Portfolio
Charity
Autism awareness charity, Ambitious about Autism, selected me from a number of shortlisted copywriters to help them develop content for their new website.
The charity, previously known as TreeHouse, was going through a major rebrand. I was tasked with editing existing content and writing new copy for the very extensive website, following the newly established tone of voice and style guidelines.
The site, which you can see here, has now been approved by the Plain English Campaign.
The Creation Trust, the charity overseeing the regeneration of Southwark’s Aylesbury Estate, commissioned me to help them engage the local community. I wrote a variety of copy for Creation during the last year of funding provided through the New Deal for Communities scheme. This included articles for their website and community newsletters, press releases and exhibition material.
However my favourite project was helping to compile a book of recipes contributed by local people, featuring produce they grow in the Aylesbury Community Garden. This involved interviewing residents from around the world to find out the stories behind their recipes.
Providing marketing support to this UK-based charity dedicated to helping community groups in some of the poorest parts of Kenya to begin small-scale cultivation of the biofuel plant, Jatropha curcas.
I teamed up with a designer to create a website, flier and other promotional materials for them. In addition I helped them to set up as an agent for a provider of cheap overseas calls to boost their profile within the UK’s Kenyan diaspora and bring in welcome additional income.
I was one of a team of copywriters who came together to write the copy for the new Royal Museums Greenwich website.
The organisation, which comprises four venues in London’s historic Greenwich - the National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, Queen’s House and the Royal Observatory - needed to refresh its web presence to reflect everything the World Heritage Site has to offer.
At a kick-off meeting at the Royal Observatory, the senior manager for digital media allocated each of us with several sections to research and write. We worked through our allocation over several weeks, uploading completed pages to Google Docs and marking our progress in an online spreadsheet. We got together to discuss progress in weekly conference calls and each had an in-house ‘buddy’ to answer our questions.
It was a fascinating project to be part of and great to round it off with a launch party at an atmospheric backstreet pub in Greenwich.
The new site now helps to attract visitors, enables them to plan their visit and makes it easier for them to dig deeper to find out more about what they’ve seen.
See www.rmg.co.uk.
This Kent-based charity commissioned me to write a feature article for their magazine on the problems associated with alleyway abuse (including graffiti, vandalism and assaults)
and ways these issues are being addressed.
Inbound marketing agency Tomorrow People were looking for a copywriter with experience of the charity sector to help with a project for Triodos Bank.
After a careful selection process, the bank decided to work with me to produce a series of informative articles about issues facing charities today. Working closely with the social banking team manager and liaising with Triodos Bank clients for input, I produced six topical articles and associated e-marketing content, including email newsletters and social media posts.
There are more examples of my work in the charity sector in the Environment section.
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Education
Designer and typography expert, Andrew Alex, got in touch with me for help refining the wording for the website promoting his carefully crafted language learning flashcards designed for use on Apple devices. He was specifically looking for a copywriter who could write in plain English to reflect the ethos of his products.
He was delighted with the difference I made.
John Madejski Academy, a secondary school in Whitley, Reading, was keen to establish a relationship with a local copywriter to help them develop the content for their new website. They also felt that my experience of community engagement, through working with Aylesbury NDC and The Creation Trust in Walworth, would help them reach out to the local community.
After a meeting to discuss our approach we agreed that I would rework copy based on their existing prospectus and new content generated by staff into a friendly and direct yet professional style. You can see the result here.
I look forward to continuing to work with JMA as they update their other communications to match the new, more approachable style of their website.
Writing and editing marketing materials promoting the cultural awareness seminars staged by this ethnic marketing and diversity consultancy. They have also commissioned me to edit several
case studies and reports.
Writing a direct mail piece for this prep school to be distributed to parents in the local area. The brief involved writing empathetically from the point of view of a
9/10-year-old child, to describe a typical day at Yateley Manor.
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Engineering/construction
Writing text and suggesting design concepts for a new promotional brochure
for Bill Dunster architects, creators of the innovative zero fossil energy
development, BedZED.
Writing the text for this established landscaping firm’s first website. They particularly wanted to come across as human and friendly while making clear that they’re experienced professionals.
I worked closely with the client, gathering the information to write the copy from scratch through two telephone interviews. But for a few minor amendments the text was used unchanged.
