Nine Things I've Learned in Nine Years as a Yorkshire Copywriter...

I can’t quite believe it either, but next year will be my tenth year in business.

TEN Whole Years as a Yorkshire Copywriter…Almost

As of mid-July though, I’ve been at it for nine years, which I think is achievement enough. When I set out as a copywriter in Yorkshire back in 2014, I didn’t expect to still be ticking along nicely. In fact, I’ve been more than ticking along*; I’ve worked for hundreds of clients - including household names like the NHS and Boots and more one-man bands and brands than I can count.

*Although I realise that sounds like bragging, I’m just glad to be doing what I love daily).

So, if you’re thinking of going freelance too, have a peek at nine things I’ve learned in nine years as a Yorkshire copywriter…

1. Ignoring the b*llocks about ‘getting up at 5am and going for a jog’ is the first step to success

Plenty of LinkedIn' ‘gurus’ will tell you this is the key to doing well as a business owner. The only thing I’ve ever gained from jogging is a stitch. Joking aside, I do like to swim - but I refuse to get up at 5am to do it; the pool’s open til 8pm-ish, so I’ll go after my tea, thank you very much.

2. Getting your tax return done early is always a good idea

Freelance copywriting life can get busy. I’ve left my tax return to the last minute a time or two and I’ve regretted it. Don’t do it too.

3. When you lovingly make a cake for your ‘workplace’, you can look forward to scoffing the lot yourself 

The only tip you need. Make that cake - and share it with yourself. You’re welcome.

4. ‘Friday Feeling’ isn’t really a thing when you’re a Yorkshire copywriter (or anyone else, for that matter), working from home and for yourself

That said, if you’re disciplined enough where your workload is concerned, you can treat yourself to a six-day weekend, if you fancy it. Swings and roundabouts and all that.

5. Freelance mates are as important to your sanity as tea and cake on tap

Cake coming out of your taps, you say? Brilliant!

The ‘Being Freelance’ community is well worth checking out if you’re thinking of working for yourself too.

6. Despite emailing your invoice to their accounts dept on time, filling out 6,456 forms and sending in your passport and a weft of your dead dog’s hair, you - and the payment you’re owed - will still slip through the net

Enough said. It’s annoying, but thankfully it doesn’t happen all that often.

7. If you’re fortunate enough to work with fellow freelancers, you can be sure they understand the importance of paying you on time

We’re the best. We really are.

8. Brew rounds don’t take nearly as long when you’re a ‘team’ of one

“Fancy a cuppa, Lauren?”

“Ah, go on then Lauren”

“Oh, and break out December’s mince pies while you’re at it, lass'“

9. Working for yourself is the best thing since sliced cake.

I learned that one in under a year, but it’s true. Come on in; the water’s lovely! 

I hope you enjoyed my tongue-in-cheek take on the world of self-employment. 

Looking for a Yorkshire-based copywriter? Get in touch!

Should you repurpose your content?

When is it okay to use something more than once before it’s time for a refresh?

• Socks? Depends

• Undergarments? Absolutely not, mate. No, not even if you turn them inside-out

• Tea bag? YOU’RE JOKING, AREN’T YOU?! GET OUT OF HERE…AND DON’T DARKEN MY DOOR UNTIL YOU’VE HAD A STERN CHAT WITH YOURSELF.

Content? Give it a good shake, do the hokey cokey and turn it around…and use it again and again and again. Why? Surely the question is: ‘why ever not?!’

For many - us folks who write for a living included - it takes time to put together a nice piece of content - and guess what? People’s attention spans are shorter than ever. In fact, you may well be nodding off already. No, please. Stay with me.

So, take that article/blog post/web content and repurpose it. Shorten it, lengthen it, tweak it or do whatever the heck you want with it. It’s your content, after all.

When you repurpose your copy, your ‘About Us’ page could become an Instagram caption, a blog post could become a LinkedIn status, and a case study could become a Q&A. Or maybe even the subject matter for a podcast.

In the era of ‘working smarter, not harder’, this is your reminder to rework that content. It saves time, maybe even money (ask your professional copywriter to do it, too - although they probably will anyway) and, hey, you’ll be surprised how many people didn’t read it the first time round. If you’re amongst them - and you didn’t read all of this the first time around - I’ll say it again: it’s never okay to reuse a teabag.

Until next time…

Need a Huddersfield copywriter to work on a project or two? Get in touch!

How do you write a business website?

If you’ve recently set up a business, you either:

A) have a website already

B) agree that getting one set up is top of your priority list.

To keep costs down, you may be using a platform like WordPress or Squarespace, which allow you to set up a template and add or remove sections and pages as and when you see fit. But how do you go about writing your site - surely that’s a task for a professional copywriter, isn’t it?

