If you’re a small business, you may need to write your own copy for various marketing pieces. Whether it’s a social media post or a flier or maybe even an ad now and then.

But it’s easy to get stuck using jargon and getting really technical when we’re talking about our own industry. We can talk on and on about the minute specifics about our products and think that they mean something to other people. But the things that may fascinate us often have very little value to the average person. Yet that’s what we tend to focus on.

So here’s a simple practice to get over that.

Once a week, choose a business completely different than your own and write a simple :30 radio spot about it. It doesn’t have to be incredible creative. Don’t worry about creating a fantastic scenario with imaginative dialog (unless you really like that sort of thing. Just write it as clear as possible from your point of view on what would make you want to buy from them. Think hard about the real personal benefits. What are the key points that would get you to come in?

You’ll find that when you have to talk about another product that you don’t know well, you need to break it down very simply and be focus on the core benefit. What’s really in it for you?

Don’t stop until you’ve convinced yourself that it’s something worth paying attention to. Then read it to someone else and ask them if they understood it and if they could see the value in the product. Probe further and identify which part hooked them and if there were any parts that were just throw-aways.

Why spend time writing ads for other businesses?

Committing to this practice will help you to gain a better perspective on how to sell basically anything in general, including your own. You’ll learn what people care about and how best to communicate it.

Try it for a few months and you’re sure to improve how your sell your own product.