Staring at the blank page, you try to muster up the creativity to produce decent writing. You’re not alone in this. Anybody who has ever picked up a pen, a typewriter, or a laptop hoping to do any kind of writing relates to you. Except this time, you’ve got to produce great prose in 5-10 sentences max. If you’re lucky, your recipient will glance at your email; giving you a few seconds to grab their attention. Your message needs to be punchy enough to convince someone who’s never heard of you, to take an introductory call. That’s what it’s like to have to produce outbound email copy. Considering those long odds, what might increase your chances of conjuring up good writing?

A lot has been said about creativity through constraints. Most of it states that constraints can be freeing; as they allow us to focus on the few(er) things we can now control. And we’ve taken a page from that playbook. When I say “we”, I should say “he”. Our Head of Outbound & Ops Rob conjured up what we now affectionately call the “60-Second Torture Exercise”. He wisely tested it on himself. After seeing great results, Rob roped me in. We started liking it so much that we put nearly all of our clients through it. 

Intimidating at first, this exercise imposes a 60-second time limit on yourself to produce the first version of your email body copy. Armed with outbound copy building blocks – a set of pain points, value props, quantifiables, social proof, and calls-to-actions/offers – the time constraint forces you to bear down, and blurt your copy onto the page all at once. You might initially think that having so little time would make you write poorly. But usually, just the opposite happens. Suddenly, you’re freed from your inhibitions, neuroses, and self-judgments. Just like an NFL quarterback might forget about himself in a 2-minute drill, your ego loosens its grip on you, and you push to complete the task at hand. The hurried pace you’re on imposes a crispness to your copy. There’s no room to be long-winded. You get in. Hit your marks. And get out. 

I’d recommend anyone reading this to try it for themselves.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to torture yourself to outbound copywriting greatness:

1. Set a timer for 60 seconds. Your iPhone will do. That’s what we use ourselves in session.

2. Open a new Google Doc. You want it to feel like a blank canvas, with plenty of room to roam.

3. Have your outbound building blocks handy (in another document). If your outbound email copy is your meal, your building blocks are your ingredients. It’s nearly impossible to make a great meal without great ingredients. Those should be prepped well in advance. For each persona you’re targeting, you should have sets of pain points, value props, social proof, quantifiable, and calls-to-actions/offers.

4. Start your timer. Once in writing mode, think of yourself as a sprinter. Bolt towards the finish line. Don’t overthink it. Just execute. And get your initial draft on (digital) paper.

5. Once the timer rings, keep writing if you’re not done. Remember, it’s less about keeping the hard constraint than freeing yourself up to write. Give yourself the extra time to finish your sentence or entire email. Especially if you’re a newbie.

6. You are now free to edit what you initially blurted out on paper. Take as many passes as you need to make the copy great. 

All sounds pretty basic, huh? And yet, through the basics comes greatness. 

As always, try it for yourself, and report back. Your output might just be an email so well formulated that it will have your prospect itching to book a call with you.