What is your advice for honing messaging skills?

Do it for fun! Try it on products you use but don't work on, ads you see on TV etc. It makes it much lower stakes to get into the mindset of using a messaging framework, and you'll find it's a muscle you can build over time. It's also much easier when you try it on a product you use - you can ask yourself the questions you'd be asking in messaging research: who do you think it's for, why do you use it over others, what problems is it solving in your life? Think about this the next time you watch something on your streaming app of choice, order from your favorite delivery app, or buy something online. Why this product, and how should they tell their story?