See the site here.
Writing the first website for this Surrey-based company providing domestic and commercial electrical and property maintenance services.
I wrote the copy from scratch, following interviews on the phone and in person to ensure I fully understood their different target markets and their range of services.
The client was thrilled with the end result, which you can see here.
Refreshing the copy ready for the relaunch of this local flooring company’s website. The project involved incorporating keyword phrases for SEO while ensuring the text had a natural flow and reflected Top Notch Floors’ ethos of high quality materials and craftsmanship.
You can see the site here.
Writing case studies for this manufacturer and distributor of soil testing equipment and software.
Web agency Channel Media Creative commissioned me to edit the content for a new website for town planning consultancy, Walsingham Planning.
The new copy was based on the content from the company’s previous website but with several extra sections and new project examples added. The project involved pulling all the new content together, ensuring everything was in the most logical place, and then unifying the style, making sure the copy was readable and digestible for visitors as well as appealing to Google.
You can see the site here: www.walsinghamplanning.co.uk.
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Environment
Improving the readability and grammar of the English version of the brochure for this Costa Rican NGO promoting community-based rural tourism.
Helping create branding for Bambú Perú, a new organisation
actively promoting the use of bamboo as a non-timber forest product to aid
rainforest protection.
Writing the new website for this recycling and waste management company.
You can see the site here.
Providing marketing support for this small family business specialising in environmentally friendly packaging materials.
Editing promotional material for this not-for-profit organisation dedicated
to increasing understanding of the Amazon rainforest.
One of my longest-standing clients collaborated with a partner to launch this bamboo eco cup venture.
Not only are they made from sustainably sourced bamboo, but a tree is planted for every cup purchased.
I was very happy to be involved with producing the content for their website, which you can see here: www.goreusable.org.
I have since provided ongoing support with tasks such as writing case studies and blog posts and helping with their social media presence.
Writing sales letters and providing marketing support for this new start-up green cleaning and office supplies company.
Writing a corporate social responsibility report for this charitable trust that gets communities involved in regenerating their local environment. The project included interviewing staff to gather the relevant data and working alongside an environmental consultant.
Regular work writing and editing marketing material for HazValue, an e-procurement platform that enabled businesses to sell their reusable and recyclable waste directly to specialist recycling providers.
Projects included writing sales letters, a corporate brochure, press releases and articles for trade magazines as well as periodically reviewing their website.
Unfortunately the market proved too difficult to crack and the service was withdrawn in 2013.
Insulation providers, InstaGroup, commissioned me to help them produce promotional materials to raise awareness of their newly rebranded network of independent insulation installers across the UK.
This involved writing copy for a website aimed at consumers - see www.snugnetwork.co.uk - and a brochure aimed at potential partner organisations, including major corporations and local authorities.
The client contacted me a few weeks later from an exhibition to let me know how well the brochure was being received.
Kat Creative’s first ever project, back in 2001 - creating a book to celebrate the first 20 years of IT Power. This renewable energy consultancy works across the developing world to provide sustainable energy solutions in challenging environments.
I also got involved in writing new corporate literature for them and proofreading proposals.
The eco packaging experts behind COB Products contacted me for help with a website promoting their new product, Papernuts.
They were on a tight budget, so had developed the site themselves using an online website-builder tool. I edited the draft copy they had written then helped to polish the site in the CMS to ensure consistency and maximise impact.
The company is now going through a complete rebrand, however they have come back to me to help with their new web content.
Commissioned to write articles on environmental issues affecting the polar
regions.
See my articles on the Khanty tribe, wolves and polar wildlife under threat.
Several years later my article on wolves is still attracting positive comments from people in the academic world, the most recent from a senior lecturer in ecology at an American university.
Reading Borough Council’s sustainability team commissioned me to edit the copy for a website about Reading’s climate change strategy, and its goal to reduce the borough’s carbon emissions by 34% by 2020.
Producing a promotional leaflet for this Reading-based supplier of solar water heating systems.
Sylvagen is a provider of recycling and recovery solutions, specialising in the responsible handling of waste wood and forestry and tree surgery residues.
Recycling is one of my real passions, so I was glad to take on the project of developing the content for their website, which you can see here.
