I live in two worlds.
By day, I’m a digital communication strategist, manufacturing words for brands and campaigns. By night— and often into the early hours — I’m a dark fantasy and horror writer, conjuring stories that astound and bewilder.
On the surface, copywriting and SFF writing have differences. One is about clarity and conversions; the other is about complexity and imagination. But the more I’ve worked across both, the more I’ve realized—they feed each other with similarities.
Here’s how copywriting sharpened my storytelling craft—especially when it comes to building fictional worlds that feel real.
Say More with Less: The Power of Precision
In copywriting, every word must earn its place. You have seconds to grab attention and make a message land.
That same economy of language makes fiction more powerful. You don’t need three paragraphs to describe something profound—you need one unforgettable sentence. The kind that paints a picture and leaves your reader curious for more.
Tip: Use sensory details + emotional tone. “The walls bled salt” says far more than “the room was damp.”
Understand the Audience = Build Relatable Worlds
As a copywriter, I start every project by asking: Who am I talking to? What do they care about?
When I write speculative fiction, I ask the same. Even the most fantastical world must feel emotionally familiar to the reader. Why should they care about a cursed bloodline or a talking crow unless those elements tap into something real—grief, longing, fear, identity?
The lesson: Storytelling isn’t about complexity. It’s about connection.
Voice Is Everything
In branding, tone of voice defines how a brand speaks—formal, playful, rebellious, wise. That principle holds true in storytelling.
When crafting a fantasy story, your narrative voice sets the entire emotional tone. Is your world dark like an abandoned shrine, or bold and poetic like an epic?
Copywriting taught me to be intentional with tone—and to carry it consistently across every line.
Structure Is Your Invisible Spell
Copy is structured to guide behavior: headline → hook → CTA. Fiction has its own flow: immersion → escalation → payoff.
Knowing how to pace information—what to reveal, when to hold back, and how to keep readers turning pages—is a skill copywriting honed in me.
Even a world as wild as mine needs internal logic and rhythm. Magic systems, power hierarchies, even the weather—all of it needs narrative structure.
Every World Has a Message
At its core, copywriting sells an idea. Good fiction does too.
When I build a world, I ask: What’s the why behind it? What belief system does it challenge or reinforce? What truth hides beneath the horror?
It’s not about being didactic—it’s about storytelling with intention. The same clarity I chase in brand strategy applies to lore-building and plotting.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a writer with a day job in branding, marketing, UX, or digital strategy—don’t compartmentalize. The skills are transferable. Let one craft inform the other.
And if you’re a copywriter with stories inside you, I promise you already know more about world-building than you think. You write to connect. To imagine. To provoke.
That’s all storytelling is—just with different stakes.