What CMAT’s Teaching Us About 21st Century Branding

June 3rd 2026

Just under two weeks ago, I attended Bearded Theory festival at Catton Hall and saw CMAT perform for the first time. She took to the stage all glamour and glitz in the pre-headliner slot on the Saturday night. Since then, I’ve thought a lot about my fellow Irishwoman and while I didn’t set out to write about her, the idea came to me a few nights ago. 

I keep talking about how people’s perception of brands has changed. Or at least, they want something different from them. We talk so much about authenticity. And here is the QUEEN of genuine, unfiltered, unashamed identity.

I first heard CMAT a couple of years ago when she performed 'Without You' on Jools Holland. I’m sure I read the name and assumed she was a hip-hop act (like SZA)! So, her showing up singing an old Badfinger ballad was unexpected, but she blew my socks off. She performed at Glastonbury last year while I was on a volunteer shift but I watched it back with my partner afterwards. We were pretty taken with her sassy attitude and lyricality. 

For those who may have missed her, CMAT is the acronym for Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson. She is an Ivor Novello-winning songwriter from Meath, Ireland, who plays guitar and has been thrice nominated for International Artist of the Year at the BRIT awards. Her music is defined by humour, emotional literacy, and clever craft. She has a unique style – a dash of Dolly, a little drag and cowboy boots as a nod to country. Is it excessive? The (paid) critics don’t seem to think so, calling her charming, relatable and a “true one-off.”

I wouldn’t call myself a fan of country pop. Country music mostly leaves me cold. However, having experienced CMAT (and the CMAT band) on Saturday 23rd May in Derbyshire in her gold hotpants, I might find a small place in my heart for it. I’ve often said the phrase X factor has been bastardised, but Dunboyne Diana has it in spades.

Is CMAT a brand?

She is a talented performer not a product, but I want to talk about CMAT, the brand.

She probably wouldn't think of herself as a brand, in fact I imagine it would make her retch. Everything she is serving is her own creation. She is defiantly herself, which seems to irritate some people. Her quirky style isn't decoration. She uses identity, politics, aesthetics, and narrative as integrated brand architecture. Her intelligence is appealing to some and truly lost on others.

Watching her perform got me thinking about how we approach identity in business. As someone who has spent over a decade writing copy and helping businesses find their voice, we look to different places to see how brand strategy is executed. But maybe we shouldn’t. Though she likely hasn’t strategised it in a boardroom or on a whiteboard, she can actually teach us a few things about branding in the 21st century.

The power of cognitive dissonance

Having her performance fresh in my memory helps because if you haven’t seen her, most of my explanations of CMAT won’t make sense. There are several juxtapositions – the rural Irish (Dunboyne two-step) to the maximalist camp and sharp observations on her home country blended with energetic pop melodies to self-critical asides topped with a sparkly, irreverent humour.

In traditional marketing, a committee would look at those ingredients and try to smooth them down. They would tell her to pick a lane. But CMAT creates cognitive dissonance because these are all facets of her being, and this can be a core tool for contemporary brand memorability.

This is the same mechanism luxury brands use when they stage couture shows in abandoned factories or on desert runways. Contrast equals recall. When you collide two things that supposedly don't belong together, you create a psychological anchor in the mind of the audience. It forces people to look, and more importantly, it prevents them from forgetting. Most small businesses fail because they blend into the beige background of their industry. CMAT succeeds because her visual and narrative contrast makes it impossible to look away.

Her humour works the same way. It is often misunderstood because it is dry, deeply self-aware, slightly absurd, and narratively constructed. She isn't giving you a collection of cheap jokes to get a quick laugh, but by injecting genuine wit into the overly sanitised pop landscape, it helps create bonds with her audience – the ones who get it. She’s building a world that some of us like to live in.

I’ve been telling clients to be messy for 2026, lean into your contradictions – that’s where you’ll find new customers.

CMAT onstage at Bearded Theory
Credit: Charlie at airdropproductions.co.uk

Polarisation as a growth strategy

We talk about authenticity a lot in marketing. It has become a hollow buzzword thrown around in boardrooms, but we rarely see it played out so beautifully in practice. True authenticity requires bravery because it means building a world that only you can occupy.

