Copywriting Principles Every Creative Writer Should Steal
Lesson 1 of “Steal From a Copywriter: Copy Techniques That Translate into Creative Writing” with Sophie Campbell
Introduction
Hi, I’m Sophie Campbell, a fiction writer and copywriter based in Scotland. By day, I’m a Marketing & Communications Coordinator in the charity sector. By night, I’m a freelance copywriter for writing communities and cozy lifestyle brands that provide writers and readers with the tools or vibes they need to live their dream literary life.
Also by night, I write fiction and poetry. I’ve been published in The Woolf, Surely Mag, Bright Flash Literary Review, WhyNot, Razur Cuts (including their Finest Cuts edition), and others. And in 2023, I won the poetry prize in Bold Types, Glasgow Women’s Library’s Annual Scottish Women's Creative Writing Competition. You can learn more about me and my work on my website.
I’ve been writing fiction since I was a child and loved it so much I went on to do a Master’s degree in Creative Writing. Around the same time as finishing this degree, I started my career in copywriting. In the marketing world, I quickly became fascinated with the similarities and differences between copy and fiction. Imaginative writing may seem like worlds apart from copywriting but, actually, there’s a lot of overlap. They’re both rooted in empathy, connection, trust and transformation.
Through these lessons, you’ll learn how to use industry-insider copywriting techniques to improve your fiction writing and create rich, memorable prose.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Lesson 1: Copywriting Principles Every Creative Writer Should Know
Lesson 2: The Art of Persuasion and Immersion
Lesson 3: Show and Tell: Complex Characters, Conviction, and Voice
Lesson 4: No Words Wasted: Edit Your Fiction Like a Copywriter
Okay then, let’s go!
Today’s lesson is free to all subscribers. Paid subs will get a new lesson from Sophie every Wednesday in July
What Is Copywriting?
Copywriting is the craft of writing persuasive text designed to prompt a specific action. At its core, copy sells products and services.
From websites and billboards to marketing emails and social media captions, every piece of promotional text you read was written by a copywriter. And yes, each word has been carefully chosen to sell you something, whether it’s a product, a newsletter signup, or a new TV series to binge. But good copy isn’t pushy. It’s persuasive, well-researched, engaging, and full of personality. Great copy connects emotionally, offers clear solutions, shows empathy, and replaces confusion with clarity.
Core Copywriting Principles and How They Apply to Creative Writing
Benefits Over Features → Substance Over Style
One of the core principles of copywriting is focusing on benefits over features.
Say you’re writing copy to sell a set of headphones. You could go with: “These noise-cancelling headphones block out background noise so you can focus on your music.” It’s clear, but a bit flat. A stronger version would be: “Drown out the noise and immerse yourself in music, podcasts, or ambient sounds.”
This second version highlights the experience the customer will have and uses vivid, relatable scenarios that speak directly to their everyday life.
Let’s look at some more examples of leading with benefits over features:
Now, don’t get me wrong – features matter. When customers compare products, they need the specifics. But your copy should lead with benefits. What people really want to know is: How will this make my life easier? Save me time or money? Help me grow?
Think of features as the facts, and benefits as the feeling. Benefits show the transformation, big or small, that your customer will experience when they say yes.
The same goes for creative writing. Think of benefits over features as substance over style. You could write stylised prose with beautiful imagery and motifs. But if the substance is missing, if your story is slow or your descriptions are richer than your characters, your story will feel flat.
Let’s look at some examples:
Know your audience → Know your reader
Let’s say you’re writing copy for a new toothpaste. It’s a daily essential and the market’s crowded, so saying “It cleans your teeth” or “It’s affordable” won’t cut it – those are just the basics. To stand out, you need a fresh angle rooted in what your specific audience actually cares about.
Great copywriters know their audience inside out. They do the research and dig into customer data, surveys, and trends to figure out what matters most to their specific target audience. Maybe your audience wants all-natural ingredients, or they care about sustainability and plastic-free packaging. Either way, knowing what they value is key to writing copy that connects.
Like business leader and author Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” By starting with your ‘why’ and researching your target audience, you’ll find your competitive advantage, and you can use this to write copy that speaks directly to what your customers want and need from your product. This differentiates you in the market and helps you sell.
So, how does this apply to creative writing?
