My daughter’s school has taken part in the DanceSport program. For the past 10 weeks, their entire year cohort has been having weekly classes in school time to learn how to ballroom dance.
Each week, they congregate in the hall to learn the moves of the tango, jive and cha cha and have adapted these moves to a whole heap of modern songs.
When they started the program at the beginning of the term, most of them didn’t want to go anywhere near the dance floor and particularly their partner. My daughter complained incessantly about holding hands (ew), the boys mucking up and finding the moves so hard.
But as the term progressed, things changed. She went from “Tuesdays, UGH” to not mentioning it as much, to later in the term looking forward to her classes. You can imagine how excited and curious I was to see what they’d been getting up to.
The gala night
The other night was their gala night where congregated with another local school and performed their dances. Picture a room full of 10- and 11-year-olds dressed up with bow ties, taffeta skirts and slicked back hair. They confidently smiled and held hands as they strutted onto the dance floor and performed their dances to their cheering and clapping parents and teachers.
As the night went on, they performed each of their dances a half dozen times. They went through a judging process where they were whittled down into the semi-finals and then eventually the top eight were chosen for the finals.
Eventually, the winners of each dance style were chosen.
Of course, they’d only done 10 weeks of training. It wasn’t like watching the Pan Pacific Championships on Strictly Ballroom (literally my only other experience of ballroom dancing. You can read about it here if you’ve never heard of it). The overall winners weren’t the most technical or spectacular dancers. We were told they were being judged on other things: their ability to work together, their posture and their X-factor.
What I noticed was that the winners weren’t generally the best dancers. You could tell when (usually the girl in the partner) was a trained dancer. She generally would be dragging her partner and he’d look miserable and unsure.
The winners of the three dances were the couples that stood out a bit, not for their talent but for their enthusiasm. They were working together and were generally in sync and they genuinely looked like they were having a good time.
I thought this was a pretty good life lesson and actually thought it related well to how you might choose a copywriter or someone else you might need in your business. They don’t necessarily need to be the best but they do need to have these three skills:
1.They need confidence
Confidence is a critical asset in copywriting. It’s about trusting our voice, ideas, and ability to connect with the audience. Confident copywriters don’t second-guess themselves with every sentence; they write with authority, even when exploring complex or unfamiliar topics.
Confidence allows us to take creative risks—whether it’s crafting a bold headline or adopting a unique tone. It shows in the messaging, creating copy that engages, persuades, and builds trust with your audience. Without confidence, our writing can come off as hesitant or uncertain, making it harder to inspire action.
2. They need to be good to work with
Such a big part of being a copywriter is about collaboration, communication, and reliability. Great copywriters actively listen to their clients’ needs, ask the right questions, and offer solutions tailored to your brand’s voice and goals. They meet deadlines, remain open to feedback, and work efficiently to revise content without ego.
A positive attitude and adaptability are key to building long-term client relationships. It helps promote a smooth workflow and allowed you to produce content together that exceeds expectations while fostering trust and mutual respect.
3. Enjoy what they do
I’m off to rewatch Strictly Ballroom!
About Caitlin
since 2017
I’m Caitlin Wright from TheWrightWords and I’m a Sydney-based SEO website copywriter. Since I created my business in 2017, I’ve written literally hundreds of SEO optimised blogs and websites, helping my clients get on the first page of Google.
I bring a personalised approach to every project. No one-size-fits-all content here—only strategic, high-quality writing that aligns with your brand and speaks directly to your customers.