This level of uniqueness naturally pushes people away. That is a terrifying prospect for most business owners. The thought of actively repelling a potential customer keeps people awake at night. But we have to ask ourselves: why do we waste so much time trying to sell a version of ourselves to people who do not want us?

CMAT openly states that she "makes music for the girls and the gays." It is a specific, defined target audience. Yet, she isn't actually excluding others. Standing in that field at Catton Hall, I saw plenty of middle-aged straight men happily singing along to ‘Stay For Something’.

This is the ultimate paradox of branding. When you have the courage to speak directly to a niche, dedicated group, your clarity becomes magnetic. I sometimes write for SMEs that are terrified to exclude anyone, wanting to be everything to everyone. If you refuse to lean into who you truly are, you end up giving off a wishy-washy feeling to the marketplace. Customers can sense a lack of conviction. We know deep down what is real, and we instinctively retreat from brands that feel watered down.

Sweat, mess, and full commitment

Mostly because of AI, I keep telling people to be more human in their communications. I fully believe that we’ve passed through the era of the ultra-polished, pristine, corporate façade. We no longer want an airbrushed imitation of life.

While I wouldn't call CMAT messy in a careless way, she certainly doesn't mind showing a bit of mess. She laughs at herself constantly. She knows that putting every ounce of her physical and emotional energy into a performance means she might sweat through her makeup or give a photographer an unflattering angle. She chooses that raw reality over a sterile, perfect performance every single time. She would prefer to be the real version of herself than anything else.

There is a massive branding lesson in that willingness to be vulnerable. A great brand requires a total commitment to the bit. If you are going to be camp, dial it up to theatrical excess. If you are going to be a premium service, own that price tag without apology. If you are going to be the quirky, independent alternative in your industry, don't compromise the second a big corporate client looks your way.

CMAT shows us that the most profitable thing you can be is distinct. Stop smoothing off your interesting edges just to fit into a corporate box. Build a world so specific, so bold, and so inherently yours that the right people can't help but buy a ticket.

Many thanks to the superb @airdrop productions, who shared the amazing photo of CMAT in action at Bearded Theory, please head over to Instagram and give them a follow.

I’m an Irish copywriter with over 13 years’ experience in writing for SMEs and global brands. If you need to redefine your branding, I’d love to have a chat. Get in touch here.

Improve Your AEO Visibility With These SEO Fixes

May 27th 2026

If you had told me thirteen years ago when I started writing copy that one day, I would be optimising my sentences for a non-human entity, I would have laughed you out of the pub. Back then, we were just trying to appease the Google gods by scattering keywords around like fairy dust and hoping for the best.

Now, that question has come up at least four times in the past two weeks. What the heck is AEO? I hear people mutter. Quick answer: Answer Engine Optimisation.

It sounds like just another piece of tech jargon. In reality, it is just the evolution of how people find things online. Instead of scrolling through ten blue links on a search page, users are asking ChatGPT, Copilot, or Google Gemini a direct question and getting a single, neat answer.

If your website content is not structured properly, AI engines will ignore you.

The good news is that you do not need to learn how to code to fix this. For copywriters and small business owners, our job is simply to format and structure our text so that an AI engine can instantly understand it, clip it, and paste it into an overview. If you go on Google right now and ask a question, you’ll see one of those overviews appear. Want to show up there?

What is the primary difference between AEO and SEO?

Traditional SEO focuses on ranking links in search engine results, while AEO optimises content to be directly cited or quoted by AI engines.

With standard search engine optimisation, my goal is to get a user to click through to your website. With answer engine optimisation, my goal is to provide a response so clear that the AI uses your business as its primary source of truth.

To achieve this, the way we present information needs to change. It is no longer enough to write a beautiful, sprawling narrative. We need to be helpful and direct.

Here are five straightforward fixes you can make to your content today to ensure the robots actually notice you.

The TL;DR Overview

• Direct Q&A structure: Use literal questions as headings followed by immediate, one-sentence answers.
• Clean link paths: Avoid broken links or unnecessary redirects that waste crawler time.
• Proper headings: Use a strict H1, H2, and H3 hierarchy to outline your page clearly.
• Fresh, specific content: Regularly update old facts and refresh the modification date on your posts.
• Summaries: Put a key takeaways box at the top of your page for easy AI scraping.