When you’re starting a new poem, story, or novel, you don’t need to dive into market research like a copywriter. Chasing publishing trends (which change too fast anyway) could pull you away from the story you’re meant to tell and distract from the kind of writer you want to be. But it is worth thinking about who you’re writing for. You can’t please everyone, but you can write a story that a particular group of people will love to their bones.
Take Elizabeth Strout, for example, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of novels including Olive Kitteridge and My Name Is Lucy Barton. In interviews, Strout often talks about writing for her imagined ideal reader.
Talking with The Washington Post, Strout said: “‘I have an ideal reader. If I can make up a character, I can make up a reader.’ Her reader ‘has no gender but is right in front of me when I write. The presence of the reader is very visible to me.’” She also wrote in The Guardian: “I always imagine an ideal reader: someone who is patient, but not too patient; someone who needs the book and wants to read it, but may not read it if I do not write it honestly. For me, it is a dance with the reader.”
Knowing your reader helps you make intentional choices like what kind of language and pacing to use, how much backstory to include, which characters to follow, and which emotional notes to hit. When you understand what your ideal reader cares about, what excites them, and what makes them laugh or cry, you can shape a story that connects on a deeper, more personal level.
Just like writers often create character profiles, you could create a persona for your ideal reader. Something similar is done in marketing too. Many copywriters build user personas which are semi-fictional “composite characters that represent a segment of your audience—based on customer research.” These personas help copywriters understand their audience so well, they can speak to them with familiarity, build trust fast, and form lasting connections.
Exercise: Create a Reader Persona
For your current writing project, imagine your ideal reader: the person who would absolutely love your story. Use the prompts below to create this persona.
What makes your ideal reader feel seen and understood?
What do they stand for (social justice, family, creativity, etc.)?
What do they care about most in a story?
What is their idea of the perfect way to spend a Sunday?
Apart from reading, what is their favourite activity?
What kind of stories do they love reading?
What is their favourite film?
What setting will they be in when they’re reading your book?
What kind of stories feel overdone or cliché to them?
What are they looking for in a book?
Share your answers in the comments if you're comfortable.
Many writers worry their work won't stand out in an already “crowded” market. My hope is that by seeing the variety of reader profiles here will demonstrate something important: readers are incredibly diverse in their preferences and there are enough for everybody.
In Lesson 2 of Copy Techniques That Translate into Creative Writing, we’ll be exploring the art of persuasion and immersion AKA how is your writing connecting with the reader?
Paid subscribers will receive a brand new lesson every Wednesday in July, so join in to learn how to Steal From a Copywriter…
Hello!
First of all, I wanted to say thank you for this article--I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I had a ton of fun doing the exercise to find out who my ideal reader is!
Before jumping in to describe them, I'd actually like to point out something that surprised me from your article--and I hope this doesn't come across any type of mean way. I actually found myself leaning more towards enjoying the style-led bits than the substance-led writing--particularly in the character getting laid off scenario (a desk like a grave no one visited? You're kidding, that's so beautiful!). Again, not a criticism at all, if anything it's made me more curious to continue reading your advice and to try to practice it myself, to challenge myself to write more substance-led pieces to see how it fares. It just made me laugh a bit, to see that we had such different opinions on the same pieces! I am looking forward to learning more from you precisely because of this stark difference.
Anyways, here's my ideal reader:
My ideal reader's someone who's curious about what makes us human, and seeks to understand it through the written word. Action-driven narrative can be fun, and they sure do enjoy it every so often, but they're more concerned with the interiority of the characters. They want to see a beautifully-woven story, a story full of not necessarily ambiguities, but certainly room for a little wiggle, for questions that do not need an answer. They feel understood when they see their own emotions reflected on a character, even if their circumstances differ greatly. They care for seeing shared humanity that trascends personal experiences. They want to be surprised, like with Woolf's life full of matches struck in the dark--and they wish to remember it vividly with such interesting use of language. On Sundays, they'll likely be relaxing with tea and a book, or tea and friends; either way, human connection. They enjoy walking around their town and people-watching; they're probably a writer themselves too. Their favorite film is Amélie, and they'll be in the comfort of their own home when reading my texts, or somewhere else where they feel comfortable and safe. I do not think they care much whether a story has been told a thousand times, as long as it reveals a new angle from which to look at ourselves.
I did not answer the questions in order, but I do hope I got all of them! Again, thank you for the article and the fun exercise! Hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!
a reader persona is such a good idea!