One of the best exercises you can do as a copywriter is synthesize longer writing into shorter writing.
Because — and this is almost always true — if you can rewrite something to say the same thing in fewer words, you’ve made the work better.
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Actually, a great place to practice is Wikipedia…
Try this:
Rewrite a Wikipedia paragraph to a third of its original length (e.g., edit ~150 words down to ~50 words) without sacrificing the meaning.
It’s an ultra-effective exercise because concision is already baked into Wikipedia’s publication rules, which state:
“Articles should use only necessary words. This does not mean using fewer words is always better; rather, when considering equivalent expressions, choose the more concise.”
In other words, the platform already has a strict no-fluff policy — and that’s what makes this exercise so good.
Editing an already-concise paragraph for brevity demands hypersensitivity to syntax, to sentence structure, to the weight of each word.
It puts your ‘Editor Brain’ into overdrive, forcing a mindset so unnatural, you’ll walk away from every exercise a markedly more concise writer.
Need an example?
Here’s a paragraph I synthesized from HubSpot’s Wikipedia page:
Try it.
Do it once a day, five days a week for a month, and your writing will drastically improve.
Do it once a day, five days a week for a year, and the quality of your writing will surpass that of most professional copywriters.
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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)If you want more “micro” content, feel free to explore 100s of articles, interviews, courses, and series — all free. Enjoy!Eddie Shleyner
VeryGoodCopy, founderP.S. If you like VGC, you’ll love VGC Plus. Instantly unlock every post right here.
