The crazy ways my PhD made me a better copywriter.
Posted by James, 20 November 2020 (4-5 minute read)
Last week, I talked about some of the rules that copywriters just love to break. Short words, non-conforming capitalisation, using ‘but’ and ‘and’ at the start of sentences. I covered it all.
Yet this seems entirely at odds with today’s title…
On the face of it, academic writing has very little in common with copywriting. My PhD is a near 300-page document containing over 100,000 words, most of which are written in a formal, academic style. And then there’s the countless references, citations and long quotations from academic and non-academic sources.
But peel back some of the academic fanfare (which is quite difficult to do!), and you actually find a number of similarities between a PhD and good copywriting:
- Researching a subject matter and how that affects intended audiences
- Writing for specific, targeted audiences
- Writing to fit particular niches
- Common writing techniques
- Editing and honing particular writing styles
So let’s get talking about the ways my PhD made me a better copywriter.
Research
Any good copywriter will tell you about the importance of research.
Without researching a subject (and that subject’s intended audience), you will never write effective copy.
A PhD is a long journey. From conception to completion, we are talking almost 4 years. And while a copywriting project may only take 1 day, the structure is still the same. A structure that starts with research.
I enjoy researching a subject. Getting to know its nuances, issues and complications. My PhD taught me to research more precisely and more comprehensively than ever before. It also taught me to research more efficiently. Skills that have definitely made me a better copywriter.
Targeted audiences and particular niches
Contrary to popular opinion, a PhD and a 25-word social media post have a lot in common. Yes, the scale of each text is vastly different. But the skillset required to write them is scarily similar.
For one, both text types are written for targeted audiences.
My PhD taught me about the importance of audience in ways I had never experienced. Even though a thesis is a deeply personal project, the writing style had to invite others in, whether it was supervisors, examiners, or proofreaders. As a result, I would always write with an ‘interested reader’ in mind.
Another similarity between writing a PhD and writing good copy is that both are designed for particular niches.
My PhD is about literary lawyers in the post- Second World War American South. A specific, niche subject.
But my copywriting is equally written with particular niches in mind, whether it’s a blog for an International Removals Company or a press release for an independent turkey supplier!
Writing style
There are plenty of people who consider a PhD to be the peak of formal writing.
But some of the writing techniques I use in effective copywriting can be found in my PhD. These include:
- Using ‘But’ / ‘And’ at the start of sentences. Yes, I even broke those sacred rules of writing in my PhD…
- Short sentences. When I started writing my PhD, my sentences were too long. In editing them down, I learnt that short sentences in academic writing can be just as effective as they are in copywriting
- Sub-headings. Just like copywriting, a PhD needs to be broken into manageable sections for a reader. The sections may be longer, but the skillsets are exactly the same!
- Short paragraphs. Paragraphs in a PhD are usually longer, but writing my thesis taught me the importance of short paragraphs and the ability to vary paragraph length. Both of which are key copywriting skills
In fact, the more I write, the more I have really seen how my PhD has made me a better copywriter. I see writing skills transferring between the two disciplines. And I also see how my skills as a copywriter allowed me to make my PhD more accessible and readable for ‘casual’ audiences.
Editing, proofing and honing
There is a lot to be said for how a PhD improves skills in editing, proofing and honing.
While editing a 300-page document is not the same as a short piece of copy, the attention to detail required for my PhD has certainly made me a better copywriter.
Spotting errors in writing has become quicker. I can also more effectively think of different sentences, words and structures to make my writing more widely accessible to readers.
And while I would love to say that typos never slip through the net (I can’t), my PhD has definitely made me an even stronger proofreader (of both my own and others’ work).
Have you completed a qualification recently that made you a better copywriter? Comment below, or tell me all about it on Twitter @JWCopywriting and over on my Facebook page.
And if you want to see how my writing skills can help your business grow today, then take a look at what JW Copywriting Services has on offer! My website has everything you need to get started and you can contact me here – I aim to reply within 24 hours.
I also provide a bespoke, comprehensive Academic Proofreading Service, designed to correct issues with spelling, punctuation and grammar in your essays, dissertations, or theses (at both undergraduate and postgraduate level).
Next week, I’ll be talking all about advertorials and why I think they are perfect for your latest Christmas promotion!
Until then,
JW