Sylvagen had already built up a strong reputation but this was their first website. I worked closely with several members of the team to ensure the copy reflected exactly what they offer but in a way that would appeal to their target markets.
Creating the cover artwork for a bird sounds CD for this Anglo-Peruvian charity to sell to raise funds. The work included design as well as writing copy in English and Spanish.
Writing a leaflet encouraging consumers to recycle their used Xerox toner
cartridges to minimise waste and damage to the environment.
I’ve since been commissioned to write the internal magazine for Xerox UK. For more details see the Technology section.
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Professional services
Editing web content for this business consultancy set up by a longstanding client. The project included editing the copy in the content management system (CMS) to ensure it was well presented and all the links worked as they should.
You can see the site here.
Bang Creations specialise in helping inventors, entrepreneurs and organisations to bring their product ideas into reality. They approached me for assistance with their corporate brochure. The challenge was to pull their diverse range of services together into a cohesive story, to encourage prospective clients to read it cover to cover then make contact.
The brochure has received excellent feedback and the Bang Creations team believe it’s made a real difference in engaging key target markets.
I have since helped them with their new website - see www.bangcreations.co.uk.
Award-winning web agency Rawnet contacted me about producing the copy for a new website they were creating for political information, publishing, training, events and communications group, Dods, on a very tight timescale.
Dods were due to move into prestigious new offices in the Shard and the new CEO was keen to take the opportunity of the boost in their profile to expand awareness of the full range of what they do. At the time they had several websites focusing on the products and services provided by each of their brands and wanted a new ‘topco’ site that would help visitors grasp the full breadth of what they collectively offer.
Following a meeting at Dods’ existing head office in Westminster, I worked collaboratively with the agency and the client, via Google Docs and Basecamp. The final stage was to refine the copy based on the CEO’s feedback, working closely with the marketing director, editing the copy live while discussing it on Skype.
It was an exhilarating process and the Dods team were very pleased with the results.
You can see the site here - www.dodsgroup.com - however please note that the client has full control of the content and it’s continually evolving, reflecting the dynamic nature of what they do.
Regular copywriting work for this web design and development agency. Since 2004 I’ve been writing and editing copy for their clients’ websites and email newsletters.
I’ve also worked on the copy for several iterations of GUMPTION’s own website as well as case studies, blog posts, reports and emailers.
Keen to attract more clients needing help with translation or interpreting between English and Chinese, Halo Translations were producing a new website and contacted me for help with the copy.
The founder, Hailey, had already done a lot of the hard work herself, coming up with a good first draft of the content for most of the pages. I just polished it, refined the flow and make sure it truly reflected Halo’s professional approach and passion for language and communication.
I also helped to optimise the new site, putting together meta tags and meta descriptions for each page to help Google and other search engines pick them up.
See www.halotrans.co.uk.
Writing a radio commercial for this northeast Hampshire solicitors’ partnership.
Editing a monthly email newsletter for this consultancy that works with CEOs across the globe to help them bring their plans into reality.
The campaign has been phenomenally successful, resulting in around $5 million in new business for Renoir.
Read a case study about my work for Renoir Consulting...
You can also read a reference letter from principal consultant Van Fleisher about my work for Renoir Consulting over the past six years.
The MD of this consultancy, which specialises in supporting schools, public sector organisations and charities, contacted me for help with their new website.
I reworked the rough copy he had drafted, adding in information from their previous website, and made some suggestions for straplines. The MD was delighted and decided to use all my copy unchanged, including incorporating all the straplines, to great effect.
He has since commissioned me to help with other projects.
You can see the website here.
I had worked with established business coach, Alison Lucas previously, and when she was preparing to launch a website for her new coaching consultancy, she came to me for help. She had lots of ideas, but needed someone to bring them together to form a solid first draft that she could then refine.
You can see the end result here.
Writing the text for the new improved website for this events and corporate communications company. The site was being relaunched to tie in with an emailer campaign, addressing four specific vertical markets, for which I also wrote the copy.
Click here to see the site.
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Retail/wholesale
Writing a promotional leaflet for this ecological clothing company, focusing on their ethical stance and the environmental benefits of the fabrics they use.
I was commissioned to write the new website for this independent carpet shop in Battersea, to better reflect their company image. They were keen to emphasise the high quality of the floor coverings they sell and the service they provide, but weren’t sure of the best approach.
