One of the major challenges my copywriting clients face is their personal fear of writing.
Having a positive mindset, that’s free of fear, is essential to sitting down and writing fantastic content that helps you and your business shine.
That’s why I’ve put together these five easy to follow steps to help when you’re in freak out mode about your writing!
Read and implement ASAP my friend!
When you’re consumed by the fear of writing and putting your work ‘out there,’ the hardest part is starting to write.
But to allay your fears, I want you to focus on ‘what does success look like?’ You need to get specific and really use your imagination here.
Will you write a really engaging newsletter that launches your new product or service and results in multiple sales?
Or will you submit a successful guest post for a big media platform that you’ve been dreaming of being featured on?
When you have a clear vision of what success looks like it helps kick start your writing and you feel far more encouraged.
Bonus Tip – Write down your end goal in as much detail as possible, including how it will feel when you achieve it! Stick it up on your pin board or on your computer screen as a constant reminder!
Having a plan can also allay your fear of writing.
Trying to write a piece of content without a plan or structure is like writing in the dark – literally and figuratively. You’re simply making your life and the writing process far more difficult than it has to be.
Having a well thought out structure for your piece of content makes you feel more in control and that you have a clear direction towards your end goal.
Here are 3 super simple questions I ask myself before I write any piece of content?
Stay tuned for Part 4 of The Copywriting Essential Mini-Series where I share my Content Power Plan!
Ok, so you have your awesome end goal in mind, you have your content planned out BUT you’re still feeling fearful and the words aren’t flowing.
This is when I would encourage you to just start writing.
“But I don’t know what to write?” I hear you say.
My response is, “Write anything and everything. Write garbage for at least five minutes.”
Open a blank document and write:
If you’re screwing your face up because you think this sounds weird, I get it.
But I want you to open up and let the words flow out of you. I want your fingers to dance wildly across the keyboard.
When you drop the pressure and write without judgment your writer’s block vanishes!
This funny little trick will help you start to write the content that counts!
Do you ever get stuck trying to explain a point you’re trying to express?
You could be stuck describing a feature of your product on your sales page or articulating the benefits of living abroad to your blog audience.
When you’re searching for the perfect words or trying to extract this thought from the tip of your tongue, you need to talk it out.
You can simply talk about your piece of content to an inanimate object.
I often run things by my little statue of God Ganesh or my sad looking little succulent.
If an inanimate object doesn’t work for you, talk it out with a real person.
You may initially struggle to articulate your thoughts, but soon enough it will come together and you’ll have it figured out.
In contrast, you may realise that what you’re trying to say doesn’t make sense at all and you can then delete the idea and move on. This is also fine!
If you’re a perfectionist like me, you probably like editing as you write!
But please don’t.
Write first. Edit last.
This will allow you to get all of your great thoughts out of your head and down on paper. You can then make improvements at the end.
It’s also important to remember that editing can become a curse.
If you’re not careful it can result in procrastination and your deadline flying out the window.
I find it helpful to give myself a time limit for editing eg. 30 minutes to 1 hour or a set number of revisions for a specific document.
I suggest you stick to your limit and focus on getting your piece of writing out there so you can revel in your greatness!
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What are the specific techniques you use to overcome fear when writing for your business? I’d love for you to share them in the comments below!
Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Essential Copywriting Mini Series where I share 3 Steps To Make Your Writing Practice Ridiculously Enjoyable!
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If you want even more copywriting tips and tricks that will ensure you can sell anything, join my ‘Copy That Connects and Converts’ Online Short Course.
You’ll learn a boatload of useful copywriting tried and tested strategies, plus you’ll complete helpful worksheets, which will allow you to apply what you’ve learned into your business straight away!
Sound good?