keep working, inspiration exists, but you can always perfect it.

3. Let it breathe.

Once you have a good draft, set it aside for a while so you can come back with fresh eyes and a clear head. This helps detect any mistakes you missed when you were caught up writing.

Copywriting Don’ts

1. Don’t make spelling mistakes.

It doesn’t matter how amazing or interesting your writing, your hard work will all be in vain if the text contains a spelling mistake. Take the time to review your work and locate any mistakes you missed during the writing. Don’t spoil a great piece of work with an error.

2. Don’t repeat yourself.

Writers often repeat themselves out of fear that the reader might not understand the idea they are trying to convey perfectly. This tires and even confuses readers. If your piece doesn’t seem clear enough without repetitions, try re-framing things.

3. Don’t be stubborn!

Copywriters often fall in love with their work. But clients may not like or understand your latest creation, and reject it. Although changing something you spent a lot of time creating can be frustrating, it’s best not to dig in your heels. The client is always right and their feedback is crucial. So change the text.

If you enjoyed these tips and you’d like to learn how to build a solid and coherent brand personality, check out Carla González’ online course Copywriting: Define the Tone of Your Personal Brand.

You may also be interested in:
- Creative Copywriting for Entrepreneurs, a Christian Caldwell course.
- Naming: the Art of Name Creation, a course by Xavier Grau Castelló.
- Audiovisual Storytelling for Social Media, a Josune Imízcoz course.

English version by @studiogaunt