Having reviewed their existing website, I interviewed the client on the phone to gain a fuller understanding of their products and services and what sets them apart from their competition.
When writing the copy I subtly incorporated carefully chosen keyword phrases to help draw targeted traffic to the site, while prioritising readability and flow.
A few weeks after the launch of the new site the shop was busier than ever. The client commented that I had transformed how people viewed their business.
Click here to see the website.
Ongoing support for this provider of branded eco cups and bottles, including researching and writing blog posts and managing their social media.
Writing a series of PR pieces for this natural hair and beauty product company to raise awareness of their products and their benefits and drive traffic to their website.
Working closely with the owner and a designer, I produced the copy for this sweet and simple website for a local independent café. The staff update the picnic box options every week and the site also now features a Twitter feed. Otherwise it has remained unchanged since it was launched in 2009.
See www.picnicfoods.co.uk.
More recently I’ve helped out with writing the packaging copy for bottles of apple juice produced specially for Picnic.
Co-ordinating and promoting my local farmers’ market behalf of Thames Valley Farmers’ Market Co-operative (TVFM). This brings together my passion for local food and community with my marketing and project management skills.
The market has flourished since I took on the role, attracting more traders and customers. It was named Best Food Market in the Great British Market Awards 2020.
Writing a promotional brochure to help secure a niche for this newly established
gem and crystal wholesaler.
True Food Co-op is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to bringing healthy, sustainable and affordable food to the people of Reading. In 2011 I volunteered to help start up and produce a newsletter to improve the co-op’s communication with its customer base and encourage a greater sense of community.
After just two issues, True Food’s chairman, Rupert Shute, commented that True Food News was already having a noticeable effect on communications and sales. You can see the latest issue below:
Impressed by the way I manage the newsletter creation process, Rupert asked me to quote for co-ordinating a major survey project to find out how True Food is perceived by the wider community. This involved planning and implementing four separate surveys, gathering input from:
- current True Food shoppers
- people living around each venue
- current and potential trade customers
- and existing suppliers.
I was also responsible for analysing the results data, producing a comprehensive report and presenting the findings to staff and members at the AGM.
Several of my recommendations were put into action and the response from shoppers was encouraging.
The founder and MD of Unisnacks contacted me for help with refreshing their website so it better reflected the company, which had evolved significantly over the years. They were keen to build on their strong reputation for importing international snacks to the UK to attract more mainstream retail clients and break into other European markets.
Working closely with the MD, I helped them reimagine the structure of the site then produced new copy to showcase the company’s range, experience, ethos and aspirations.
See www.unisnacks.co.uk.
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Technology
Writing copy for a new website for this established provider of technical event production services.
See www.branchoutproductions.com.
Editing proposals and white papers for the company behind the Financial Ecosystem, the engine that powers many online financial modelling tools.
Office In My Pocket was a web-based application that allowed users to synchronise their mobile phone with their Outlook email. ESE, the company behind it, approached me to help produce promotional material to raise its profile.
In addition to writing the copy, they invited me to assemble the creative team and act as project manager. I worked closely with the client, designer and photographer to create a mini site and brochure. ESE were delighted with the end result. Unfortunately the application has since been discontinued, after Nokia withdrew the service it relied upon.
I was delighted when Kycera Document Solutions UK contacted me for help with writing some new marketing materials. They tasked me with producing a series of white papers and an e-book, which you can see here:
Traditionally a printer and photocopier manufacturer, Kyocera is repositioning itself for the digital age, and I was happy to help them with some of their communications to support this important transition.
Copywriting brochures and a series of advertisements for the Public Safety
trade press to raise the profile of Motorola’s new range of two-way
radios.
Writing a brochure promoting i-Message, a secure paging and messaging solution, to the healthcare market. As part of the project I also edited a series of technical datasheets going into greater detail about various product modules.
I wrote two articles for web design and workflow solutions company Proteus Virtual, to appear in New Business magazine.
In both cases the client had written a rough draft in note form and I worked on this to come up with the final versions - It’s crunch time for your website and Does your business have a dashboard?
RadBee needed a new website to reach out to their target market of life sciences companies looking to improve their quality assurance processes.