How do you format copy for AI search engines?

I have begun formatting copy for AI search engines by using explicit question-and-answer patterns that match user intent.

The easiest way to do this is to rethink your subheadings. In the past, I loved to use clever, cryptic, or poetic phrasing for section titles. For example, a bad subheading would be something like A New Era for Search. You’ve read it already, right? It simply doesn’t tell the platforms anything.

Instead, use literal questions that a real person would type into a prompt. Follow that heading immediately with a one-to-two sentence direct answer. Save the nuance and the storytelling for the paragraphs that follow.

Why do broken internal links hurt your AEO visibility?

Broken internal links hurt your AEO visibility because they create confusing paths and waste the limited time an AI crawler spends on your website.

When you link to other internal blogs or pages within your copy, make sure those links are active, live, and go directly to the final page. Never link to a URL that you know redirects somewhere else. If the AI bot gets stuck in a loop or encounters a dead end, it will simply abandon the crawl and look for information on a competitor's site instead. 

How should you organise the hierarchy of your blog posts?

Organise the hierarchy of your blog posts by using a strict, logical sequence of HTML heading tags from H1 down to H4.

AI reads a page exactly like a traditional document outline. If your hierarchy is messy, the AI gets confused about which points are most important.

Your main title is always your H1. Your main sections are H2 tags. Sub-points under an H2 should strictly be H3 tags. Never skip from an H2 straight to an H4 just because you prefer the font size or think it looks better on the page. Use your text editor properly to maintain a clean structure.

How often do you need to update web content for AI search?

I recommend reviewing your web content monthly to ensure statistics are accurate and to signal freshness to AI databases.

AI engines naturally favour the most accurate, up-to-date information available. Take the time to review your top-performing posts every few months. Update any outdated facts and refresh the "Last Updated" date at the very top of the blog. When the AI sees that fresh date stamp, it prompts a re-scan of the page.

Getting Your Content AI-Ready

Optimising for the future of search doesn’t mean losing your human voice. It just means we need to be a little more disciplined about how we present our expertise to the world.

If you’re not sure whether your current website copy is clear enough for human readers or AI engines, it might be time to take a closer look. You can audit your current content using these five steps, or we can jump on a content strategy session together to optimise your pages and make sure your business is the one the engines are quoting.

If you need help with AEO, I offer ‘Clarify Your Copy’ and Content Strategy sessions where we can address this. Please get in touch to find out more.

Q3 Content Calendar Ideas for Small Businesses

May 20th 2026

We’re coming up on a bank holiday that usually feels like summer has arrived. Where we’re clinking glasses of rose on a sun-dappled terrace or rambling along the hills of the Peak District in t-shirts. Are we there yet? That remains to be seen – it looks changeable from here, much like some of the content I’ve seen being posted from both big and small businesses this year! 

But it’s also prep time for Q3, and it’s the one quarter where everyone is booking holidays, you’re frantically trying to ensure that the bills will be covered all summer while accommodating everyone on your team. You’re probably not looking at your content calendar, and if you are, I bet it’s staring right back at you blankly.

Being in business for over 13 years has helped me become a skilled content strategist as well as a copywriter. Working with luxury hotels means that I’m usually writing a few months ahead of time, and it’s helped me cultivate strategies in advance for other businesses.

As my previous quarterly guides have gone well, I thought I’d give you some practical ideas for your business content for the coming months. For this blog, I’ve focused on businesses offering legal or professional services as that’s who I’ve been working with recently.

Sustainability is still drawing attention like Zendaya & Tom’s every move

Most brands now have a CSR or ESG policy but how are you communicating it to your customers? Through your content, you can do a little “show, don’t tell” to let them know. Not all sustainability angles need to be about your team planting trees or producing organic tote bags (though if you are, kudos) but you can produce blogs and posts around digital efficiency and community impact.

Content idea for July: How your internal processes keep things moving

July is a good time to drop the veil from over your internal processes to demonstrate how you keep things moving, even when their main point of contact is away.

Make a case for going paperless or explain how it happened. Talking about your digital systems is reassuring for your clients. It proves to them that their files aren’t languishing at the back of a cabinet somewhere and that they can be accessed if necessary. This provides peace of mind to clients who may have an ongoing legal case or house move.

