Every Copywriter Should Learn This Skill First
All the great copywriters have this skill. And it's where you start.
“General Knowledge” is the first chapter of “The Adweek Copywriting Handbook”.
It’s the first chapter for a reason. A copywriter must have a vast general knowledge to produce great copy.
The legendary copywriter Joseph Sugarman describes how curiosity and experiencing many things is the first step to becoming a great copywriter.
Why general knowledge is important
“The more we experience and the more knowledge we have the easier it is to come up with that big copy idea”
The best copywriting ideas come when you combine general knowledge with specific knowledge.
When you work on a project, you learn everything about your product and reader. This is specific knowledge.
But great ideas come to life when you apply your knowledge from other areas of life to your current project.
That is why your general knowledge should be vast. You want to have a huge pool of inspiration and experience to draw from when you need to apply them to a project.
How to develop general knowledge
Joseph explains how one can improve his general knowledge:
Travel the world
Have many hobbies
Master skills
Listen more than you talk
Have a variety of interests
Start your own business
Joseph himself is also a professional photographer and a radio operator. He loves music, art, reading, computers and movies.
Last tip from Joseph Sugarman:
“It is important to experience as much in life as possible and not to fear falioure. It’s not whether you win or lost in life that’s important but whether you play the game