writing
copywriting
I mainly work directly for companies in various industries, although I do occasionally take on specific copywriting projects for communication and branding agencies.
I’m happy to either work with a very general brief, perhaps ‘please create copy for a website about a luxury yacht’, or to confer closely with a client who wishes to realise a specific vision. I am able to write about a wide range of topics and will research where necessary.
It is fairly easy to write lucid copy, but slightly harder to help create a brand that people remember and are interested in. There’s very little point having a beautiful leaflet or brochure, if the copy is flat and unmemorable. I tend to think that copy is most effective if it complements a particular aesthetic. That isn’t to say that it has to be weird & wild – just that it needs to have a sense of style. This may be fashionably personal and perky, or serious and informative.
I always meet copywriting deadlines and can work remotely or on-site.
I charge between £30-36 an hour depending on the job. I can also quote a flat rate fee if this is desirable.
Below are a few of the copywriting services I can provide:
web writing and SEO
Web writing needs to be tight, search engine optimised and full of verve. You have a small amount of space to work with and customers have an even shorter attention span because they expect web copy to get to the point – fast. Why not employ a web copywriter in Edinburgh to create or refresh your web content? I’ve worked for clients such as 5pm and Big Mouth Media.
customer magazines and newsletters
Magazines and newsletters still have their place in today’s business environment. Customers can take them away, linger over them, pass them around and spill tea on them. Clients still enjoy seeing their success stories in print. I can manage a project from its inception, commissioning content and editing individual articles, or work alongside a custom publisher. This year the FCS commissioned me to edit The Galloway Ranger.
annual reports/business tenders
The success or failure of a multi-million pound tender depends on the quality of the tender document. Copy needs to be lucid, coherent and consistent, whilst facts and figures need to be 100% accurate. Peculiar as it may sound, I enjoy learning about different businesses and I’m always interested in this line of work. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs, although I’m not sure if my grandfather’s poaching counts.
research
Whether you are a politician looking for a researcher or a magazine looking for an article, I may be able to help. I’m confident doing good old-fashioned archive work as well as using the web and new media like Twitter. My web rule tends to be ‘Wikipedia facts should always be double-checked,’ and my general rule is, ‘if you don’t know find someone who does.’ Last year, I created a world-wide network of contacts to assist me in revising Susan Griffith’s best selling guide book, Teaching English Abroad. Without their invaluable help, my information on Lebanon, Nicaragua and Thailand would have been rather less in-depth.
events organisation
After organising two book festivals, usually in my spare time, in the pub, with Peggy and the team, events organisation holds little terror for me. I’m particular good at strategy: coming up with a concept and developing it, often along off-beat lines. There never seems much point organising something that everyone else is doing. You need a unique selling point, whether it’s personality, technology, celebrity or food. I also pay attention to detail, for although people may like something to seem ‘home-made’ and personal, they do not want to see badly designed posters, incompetence and panicked staff. I’m interested in the field of literary development but would consider other, interesting projects. I’m currently working with the SAC and NALD to deliver a networking day for Readers and Writers in Residence in Scotland.