For those who worry that their files aren’t safe in the cloud, you can quell those headaches by explaining how their sensitive data is protected from physical loss and encrypted. You can also mention how it saves 23 trees every year by not printing out eight versions of that file – which can easily get mislaid.

On your socials, keep the tone light. You can share a glimpse of the team doing digital clean-ups and mention how they’re reducing data centre energy consumption. Low stakes but it shows that you practice what you preach (and what many want to hear).

Content idea for August: Life plans

August tends to be a slightly quieter month. Parents with school-going children are often away on holiday. However, it no longer means they’re offline. They may be taking a break from their email but still browsing socials. 

It’s a good time to write about big-picture life planning.

If your company offers estate planning or family law, why not write about how clients can leave a green legacy? Guide them through the process of leaving legacy gifts to environmental trusts or local community green spaces in their will. It shows your firm understands that people want their assets to reflect their values.

For social posts, look outward. If your team is spending a morning volunteering with a local charity or sponsoring a neighbourhood green space, then snap some pics for Insta or get a funky reel for TikTok. You don’t need to make grand statements about saving the planet, but you can take a photo of your team doing something decent for the local area. When they see who you are, it helps to build trust.

Content idea for September: Time to get back to life admin

Does anyone else feel like September is their second new year? It’s never left me since school, no matter whether I am living in Dubai, Chiang Mai or Manchester. Everyone is back from holidays and it seems like business gets a reboot. It’s also when people begin thinking about getting their life admin in order, before the Christmas rush.

For property lawyers or financial advisors, focus on the eco-conscious homebuyer. Write a straightforward checklist detailing what to look for in a sustainable property, from EPC ratings to smart tech, and how green mortgages can cut their interest rates.

On your social channels, use the autumn reset theme to promote your digital onboarding. Remind people they can sort their wills, power of attorney, or personal finances from their sofa without a single sheet of paper being printed or a single mile of fuel being burned to visit your office.

Let me do the thinking for you

These ideas should give you enough fuel to start planning your summer content, but I know that having ideas and finding the time to write them are two very different things.

If you want to get your strategy sorted properly without the headache, this is exactly what my Content Strategy sessions are for. We can sit down on Zoom, map out a bespoke plan that fits your specific firm, and make sure you have something that your audience wants to hear all year round.

Drop me a message if you want to get a session booked in before the summer rush takes over.

If you need help with ideas or planning your content, I offer two-hour content strategy meetings that include a completed calendar once we’ve finished and can help you find the right stories for your audience that resonate. Please get in touch to find out more.

Recent golf hotel copywriting case study: Tivoli LA VIE Muscat Hotel & Residences

May 13th 2026

I’ve been writing for Minor Hotels for over a decade now. It’s a relationship that has grown alongside my own career as a hotel copywriter, moving through various rebrands and shifts in tone. While I’ve handled web offers and newsletters for the Tivoli properties in Qatar in the past, this was the first time I was tasked with a full website from the ground up for the brand.

It was also a milestone for the brand itself: Tivoli’s first launch in Oman. For me, it was a project that spanned twenty-three months of "stop and start" milestones, beginning with a Coming Soon page in November 2024 and a new beginning with the hotel opening its doors this April, right on schedule. I may have finished writing the website, but I’ve only written a fraction of the press releases that will follow.

A slow-paced coastal city

I lived in the Middle East for almost ten years and during that time I visited Muscat at least once a year, visiting my cousin and later my aunt and uncle who were resident there. Although all the capitals in the region have their own identity, Muscat has deftly merged old and new while shying away from the towering glass facades seen in Riyadh, Dubai and Doha. It seems more chilled.

I love the area down by the old port, which I feel hasn’t been overdeveloped. Perhaps it’s because the UAE population is made up of mostly expatriates, but in Oman there are far more local people walking around and working.

I vividly remember the first time I visited Mutrah Souk in 2004 with its alleyways piled high with silver teapots and the slightly smoky scent of myrrh. I felt like I’d drifted into the pages of 1001 Arabian Nights, a book I’d loved as a child.

And Muscat’s lush green hills - that command uninterrupted views across the low-rise city down to the Arabian Hills – are a golfer’s dream.