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

While writing may not be your forte, no one knows your business quite like you do. So, you may feel you’re the best person for the mammoth task of writing your website.

If you’re on a budget and want to craft your own content, here are some pointers…

Do Your Research

You want to populate your website with the information your customers want and need - and that may involve doing some research into who they are and what they’re looking for. You don’t want to make your website a vehicle for sales, as such, but keep it a nice, light place for people to dip in and out of content that they will enjoy.

Make the most of a blog and post regular, useful content - and share your company’s backstory to let customers know a little more about how you got into business. Make sure things are relatable, if you can - and easy to read. Your customers want to know there’s a human behind your brand.

Don’t litter your content with too many keywords, either; remember, content should be written for people, first and foremost, and not the Google algorithm.

Sure, the right keywords may mean more people land on your site. If when they get there, though, they don’t stick around, filling your site with relevant keywords and phrases will have proved counterproductive.

Be a Stickler for Grammar and Spelling

By having a go at writing your own website content, you’re allowing your personality to shine through in your marketing messages - which is rarely a bad thing. If you do choose to forgo help from a copywriter, though, just make sure you check, check and check again when it comes to proofreading your content.

Spelling and grammar errors won’t look good, so be meticulous when proofreading your site and you’ll be glad you were.

Get a Second (or third!) Pair of Eyes on Your Site

Written your site? Ask a friend or some family members to take a look over it. They may spot things you’ve missed - or have some suggestions you haven’t thought about yet. They will also be looking at your site as a potential customer might - and if they don’t find it easy to navigate (or read!), neither will your target market.

Take comments on board - but if you really believe in what you’ve written, too, try not to get too bogged down if criticism comes from just one person.

Don’t Be Afraid to Tweak It

If your site content doesn’t seem to be working for you, wait a little while but then don’t be afraid to tweak it. When you do, though, always back up your content - just in case you lose what’s already there.

Plus, if you change the order of key pages or swap their URLs, ask your web developer to ensure the old pages ‘point’ to the new ones, technically speaking. That way, any benefits you have built up on your site in terms of search engine optimisation won’t go to pot.

Get an Expert to Do It

If all else fails and you’re tearing your hair out trying to write your own website content, get a copywriter to do it for you. As well as a full website copywriting service (whereby I write your website from scratch), I also offer a more affordable ‘Content Audit’ option.

The latter sees me provide you with a document which offers some hints, tips and suggestions - as well as some minor edits - to help you refine your website content yourself. Giving you an element of control and relieving you of a bigger website copywriting bill, a content audit is great value for small to medium-sized businesses. Just get in touch with me - a Huddersfield copywriter who can help you stand out online - if you’d like to learn more.

Until next time…

Five Ways a Copywriter Can Give Your Business a Boost

I get it; running a company can be tough - and I’m a firm believer that the busier the business, the more the website needs finessing. Yep, really.

Rushed-off-their-feet company owners often contact me and say something along the lines of:

‘I wrote the content on my website myself years ago and it doesn’t at all reflect who we are or what we now do”

The thing is, when you’re so busy working in your business, it can be hard to find time to work on your business.

So, how can a copywriter help? Here are five things we content writers can tick off your to-do list…

Website Content

Website content is the obvious one, isn’t it? Whether you need your full website writing from scratch, or you’d simple like someone to make some tweaks to your existing content, I can help.

I also offer a convenient ‘Content Audit’ service, whereby I take a look at the text on your site and prepare a document with some hints, tips and minor edits.

I use the Comments function in Microsoft Word to leave you some helpful pointers, allowing you to tweak your own content and saving you the money it costs to have a copywriter like me write your website on your behalf. It also gives you an element of control over how your website sounds, which for many businesses is another plus point.

Get in touch if you think this will work for you.

Social Media Copy

Need someone to plan out your social media strategy in full, or post bitesize snippets of content onto your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn feeds? A copywriter can help you do that too.

Taking another task off your plate, social media content outsourcing makes perfect sense for the time-poor business owner.

Printed Literature

No time to create that flyer ahead of a big business event? Or perhaps you’d like some content for a banner ad? Working alongside some trusted graphic designer pals, I can help create printed literature - from flyers and brochures to company merchandise - that works for you.

Email Newsletters

Email marketing may be another task that falls by the wayside when you’re as busy as you are. So, allow a freelance copywriter to relieve you of the burden of creating the content for your weekly email or monthly digital newsletter.

Press Releases

Want to promote your business to the press? I’ve worked in journalism and copywriting, which puts me in a great position to help you get your message across to local and regional news outlets. Chat to me about my press release writing service by clicking the link below.

Need a helping hand with any of the above? Get in touch with me, a Huddersfield copywriter, by saying hello here.