Their offering is very specific and very niche - taking software originally designed for software developers and customising it to improve quality management and collaboration for medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. However founder Rina was keen to keep the copy to an absolute minimum.
The challenge was to sum up what RadBee do, who they do it for and how customers can benefit in as few words as possible. To achieve this we worked closely together to ensure the copy conveys the key messages clearly and succinctly.
You can see the site here: radbeeqms.com.
The website has been successful in driving new business for RadBee. I have since helped them with a number of other projects, including a microsite, which proved an instant success, attracting a potentially very lucrative enquiry within days of launch.
Writing copy for an online banner campaign promoting Sony Ericsson’s K550i mobile phone.
Writing the new website for this telecoms company that provides a range of cheap overseas calling options. They were so pleased with the way I understood and
explained their services that they invited me to help recruit agents for them.
To see the site, click here.
I was commissioned to produce copy for a sales aid to help Dixons staff sell Trend Micro’s Titanium internet security products to customers. I wrote the copy based on content from the Trend Micro website and rough notes they had provided.
The deadline was very tight (with less than two days’ turnaround time from initial briefing to going to print), however the client was delighted with the result.
Rewriting the text for this software testing company’s new website to make technical information more easily accessible.
The approach I took was to minimise jargon and convert formal language into easy-to-read modern business English. The project involved working in close collaboration with one of Verify Solutions’ technical team to ensure nothing was lost in translation.
See the site here.
For some time I also edited a monthly email newsletter for Verify Solutions.
Xerox approached three copywriters looking for someone to write their quarterly magazine for UK staff. Following a series of interviews they selected me.
The theme of my first issue was sustainability, and it was the first to be published only online (on the Xerox UK intranet) to minimise its environmental impact.
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Transport
Writing the website for this tyre and exhaust specialist. I spent an hour or so at the garage interviewing key members of the team and watching them in action before writing the copy from scratch.
See the site here.
In 2007 I was commissioned by creative agency Bite CP to plan, research and write a magazine and website for Transport for London (TFL), aimed at children about to move up to secondary school. The goal was to help children prepare for the transition, including working out how to get to their new school safely and sustainably.
Feedback from children, parents and teachers was excellent, and UpGrade - Journey into Year 7 was used by boroughs across London for the next seven years.
This provider of parking solutions initially commissioned me to write a corporate brochure and a number of direct mail pieces, to raise awareness of their services among major retailers, local authorities and education providers.
They later asked me to write the copy for their new website - see www.ukparkingcontrol.com - and associated microsites, which proved very successful.
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Miscellaneous
Bracknell Forest Council invited me to help them put together a business guide to the borough, to attract new businesses to the area and provide useful information to business people already living and working there.
In addition to planning, researching and writing the editorial content for the guide, liaising with a wide range of organisations across the borough, I was responsible for sourcing and selecting images to illustrate the content.
I have been volunteering with this local social enterprise since before it launched in January 2018, as part of its Advisory Council.
During that time I’ve been involved with the creation of three versions of the website, leading on the brand identity and look and feel as well as the messaging and copy. See www.ethicalreading.org.uk.
I worked with local design agency, Cream Design, to produce copy for the new website they were creating for this long-established London printing supplier.
They now have a website that reflects the modern company they have become as well as the deep experience of their team.
See www.hps-ltd.org.uk.
Regular work writing copy for the party, including campaign material, direct mail pieces (encouraging people to vote for the party, donate or become a member) and a legacy pack.
Writing the website for this small independent hair salon.
To see the site click here.
Editing business plans and promotional material for this small company headed by Dr Kadiyali Srivatsa. He set up the company to bring the medical devices he has invented (which could help prevent the spread of HIV and MRSA) into
production at a price affordable in the developing world.
Dr Srivatsa has now succeeded in getting one of his devices onto the market.
Regular work for this Reading orthodontics practice.
I wrote the copy for their new website in 2010 and have since been called upon to write updates and several additional pages, always balancing search engine optimisation with putting potential patients at ease. You can see the website here.
I’ve also written promotional and information leaflets for the practice.
Yell Business invited me to join their team of bloggers, as an expert on web content, to provide insights and tips for small businesses. You can see my Knowledge Centre posts here.
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Interested in finding out what I could do for you? Get in touch to discuss the possibilities.