So, although sometimes I’m conjuring a sense of place from renders, photos and videos, this time I could draw from experience.

Introducing the "Tivoli" tone to Muscat

The brief for Tivoli LA VIE Muscat was to nail an elegant, timeless tone - usually associated with classical European style, which is reflected in the décor of this new property. I had to ask myself how I could take that voice, imbued with nobility and regal grandeur and plant it alongside the greens of Madinat Al Irfan.

I crafted a tagline that would convey the brand – as this first entry in Oman is significant -  and also nod to the design of the project. We tweaked to land on: “A distinguished expression of elegance and authentic Omani heritage.” When people ask, what is Tivoli and how does it fit into Muscat, here’s their answer. It’s longer than the punchy three or four word lines I usually pitch, but it feels right for this property. It has to say more, because people in this region might not be familiar with it. 

Beyond the scaffolding

When I started on the factsheet in May 2025, the task was to find the intersection between the classical European elegance Tivoli is known for and the very specific landscape of this beautiful development near the airport. Whenever I start writing copy for a premium hotel, I have to figure out the unique elements that will entice potential guests. Here I had to figure out how a brand with Portuguese roots translates on the edge of the Al Hajar Mountains.

I spent July crafting landing pages that introduced Muscat and Oman to potential guests. By November, the hotel had physically taken shape, and the bulk of the website writing began. I don’t always have this much lead time, so it was a luxury. I often tell people that if I allow ideas to percolate, the copy becomes much better or in Meatloaf’s words, “Let me sleep on it, I’ll give you an answer in the morning.”

Hospitality on the fairways

Technically speaking, the hotel has a very specific flex. It is the only hotel in Oman situated on a Championship golf course designed by Troon, and it hosts the country’s first Toptracer facility.

My job was to ensure these details didn't just read like a technical manual for golfers. I wanted the copy to reflect the physical reality of the building. The architecture is inspired by the layered forms of the mountains, using Omani marble and textures that reinforce the destination for guests.

On the homepage, I focused on that sense of place:

"Tivoli LA VIE Muscat Hotel & Residences overlooks the LA VIE Country Club Golf Course, offering sophisticated stays just ten minutes from Muscat International Airport. Inspired by the layered forms of the Al Hajar Mountains, the hotel is shaped by natural materials, where Omani marble and refined textures create an atmosphere of understated elegance."

Culture in the details

I’m endlessly fascinated by hotel design and how the architects create structures that are aesthetically beautiful and functional. I like to honour their skill through my copywriting, highlighting the details for the guests that they won’t see until they get there. 

Tivoli LA VIE Muscat may have sensual curves, but it has a head for business. Its Juman Ballroom features the largest video wall in Oman, which will make it a contender for the best place to host a product launch or conference in Muscat. I had to add the spirit of Omani hospitality to the copy to ensure that its MICE attributes weren’t missed.

And dining? I love writing the dining pages of a website, though it usually makes me hanker after the dishes on the menu!

For SOLÉ, I was following the narrative of sun-soaked flavours from Lisbon to Lebanon, bridging the brand’s Portuguese roots with its new Middle Eastern home. Meanwhile, the Nineteenth Sports Bar draws on the maritime heritage of the coast, a nod to the seafaring history that is woven into the history of Muscat.

Although I’ve been writing for the world’s top hospitality companies (including Dorchester Collection) for 13 years, I still get nervous when a new hotel project lands in my inbox. It’s a competitive market and each time, I need to develop the copy within the brand’s tone of voice but also uniquely for the new hotel. 

The website for Tivoli LA VIE Muscat Hotel & Residences went live earlier this year and straight away the bookings started flowing in. Of course, there’s a whole team of sales and marketing people behind this, but I know I’m part of that – the one who helps the guest feel the experience long before they ever set foot in the lobby.

I’ve been a copywriter for luxury hospitality brands for 13 years. If you need a copywriter for a luxury hotel project in 2026 or 2027, please get in touch.

Can We Make Our Annual Trip More Sustainable?

May 6h 2026

Once a year, my partner and I have a short holiday, four or five days, to somewhere new. Although he’s definitely the more laidback traveller, we both have broad ideas of what we’d like to do or see. 

