What are your preferred pronouns?

She/Her

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Where's your hometown? 

London, UK

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In as few words possible, how would you describe what you do? 

I'm a copywriter. I tell brands how to talk and show agencies how to write.

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What was your path to your current role? How did you get your start?

Once I knew what a copywriter was, I told anyone who'd listen that that's what I wanted to be. I was an office assistant at a tiny direct marketing agency, where the creative director let me write reader offers in the national press. Then I was a PA at The Body Shop where the product director let me write internal comms. Later, the creative director moved me into his studio, where I could finally call myself a copywriter.

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What are you up to outside of work? What keeps you inspired and energized beyond work?

I walk and swim almost every day. Being outside keeps me energised.

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You've been in the copywriting game for some time. In your opinion, what are the hallmarks of great copywriting?

Copy that talks directly to its audience. And that's bang on brand. Short too, with a play on words for a double meaning, making less mean so much more.

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What (or who) are your go-to’s for inspiration or trends that influence your work? Brands? Literature? Thought leaders?

I read anything and everything - yes, even the pizza menu that comes through the letterbox and that poster on the wall at the dentist. We don't get words out if we don't get words in. 

I love magazines and will always read any in the category I'm writing about at the time - and I buy all the Christmas issues every November to save for when I'm writing something for the festive season usually around April of the following year and there's nothing around to make me feel all “ho ho ho.”  

Online, I'm subscribed to ad industry publication newsletters - Little Black Book Online is my favourite for its healthy mix of news, interviews and inspiration. And I like to go to ad industry events like the D&AD Festival and Sweathead's The Do-Together.

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LinkedIn seems like a powerful resource for you. What made you decide to use LinkedIn as a platform and is there any advice you have for others wanting to grow their presence on it?

I first joined LinkedIn a million years ago because it was the thing to do when looking for a job. More recently, I use it to share any copywriting jobs I see, #CopywritersUnite nights and interesting articles or inspiring work. 

I find it a positive and productive place to hang out - and I still consider it the place to be professional and to make professional connections. Having said that, I don't have a social media strategy or a personal brand, and am not concerned with numbers of followers and likes so I'm probably not the person to ask for advice other than to just be yourself and share what you're interested in.

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What is most important to you when creating a brand's tone of voice? And do you follow a defined process to get there?

I work with huge, global category leaders, so it's important for them to remember who they are, what they stand for and how they can show up in the world. I don't want them to sound like anyone else - and they shouldn't want that either. So if a brand tells me their values and personality principles are bland adjectives like human, friendly and honest, I push them to believe they could and should be so much more. I want to see them using strong words that give everyone working with the brand something really exciting to work with.

I don't follow a defined process. While most of my clients are in the entertainment industry, each objective is different so the process is always different - and I love that. I wouldn't ever want to provide a service that feels like I took a standard approach. Every brand is unique so the process of finding their voice should be too.

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What are some skills beyond good writing that make the biggest difference in your work?

I'm nosy. Is that a skill?! I need to know everything about a brand when I work with them. And I'm excited. I get to go behind the scenes of some of the biggest brands in the world. 

A client can tell you all they think you need to know, but it's never enough. Being in and around the business is where you find out stuff they may not have thought to tell you. And you feel it too. A brand personality and voice should come from the inside out, not the other way around so being on site, nosing around and hanging out on the pitch (at the Adidas campus in Nuremberg) or in the studios (at Sky and ITV) brings everything to life and informs and inspires a strong outcome.

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You've led some seriously impressive brands. Looking back, are there any stints that have had a lasting impact on how you work or write? 

Most of the brands I work with have a lot of fans - people who really care about what those brands have to say - so it's really important to always respect the things they love and invest a lot of time and money in (TV, sports, movies). That's what always sticks in my mind - my responsibility to the audience.

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What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far in your career? How did it work out and what did you learn from it?

Unfortunately I have trusted the wrong people a couple of times. They have stolen my idea, my money or my credit, so I have learnt to be more careful about who I collaborate with. And to be open and honest about these experiences so others aren't affected by the same people.

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Bonus Round: Top 5 Reads of 2023

Ladies of the Avenue by Patricia E. Tierney

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel

I’m a post-Barbie girl in a post-Barbie world… so what happens now? by Amy Kean

Cindy Gallop's live tweeting of Vogue's September issue

The Rochambeau Club's website (H/T Nick Parker's Tone Knob newsletter)‍

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Bonus Round: Fuck, Marry, Kill (for copywriters) – Manifestos, Billboards, Social Campaigns

Kill manifestos (because they can be awful - to write and read)

Marry social campaigns (because they can be fun)

Fuck billboards (because they can be sexy)

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Bonus Round: Dream brief - what does it say in one sentence?

Make us famous (stolen from Bob Hoffman)

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Where can The Subtext readers keep up with you? 

Follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter