Most copywriting tips focus on clarity, brevity, or structure. All important. But here’s something I rarely see discussed:
If you really want to understand something (and communicate it effectively), you need to write about it more than once—in different styles, in different tones, for different moods, and for different audiences.
It’s a strategy I’ve used for years on client work, brand messaging, ad copy, and even longer-form editorial pieces. It’s not profound. But it’s effective.
The idea is simple: Pick one topic—and write about it in five different ways. It sounds repetitive, maybe even a little unnecessary. But it works.
Most writers (and marketers) tend to stop when the first draft “sounds good,” but that version is almost always sh*t—just ask Hemingway.
This strategy forces you to go deeper, not in a philosophical sense, but in a practical, craft-focused way as you try to explain how something works in multiple styles and voices. You don't just convey what something is—you explore how something behaves when it leaves the page and enters the real world.
It’s less about repetition and more about revelation. Let me explain how it works—and how you can use it to improve almost anything you write.
First: Why Rewriting the Same Thing Isn’t a Waste of Time
When you write something once, you’re often writing what’s obvious. But when you write it again, differently, you start making choices. You adjust for tone. You tweak the rhythm. You play with phrasing.
And suddenly, your copy goes from passable to persuasive.
This isn’t about perfectionism. It’s about range and refinement.
The more ways you can write about the same idea, the better you understand how to shape it, sell it, or sharpen it for different readers.
When you revisit a topic from different angles, it forces you to do a few things:
1. Confront Gaps in Understanding
It’s easy to write a paragraph once. But try explaining that same idea casually, through a metaphor, or in a tweet. You’ll quickly discover where you don’t quite understand it as well as you thought.
2. Build Range and Flexibility
This strategy stretches your voice. You start to feel what the idea looks and sounds like in different settings—formal, conversational, technical, and emotional. You gain agility both as a writer and a communicator.
3. Uncover Unexpected Angles
Sometimes, the fifth version—the one you wrote for fun or as a throwaway—ends up being the one that sticks. That’s the magic of iteration: it surprises you.
4. Get Out of Perfection Mode
You’re exploring, not just performing. Repetition permits you to let go of the idea that every draft has to be the final version.
Here’s How the “5 Ways” Strategy Works in Best Practice
Let’s say you’re writing about “consumer trust.” When we define the topic, we’re answering the question: “What is consumer trust?”
You could define it as: “Consumer trust is the confidence customers have in a brand’s ability to deliver on its promises—consistently, ethically, and with their best interests in mind.”
Clear and respectable. It's a good start.
But great writing happens when you move past the definition and start exploring how something behaves under pressure across different formats, voices, channels, and audiences. That’s where your writing shifts from an exercise in overexplaining to providing functional insight with tons of upside and value.
Step 1: Put the Topic Under Pressure
Rather than writing one exhausting catch-all piece on consumer trust, try using a two-part approach to build a stronger narrative. First, map the concept across specific channels where it is destined to appear. For example:
- How does consumer trust show up on a landing page?
- How is trust built or broken in a product flow?
- How does a brand voice sound when earning trust during a recall?
- What does trust feel like in a retention email or SMS?
These aren’t rhetorical questions. They’re writing prompts. They force you to take a single topic or idea and apply it to real-world scenarios—where tone, length, and context actually matter—to see how it needs to perform.
Step 2: Say It Five Different Ways
Clarity doesn’t always come from the first draft. So once you’ve identified where the topic or idea lives, write about it in five distinct tones or styles—each shaped for a different use case or audience. Here's how that might look for consumer trust.
1. Straightforward & Professional
- For a landing page or investor deck. Clean, precise, and credible.
- “Our platform is trusted by over 20,000 businesses worldwide to deliver secure, reliable service—every time.”
2. Conversational & Casual
- For email, social, or SMS. Human, friendly, and easy to relate to.
- “You don’t need to guess—we’ve got reviews, real results, and real people behind everything we build.”
3. Metaphorical
- Add emotion and stickiness; compare trust to a home-cooked meal or a well-worn path.
- “Like a slow-cooked roast, trust takes time, care, and consistency to get it right.”
4. Story-Driven
- Ground the topic in a real-life example of trust being earned or lost.
- "When our app crashed mid-launch, we refunded every order in real-time.”
5. Punchy & Tweet-Sized
- Distilled to a simple blurb, tagline, or headline.
- “No fine print. No gimmicks. Just 25 years of hard-earned trust.”
Each version says more or less the same thing—but in a voice that fits the moment. You could keep going. Write ten variations. Explore twenty metaphors.
But here’s the thing: After five, something changes.
You start to spin instead of refine. The signal gets fuzzier. The takes get thinner. You’re not sharpening the idea anymore—you’re circling it.
That’s why I stick with five. It’s just enough to stretch your thinking, explore tone, and unlock new angles—without diluting the core message.
Five versions is the sweet spot.
Wide enough to explore.
Tight enough to stay clear.
Summary & Takeaway: Range Creates Results
Good copywriters stop when the sentence sounds good. The great ones keep going—because they know the strongest version isn’t the first; it’s the fifth.
Writing a topic five different ways isn’t overthinking or spinning your wheels with no end to a mean. It’s leveling up. It gives you options. Precision. Perspective. And it makes sure your message can flex, land, and perform—wherever it shows up.
You’re writing for clarity. For context. For outcomes.
This strategy helps you:
- Find a sharper, more resonant message
- Adapt ideas across formats and channels
- Build sentiment that outperforms
It’s a practical way to get more value from your thinking, more mileage from your words, and more consistency across everything you ship—whether it’s a landing page, an ad, a script, or a brand narrative.
If you’re looking to tighten up your messaging, evolve your brand voice, or ensure your next campaign converts, hit me up.
Let’s make your message work five times harder.
