How I Gained 6,000 Followers by Doing Copywork (30 Mins a Day)

Jan 2024: 71 followers

Jan 2025: 7,231 followers

I transformed my writing from being full of jargon that no one wanted to read to something easy to digest, which only a few smart people loved.

Why?

Because I’ve been practicing writing like crazy.

But copy work is the method that’s given me 80% of the transformation.

In my early days, I spent 30 minutes a day doing copy work, writing word-for-word from my role models.

One month later, my writing completely transformed.

What You Will Gain from Copywork:

More Confidence: You’ll learn how to write like a master because you’re copying a masterpiece.

Refined Style: You’ll realize you can’t copy someone else completely—you’ll find your own voice.

Highlight Your Blind Spots: When you compare your writing with your idols’, you’ll spot areas for improvement.

If you want to start doing “copy work,” follow these 3 steps:

Step 1: Pick Great Books, Not Just Good Ones

Not all books are created equal.

Choosing the right book to do copy work from is crucial.

If you copy garbage, you’ll end up producing garbage.

Here are my rules for picking a book:

Topics: Pick topics that never bore you. Personally, I choose topics related to the problems I want to solve.

Layout: Books from the 1980s and the 2020s have different layouts because readers’ behaviors have changed drastically. Pick a layout that fits your style.

Writing Style: Choose writers whose style you love and want to emulate.

If you want to understand the creator’s game and practice writing at the same time, don’t just read these 3 books.

Do copy work from them to weld the lessons into your mind.

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson

Atomic Habits by James Clear

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

Thank me later.

Step 2: Turn Your Hand into a Photocopy Machine

Copywork feels like yoga—it relaxes my mind.

Now, you just need 30 minutes a day to turn your hand into a photocopy machine.

Write exactly what you’re reading, word by word.

My advice: Don’t rush. If you rush, you’ll gain nothing from copying by hand.

Instead, try to:

Predict what your idol is trying to say.

Think like your idol thinks.

Feel what your idol feels.

Slow down and immerse yourself in their style.

Step 3: Write and Extract

Copywork is just a fancy exercise if you don’t write your own content.

So after my copywork sessions, I always write something of my own.

This is when you collect your assets.

If you come across a quote you love, do this:

Share the quote.

Extract the template.

Paraphrase the quote.

With this method, you’ll learn how to write quickly because you’re actually writing, not just bombarding yourself with writing tips.

I don’t know how to hack algorithms.

Honestly, I don’t care about it.

Because I’m writing to humans, not algorithms.

Here are 3 things people want from your writing:

Social Currency: People read to increase their status.

Emotions: People read to experience a feeling.

Practical Value: People read to find a solution.

If we tried to cover all of these topics, this newsletter would be 30 pages long.

Today, we’ll focus on how to deliver practical value to readers.

Value Equations

People read because your hook is punchy.

People trust you because you give them value.

A great hook makes people read once. Trust makes people read forever.

But what is the value?

This is wisdom from Alex Hormozi.