Until next time…

7 Lessons I've Learned During 7 Years as a Freelancer

I usually mark the anniversary of setting up my business as a freelance copywriter by at least treating myself to a large slice of cake. One year I pushed the boat out and had a spa day. This year? It has literally passed me by. Yep, really. Today - September 24 - more than two months after that all-important date (July 22, if you’re asking), I glanced at my calendar and realised I’ve missed it. Oh well.

As well as cutting myself a slice of belated anniversary cake (what else?!) after my tea, I thought I’d share some lessons I’ve learned during seven years as a freelancer. If you’re thinking of going it alone too, you might find these snippets of info useful. Or not. Here they are anyway…

Getting Your Tax Return Done Early is Always a Good Idea

Tax return season always seems a long way off. Until it’s not a long way off - and you suddenly have three days to find all those receipts and pull an all-nighter to get everything ready to send to HMRC.

If I have any advice for anyone entering the word of freelance, it’s to get your tax return done as soon as possible.

Get an accountant on board, organise your receipts and expenses month by month (set up a handy filing system to sort everything by type) and get your return done as early as possible. When January rolls around, you’ll be giving yourself a big pat on the back. Quickbooks is my saviour and it might be yours too.

Working in Your PJs Doesn’t Always Mean You’ll Be Less Productive

It’s a rite of passage that when you go freelance, you have the opportunity to work in your PJs as much or as little as you want. It isn’t something I make a habit of, but when I’ve had a sleepless night or a rough start to the day, I have been known to answer a few emails in my pyjamas. Guess what…it doesn’t mean I’m any less productive.

When you’re freelance, you work from home and you don’t have to head out for a meeting or client catch-up, the suited and booted office look just isn’t necessary. That said, I wouldn’t advise you log onto a Zoom call in your fleecy onesie.

…But Sometimes it Does

If there’s no excuse for you not to be wearing something ‘proper’, get out of those blinking PJs and get blinking dressed. Do I sound like your mother?!

More often than not, getting changed does equal boosted productivity. So does making your bed. And tidying your workspace. Tidy space, tidy mind and all that.

It Doesn’t Matter How Long You’ve Been in Business, You’ll Still Question Your Prices

I don’t know a freelancer who doesn’t agree that going freelance was the best thing they ever did. When you’ve pretty much turned something you love doing into a career, you WILL question your prices. After all, getting paid for something you enjoy seems like the dream. Allow me to let you into a secret…it is.

On occasion, you might also question if your prices are too high - especially if you charge by the hour. Remember, though, clients aren’t just paying for the time it takes for you to complete a project; they’re paying for your experience, which took way more than the one, two or three hours it took for you to draft that piece of work.

Sometimes, You’ll Have to Tell a Client It Isn’t Working Out (And That’s Okay)

In seven years as a freelancer, I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had to back out of a project before I’ve completed the work. In fact, I can probably count on two fingers. Sometimes, though, it happens.

Try as you might, a client relationship doesn’t always go smoothly - just like the relationships we have with friends, family and others around us. Personalities can, sadly, clash, and sometimes the client (or you) is expecting a project to work out differently.

If you’re experiencing a tricky working relationship that doesn’t fit well with you or the way you do business - and you’ve tried your best to make sure the work…er…works out - don’t be afraid to back out.

The joy of being freelance is that you don’t have to say ‘yes, sir’, ‘no, sir’ to a ‘boss’ you can’t - or won’t work with. If someone doesn’t value your time or expertise, I promise you’ll feel great if you gently explain that another freelancer might be a better fit for them - and that’s fine too. We’re not forced to get on with everyone we meet, after all.

Saying ‘No’ Can Be Liberating

Sometimes, you can spot red flags before you even start working with a client - and you should always trust your gut. If someone is causing unnecessary issues before the project has kicked off, it might be worth your while to just say ‘no’.

I know from experience that the client who takes weeks to respond to initial emails will also take weeks to pay your invoice.

Ditto the client who gets in touch to say ‘I’ve worked with X number of copywriters and I’m not happy with any of the work I’ve seen’ is probably harder to please than most. You could take on the work, or you could confidently say ‘no’ and save yourself the stress. Success as a freelancer - or indeed in anything - isn’t based on money alone.

You’ll Never Work a Day in Your Life

Eagle-eyed readers of this blog post may notice that the sentiment of this lesson is pretty much the same as the point I made about pricing your services. Basically, it’s so true that when you work for yourself it won’t feel like work…that I just had to say it twice.

Thinking of going freelance? I promise you won’t regret your decision.

Until next time…

PS: Find this blog post useful? Let me know by saying hello via email. Oh, and if you need a Yorkshire copywriter to help you with a project or two, I’d love to hear from you too.