Copywriting services
I’m a versatile, creative copywriter. From captions to concepts, I have years of experience working with clients and agencies.
Tone of voice
The way a brand talks is a fundamental part of its identity. I work with brands to develop and apply authentic voices.
Film and scriptwriting
Where I started. First as an aspiring comedy writer, then for BBC Bitesize and since, on all sorts of projects.
Articles and blogs
I write carefully crafted articles and blog posts. Keyword-rich, relevant and most importantly, compelling.
Email and CRM
From single sends to CRM programmes, I bring strategic as well as creative thinking to emails and CRM.
Tone of voice
Getting the right voice is fundamental to brand identity. It's often called tone of voice, but while voice stays the same, tone changes. Brand voice or verbal identity are commonly used and better descriptions.
I've developed voice for brands from startup to multinational. And I'm experienced taking brand guidelines and applying them consistently and creatively across the user experience. I've also run workshops for brands to help them find and understand their voices.
Web copy
When I say web copy, I'm talking about the online copy that informs your customers and guides them on their journey through your site or app.
Like many of the services described here, web copy overlaps with others. Expertise in tone of voice and UX goes hand-in-hand with writing good web copy.
And, as always, so does an instinct for narrative. Every website should be a good read. I write website and app copy that's natural, purposeful and effective.
Film and scriptwriting
Scriptwriting is where I started. First as an aspiring comedy writer, then for BBC Bitesize and since, on all sorts of projects.
First, the comedy bit. I've written for (and performed in) Edinburgh Fringe Festival shows, standup and sketch.
That led to work for the BBC creating interactive educational content for Bitesize and RaW. I developed ideas and wrote voiceover scripts for live action and animated activities for six years.
As a copywriter working in advertising, branding and design agencies, I develop voiceover, structured interviews and character-based films for a whole range of subjects. I also provide creative direction for film projects.
Creative
As well as writing, I develop campaign, film and content ideas. I've worked in creative partnerships in more traditional ad agencies as well as part of broader creative teams.
Articles and blogs
I write carefully crafted articles and blog posts. Keyword-rich, relevant and most importantly, compelling.
Equally as important is the quality of information. Two university degrees and years of experience have made me an adept and thorough researcher.
As well as online content, I also write for print formats. Differences in writing style and publishing process between the media benefit from a writer with the right experience.
Email and CRM
Nothing gets a measurable reaction like a well executed email campaign. It's content you push with intent. For that reason the interplay of strategy, design and content is maybe more important here than in any other medium. But – and it's a big one – all that planning and creativity hangs on one single (subject) line of copy.
I've worked on single sends, launch campaigns and CRM programmes for brands of all sizes. I enjoy the combination of strategy and craft, as well the feedback you get from quantifiable results.
UX writing
Called variously, UX writing, microcopy or UI copy – this flux seems to reflect a new discipline. In reality, perfecting the language of the user journey has always been important. It's just that now it's being properly recognised.
UX writing requires a balance of skills, not all in the standard copywriter's toolkit. Good technical knowledge, even coding skills, tone of voice expertise and familiarity with UX design processes.
More traditional writer's skills are just as important. A compelling user journey needs narrative to make sense. My job is finding the story in that journey, and finding the right language to balance functionality, reality and brand tone of voice.
As a copywriter with experience of coding and web production, I've always enjoyed this kind of work. These days I get to work with dedicated UX design teams, so I enjoy it even more.