Among my objectives is choosing somewhere that I can fulfil some sustainability goals. Partly because it aligns with doing the world some good, but also because I’ve been writing about sustainable travel for over a decade, so it’s kind of baked in. I seek out stories and places that are prioritising ESG and I’m interested in the conversations around it.

While we usually take some time coming up with a destination, this year we decided on Krakow fairly quickly, with the help of Jet2holidays.

Now, of course, Jet2 has its own airline, but it is one of the few UK operators with a measurable, externally benchmarked decarbonisation plan, backed by fleet renewal, SAF commitments, and hotel-level certification.

People make flying a sticking point, but the reality is that flight is going anyway and planes take off empty all the time. Until broader changes are made (and holidaying in the UK becomes a more viable option), it’s a part of the problem, but certainly not the only one.

Photo Copyright: Caitriona McBride

Transport in Krakow

In the past few years, we’ve travelled to the west of Ireland, but as anyone who's travelled the N17 knows, public transport for a short holiday isn’t really an option. The trains don’t go far enough, the bus connections aren’t always at the train station (blows my mind) and sadly, most European countries put Ireland to shame when it comes to transport.

Once we disembarked in Krakow, we didn’t need a car. It’s so easy to move around with train and bus connections directly from the airport – we were in our hotel in less than 20 minutes. 

And then we walked, racking up thousands of steps each day whether we planned to or not. There was a tram stop less than five minutes from our hotel, but we also had Planty (park) on the doorstep and were blessed with abundant sunshine throughout the trip, so we ended up walking a lot of the time.

We even took a public bus to Auschwitz-Birkenau. We booked a standard bus that dropped us right outside, eschewing the normal (over-priced drop-offs) as you are only permitted entry with a museum educator, rather than external guides.

Small choices like these make a trip more sustainable without you noticing. 

What makes Krakow sustainable?

Can a city that draws as many as 14 million visitors per year really fall into the “sustainable” category? It’s certainly making a conscious effort to.

In 2021, Kraków introduced a Sustainable Tourism Policy running through to 2028, which focuses on managing tourism in a way that works for residents as well as visitors.

A place you can see and learn more about how it’s effecting changes in tourism is at the Sustainable Cultural Tourism Hub in Wesoła, where they’ve adapted a former monastery for the project. Through three pillars (co-creation, data innovation and regeneration) a variety of people from different communities shape the future of tourism in Krakow at this Living Lab. It only opened in March 2026 but will host cultural activities and artistic residencies and help bring visitors to an area of the city they may not have known about.

The city’s development strategy also has the core aim of becoming climate-neutral and is highly focused on the circular economy. Its frameworks centre the residents’ wellbeing, knowing that tourism is integral to the city’s coffers but managing it in such a way that it doesn’t hamper the people that live there.

Photo Copyright: Caitriona McBride

Little choices that add up

We visited outside peak season, which is when we try to do all of our travel. Seasonality management is a key strategy for European cities trying to balance sustainability and tourism. By visiting in a quieter time, it reduces the environmental pressure on a destination – less water is needed, less waste is created and there’s less pressure on energy resources. It’s also calmer and less crowded, which is a must for me these days.

It also balances out the income volatility and hopefully contributes to a year-round economy, rather than just seasonal, allowing businesses to stay open in the quieter months.

Our hotel, outside the Old City, offered a water machine on every floor, with glass carafes in our room that we could refill when we needed. This ticks so many boxes on holiday – no plastic bottles in our room, which reduces waste for the hotel and also meant we weren’t buying plastic bottles in the shop every day before walking around the city.

Fabulous food

One of my favourite parts of planning a holiday is researching the restaurants and creating a spreadsheet of meal options. People slag me about it, but it saves us wandering around hungry and making bad decisions. It also allows us to look beyond the usual spots – we didn’t eat on Rynek Główny (the main square) even once.

This is a point of principle – these restaurants are going to get plenty of walk-ins and some of them have menus with burgers and pizza, whereas I wanted to try typical Polish foods. Danny got his zurek (a sour rye soup served in a bowl made of bread) and we shared pierogi z kapustą i grzybami (sauerkraut + wild mushrooms). Sampling the local cuisine is a huge part of the holiday for me, but it also tends to reduce how far everything on the plate has travelled. 

