How to unlock creative thinking: Writing for your brand
Creativity is often thought of as spontaneous. But everyone who writes as part of their marketing job knows they need to prepare for inspiration, rather than waiting for the muse to arrive.
How to stay creatively charged was a recurring theme of 2022’s ‘CopyCon’ copywriting conference.
This blog was inspired by two talks from this year’s conference - 9 Wonky Projects by Steve Chapman, and The Creative Nudge by Kevin Chesters - as well as my own experience as a copywriter.
These helpful copywriting tips can help ignite that creative spark in your marketing communications!
1. Stick to a writing routine
Stephen King is one of the most prolific writers in the world. Since 1973, he’s penned 65 novels and 19 screenplays (as well as being an even more prolific Tweeter) - an impressive feat when authors often take decades to write one book.
But what’s the secret to this consistency, creativity and productivity? The true answer, in King’s own words, is much more mundane than you might imagine:
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
When asked about his process, the author Neil Gaiman is just as blunt as King, simply responding, “I make things up and write them down.”
Writing in any format is often about routine. Setting aside some time to write each day gives you the space to edit (and re-edit) much more than a blank page ever will.
Don’t wait for the lightning bolt of inspiration to strike; get started from wherever you are. The quality of the output might vary, and the first draft of anything is sometimes underwhelming. But without getting started, you’ll never know how brilliant the second or third draft could be.
2. Build your inspiration toolkit
Surround yourself with things that you find personally inspiring. I like to think of this as your own personal inspiration toolkit, that helps you get into the right frame of mind to write.
For some people, these inspiring items might include a motivational print, a stylish pen or notebook, or your favourite copywriting or grammar book. For others, it could be a gift from a friend that you keep on the windowsill, a cute plant on your desk, or the mug you always use.
The components will be completely unique to you - and that’s the beauty of it. Research shows your surroundings strongly influence productivity, wellbeing and creativity. There’s a reason why people decorate their desks and office spaces; it helps inspire them!
3. Understand your client’s vision
Copywriting is both an art and a science.
To craft truly great copy, you need to get under the skin of your client’s vision. What motivates them? Why do they do what they do? What is it about their product or service that makes it worth engaging with? Why should people care?
Understanding this is key to your role as a writer. As marketing legend David Ogilvy explained:
“Good copy can’t be written with tongue in cheek, written just for a living. You’ve got to believe in the product.”
Whatever the subject matter, it’s important to understand why your client is passionate about it.
But how? Always do your research. It’s an essential stage that lays the groundwork for the project.
By embracing your client’s vision, you’ll get inspired to use your wordsmithing skills to draw other people in.
4. Use a creative ‘nudge’
The idea of ‘nudges’ is an important part of behavioural science, and one that is explored in depth in The Creative Nudge by Mick Mahoney and Kevin Chesters.
Kevin was one of the keynote speakers at this year’s CopyCon.
As he outlines, creative thinking is for everyone - some just need a little ‘nudge’ to reach that creative state.
Kevin argues creative thinking creates the ideas that change the world, regardless of the role the ‘creative’ person finds themselves in.
While copywriters need to tap into their creative minds more often than most, creativity is a way of looking at the world, and it can be adopted by anyone at any time. Nudges are about rewiring the brain to ‘reframe and rename’ your experiences to help make you more creative.
Chapters in The Creative Nudge (with titles such as ‘If you know what you’re doing, stop doing it’, ‘Don’t rush it’ and ‘Don’t be afraid to be afraid'), provide a handy pathway to the ‘reframing’ that the authors suggest.
A creative nudge could be as simple as taking a different route home from work (to give you time to think) or making sure your desk is set up to write before you go to sleep (to avoid distractions in the morning).
Routines can be powerful. So can breaking those routines and forming new ones. If you’re low on creative inspiration, then it might be time to do things differently.
5. Take a break
Struggling with a project? Step away for a few minutes and give your mind time to rest and reset before diving back in.
Harvard Business Review reports that taking regular breaks can help you tap into a more creative state of mind.
You could also try alternating two different tasks, allocating a dedicated set of time to one task, and an equal timespan to the other, before switching back to the first task again. According to research, this will help you unlock the creative part of your brain and approach each project with renewed energy.
6. When in doubt, simplify
Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best one. If you find yourself writing a paragraph when a sentence would do the trick, consider stripping everything back to the basics.
In the immortal words of novelist Mark Twain:
“Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.”
More words (or more complication) won’t necessarily mean a better piece of copy. Some of the best campaigns use simplicity to their advantage and harness things like typography, colour, and imagery to help get the message across.
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