Copywriting For Yourself. Part 2: The Advantage

Technical skills aside, most of what a copywriter does is get in the headspace of others. To write about someone, you need to understand them. To write on their behalf, you need to understand their audience. The closer to the subject you can get, the better you can uncover and reflect. And copywriting for yourself is the closest you can get to a subject. Most of the copy is already written, you just can’t see it.  

Getting to know someone is challenging sometimes, especially if they are guarded or unsure about themselves. But understanding what it’s like to be them is the real challenge. You have to set aside parts of yourself to make room for theirs. You have to move stuff around so that you can see what they see and feel what they feel. That’s basically empathy, what connects people on a human level. And though empathy is not always possible with everyone, we are empathetic towards ourselves by default. You already know what it’s like to be you, and you already care.  

And if there are some things you need to figure out, you are free to explore without having to abide by societal niceties and boundaries. You can never offend yourself with a question, and you won’t shy away from revealing anything. There is liberty in this kind of trust. You are free to roam in any direction and change your mind. You can judge and not feel judged. And no matter how much you want to, you can’t fire yourself. Even if you end up failing, copywriting for yourself is the safest project you can ever undertake. You bear all the responsibility and the consequences, and forgiveness is always attainable.

There is less pressure to play it safe. To copywrite for someone means to borrow; they entrust you with their voice. Their goals, values, and passions are all in your hands. Their voice should always come first; you mustn’t consume it but rather give it control. And once you’re finished, you return it to them. But to copywrite for yourself means to sharpen and amplify. It means to take full control. It means to own the voice. And that is authenticity in its purest form.

There is no more questioning that whatever you produce is a reflection of your voice. It is impossible to create something that says nothing about you. What you decide is how much of it to reveal, how much of it to imply, and how much of it to keep to yourself. What you decide is how much is too much and how little is too little. But with an honest motive, nothing you produce can fall short of authenticity— the biggest requirement to a strong copy.     

There is a simplicity to copywriting for yourself that you don’t acquire until after you’ve done it. The handicap of lacking objectivity pushes you to rely on subjectivity— something difficult to tame but much stronger. But it’s not like subjectivity solves the problems the handicap causes. Instead, it takes you on a journey of a unique kind, with unique obstacles and tests, tailored specifically to you. It pushes you to do the work, to find your voice, imbue it with passion and purpose, and then own it. The makings of your copy are already there, and you get to find them however you choose. So, embrace it, and let it show what it can do.