Of course, we didn’t do everything perfectly – we’re not paragons of virtue. We’re both meat-lovers so we enjoyed the Polish dishes of wild boar and gołąbki (cabbage rolls stuffed with minced meat and rice).

Photo Copyright: Caitriona McBride

What else impressed about Krakow?

No one prepared me for how architecturally magnificent Krakow is. It felt like every time we turned a corner we came across a remarkable Romanesque building or marvelled at the Vistula Gothic style of a church (see St. Joseph’s Church, Podgórze). The Old City’s stunning clock towers and spires aren’t the only things to see.

We booked an afternoon at the Beernarium Piwne Spa, which uses only natural beer byproducts and immersed ourselves in a beer bath, another example of upcycling . Danny also enjoyed a pint of the spa’s brew from a 100-year-old recipe. I don’t drink beer, but I did appreciate the glow and soft skin the bath left me with for several days afterwards!

Making sustainable choices while you travel doesn’t mean you have to tick every box. Like everything, it’s just about small choices that are a little wiser. That’s why I like to find the little differences people can make, as well as choosing places that are actively trying to do more in terms of ESG (environmental, social, governance) around the destination.

I’m a senior UK-based copywriter, though I can sometimes be found further afield. If you need help finding the right words for your website, I’m currently taking bookings from mid-June onwards, so please get in touch.

How Can I Fix My Website Copy Right Now?

April 29th 2026

Updating your website is a necessary part of keeping your business alive. But I know many small business owners who don’t have the time, aren’t sure where to start or want to get it just right. This can lead to the website collecting dust, metaphorically speaking.

I know it’s easy to become bogged down – you want to get the right logo (and it’s important – JJ can tell you more on that) and the backend needs to work and when you’re not quite ready, the process can seem overwhelming.

And the copy? Maybe you wrote it six years ago and it doesn’t quite fit the brand you’ve grown into, but you really don’t have time right now!

What if I told you that a few quick copywriting fixes can boost your visibility? And show the algorithm that actually, you do know what you’re talking about!

Sometimes you don’t need a total rebrand, and a few tweaks can make a world of difference.

Here’s my quick copywriting tips.

Change the first ten words

If you’re not ready to change the tagline, have a go at that first sentence in the intro. Does it have “Welcome to…” or “Serving you x since x” – be bolder. Tell them what you do in ten words or less. 

“Blocked pipes? We’ll get them flowing in no time.”

Or

“Simple accounts for people who hate maths.”

I’d advise not overthinking it, just dash off five sentences, pick your favourite and change it. 

See what happens. You could be onto a winner.

Delete the adjectives

Go to your "About" page or your services list. Find every instance of the words passionate, dedicated, innovative, or bespoke. Highlight them and delete.

You’ll find the sentences usually work better without them. It makes the copy punchier and less "salesy" without you having to write a single new paragraph.

Give the homepage a "One-Button" audit

Pick your most important page, usually the homepage. Count how many different things you’re asking people to do. 

If there are five different links and three different forms, remove the ones that aren't your primary goal.

If you want people to call you, make that the only button. It’s a five-minute job of hiding or removing extra fluff, but it stops people from getting decision fatigue and leaving.

Add a real photo

This isn't strictly writing, but copy is supported by everything around it (graphics, white spaces etc.). If you have a generic stock photo of people in suits shaking hands, replace it with a photo of you, your office, or your actual product.

People read copy differently when they can see a human face behind the words. It lends an air of authenticity to your writing that no amount of clever wordplay can mimic.

Fix your "Call to Action"

If your buttons say "Click Here" or "Submit," change them right now. Change them to reflect the value of the click. "Download my checklist" or "Book my consultation." It is a tiny mechanical change that tells the user exactly what happens next, which lowers the barrier to them actually doing it.

These are the "low-hanging fruit" tasks. They won't win you a copywriting award, but they will make your site perform better simply by the update, and the results may surprise you.

I’ve been a copywriter for UK businesses for 13 years and offer a “Clarify Your Copy” for £189. It’s a quick fix by an expert. If you’d like to learn more about it or my other services, please get in touch.

How Your Copywriter Can Help You Save The Planet

April 22nd 2026

It is a bit of a stretch, isn’t it? Suggesting that I, or any other person who spends their day staring at a blinking cursor is somehow the secret weapon for saving the planet. You’d be right in thinking that we may need fewer adjectives and more carbon capture technology to make a dent.

