Experience the difference

Imagine how skilled you’d be after doing that thing you love for over 15282 days.

Your wrinkly written copy is backed by over 40 years of persuading in plain English.

I’ve been crafting every imaginable form of copy since before the Internet was a thing. And I still love my job.

Practice makes perfect-er. I’m way too exacting to claim my copy as perfect. But I get pretty damn close.

Pro tip

Depth and diversity fuel creative copy. Copywriters who’ve worked outside your sector can query accepted wisdom and give you fresh insight.

Run draft copy through the Hemingway app. Copy that scores between 4 and 6 is clear and readable. Most copy scoring above 9 needs a plain English edit.

Good beyond words

Besides being a wily wordsmith, I’ve an excellent grip on how humans tick. It takes oodles of empathy and a gift for tactful straight talk to produce spot-on copy.

I honed these skills over decades. As a digital project manager, I nurtured and nudged creative teams that did stonkingly smart things within tiny budgets and tight timeframes.

Pro tip

Great copywriters have dead brill people skills. They also have a sound grasp of the digital development process. A copywriter who can talk turkey with your designer and developer keeps everyone on the same page.

I go with my gut

Gut instinct took me from frocked-up comms chief to sneaker-clad copywriter.

In 2013 I fronted my last ever managerial job interview.

‘Run!’ yelled my gut, so I ran. Cue my sixth career change. Ten years on, I’m a thriving freelancer with lovely, loyal clients who’ve followed me to France.

Pro tip

Good gut instinct is a copywriting superpower. If your copywriter has it, they’ll sniff your brand’s essence before you’ve given them chapter and verse. They’ll ‘get’ you tout de suite, and you’ll most likely ‘get’ them right back.

Choosing a copywriter? Check their cred. But above all, trust your gut.

I’m up for adventure

I’m at home on the edge of my comfort zone.

In 2015 I spotted a rundown house in a market town in La Belle Bretagne. We’re home,’ whispered my gut, and we were. Cue upending everything and moving to the other side of the planet. Because….‘pourquoi pas’ – why not?

Eight years after ending my long love affair with the great, green Indian Ocean, I’ve fallen hard for the mighty Atlantic. Never be scared to take the plunge.

Pro tip

Choose a curious copywriter with a penchant for ‘pourquoi pas.’ They’ll take you on the road less travelled, challenge your assumptions and tell your most compelling story.