I specialise in writing recruitment related copy
If you're looking for a copywriter with the all-round experience it takes to fully grasp a brief first time, every time, you've come to the right place. I've always had a flair for writing, ever since I was at school. But, like so many youngsters, back then I had no idea what I wanted to do in terms of a career. Indeed, I fell into advertising almost by chance when I went to work with my brother at The Daily Telegraph as a Telesales Executive because it paid double what I was then earning working in the civil service of all places. During my time at the DT, I worked across pretty much every classified advertising category. Recruitment, motors, personal, property etc. Why, I even took birth, marriage and death notices over the phone and can reveal that hearing someone sob their way through a phone call is an emotional but very good way to learn the vital skills of listening and having empathy. After my stint at the Telegraph I then spent some time working in the regional press when I joined The Brighton Evening Argus, again in an advertising capacity. The contrast between the workings of a national and regional newspaper were both fascinating and frustrating, and that frustration got the better of me after about a year, so I applied for a job as a copywriter at a recruitment advertising agency, Austin Knight, in Soho Square. Lo and behold though, that wasn't the start of my copywriting career. Oh no! Yes, they took me on, but as a client services executive, or 'suit' as they are known in the business. I then proceeded to look after the recruitment communications needs of a variety of commercial accounts that included the BBC - at the time, the largest recruitment advertising account in the industry, with a spend of c. £1.5m. Spells at other advertising agencies followed, including McCann Erickson, Lonsdales and TMP Worldwide. And, during that time, I worked my way up to Account Director level and handled recruitment advertising accounts in pretty much every industry sector. I also worked with a variety of recruitment consultancies, big and small, including firms like Robert Half International, Parity, Reed Employment and Elan Computing - to name just a few. Indeed, the Robert Half account was so large that I headed up a dedicated team of five people that worked solely on that piece of business - hard to imagine in these days of slashed budgets and a plethora of inexpensive online options. |
So, how did I get to become a copywriter? Well, whilst working at newspapers and advertising agencies, I often wrote and edited copy. Firstly on the fly over the phone where I'd help people compose their advertisement or public announcement, and then as a favour to my fellow 'suits' in order to hit a looming deadline. It was something that just came naturally to me.
It made perfect sense therefore, back in 2001, when talk of redundancy was flying about in the agency that I worked for, to bite the bullet and set up on my own. And, I've been working from home ever since! Whilst my copywriting business was originally borne out of a background in recruitment advertising and employment communications, along the way I have diversified into other areas such as website content, press releases, online banners, product ads, even video scripts for Youtube. I've even written a sitcom that was in development with the BBC, as well as a few other comedy bits and pieces that I've been paid for. But, what is it that sets me apart from many other people who do the same thing as me for a living? (Here comes what they used to call the 'USP'. OK, it's not unique, but it's quite rare) Having been on both sides of the fence, first as a 'suit', then as a creative, I appreciate more than most, particularly when it comes to recruitment communications, the deadlines involved and the need for your copy to hit the mark, first time, every time. What's more, with literally thousands of copywriting assignments under my belt for hundreds of different clients in a wide range of business sectors, I can intuitively grasp pretty much every brief without the need to come back with loads of questions. On a daily basis, I might be writing copy for a household name, a charity, a railway provider and a leading online retail store. I just 'change hats' and get on with it. It's simply what I'm used to. In short, I believe I'm well-equipped to cope with anything you wish to throw at me! And, because I work from home, you'll find my rates are extremely competitive too. Don't just take my word for it, why not visit my testimonials page to see what people in the industry say about me, or have a peek at some examples of my work? Then, get in touch and we can have a chat about how I might be able to help your business make the most of your advertising and marketing communications. In the first instance, please email [email protected] |