As those of you who have followed me for a few years already know, sustainability is a thread through my work and my life. And ultimately, anything we can do in our battle to protect the Earth is worth it, right? Copywriting is about being persuasive so if that’s how I must use my powers, so be it. It may be a bold claim, but I’m going to explain a few ways you probably never knew a copywriter could help!

The server bill you didn't know you had

Every time someone lands on your website, a server somewhere kicks into gear. If your site is a bloated mess of ten-second videos and five thousand words of filler, you are burning energy for no reason.

As an environmental copywriter UK businesses can call on, my job is often just to get to the point. If I can help a user find what they need in two clicks instead of ten, I’ve just lowered your digital carbon footprint. It isn’t glamorous and it won’t win any fancy "Green Award" for most trees planted, but it is a practical way to stop wasting resources on unnecessary data transfer.

If you’re tech-savvy, you can clean up your website yourself – check how quickly it’s loading and see how you can optimise it. 

Avoiding the "landfill by mistake"

You know when you’ve bought something online and then it arrives, and it really looks nothing like the glossy image you were sold.  But it’s ok, cos the supplier accepts returns.

Actually, that return journey is worse for the environment as it means extra packaging and more fuel. What many of us don’t realise is that many returned items simply end up in landfill as it is cheaper than sticking it back on the shelves of the warehouse. A recent study discovered that returns transportation contributes approximately 15 million metric tons of CO2 into the air.

How does a copywriter help?

When you hire a copywriter in UK markets who knows their stuff, it’s their job to be accurate. Having someone write clear instructions and honest descriptions translates to fewer returns. So, if you’re a small business, this works on several levels – less waste, happier customers, and no need to overproduce!

Photo by Artem Podrez 

Making "used" sound like the better option

The biggest hurdle for circular businesses is the "new is better" mindset. Many of us have been conditioned to want the shiny, plastic-wrapped version of everything.

There’s definitely a move towards buying second-hand, but the copy could be less preachy. Hire a copywriter and they’ll make it sound more sophisticated. Do you want vintage or pre-loved?

For every client, product or service that I write for, I research. In the case of something upcycled, I can change the narrative to show how  craftsmanship and repairability become luxury markers. Disposable should be outdated and durability should be more coveted.

No more greenwashing

I’ve lived up North (in the UK) long enough to become canny, or maybe it’s my Irish intuition. Whatever you’d like to call it - I always know when someone is trying to sell me a load of rubbish. Most customers have that same internal sensor. If a brand starts using vague words like "eco-friendly" or "natural" without any data to back it up, they lose trust instantly.

As a trusted professional copywriter in Manchester, I sometimes have to gently ask clients to dial it back. I don’t use fluff when I’m copywriting, I rely on facts.

If you’ve reduced your plastic by 12% over the last year, say that. Don't claim you are "saving the oceans." Authenticity is the only way to build a brand that actually lasts, and it is a lot easier on my conscience too.

So, while I won't be out there personally reforesting the Highlands, I can certainly make sure your message doesn't contribute to the waste.

And what can be more sustainable than saving your own energy for projects that are better for the planet?

If green goals are part of your business, I can help you find the right words. Get in touch here or drop me an email at [email protected].

Thirteen is unlucky for some…

April 15th 2026

This week I’m celebrating 13 years in business. The more superstitious among us might see that as an unlucky number but I’ve always considered it lucky, for a variety of personal reasons – maybe I also take omens on board.

Since starting my business, I’ve lived in five cities across four countries. I suppose at one point I had a mini agency, with seven content writers subbing for me in 2017/2018, until Brexit put an end to that for me.

I’ll admit that when starting it, I didn’t have any real plans beyond year one and I probably didn’t truly focus on my business properly until nearly year three. 

Everyone who has started a business learns lessons along the way. Some are the same, some are particular to making a copywriting business successful and others are individual. I’ve decided to share 13 of the lessons I’ve learnt since starting out on this path in 2013.

Lessons about running a business

1. Integrity  

One of the first clients to come on board in 2013 was a gentleman I knew from my time working with Gerry O’Leary Photography. He’d heard me represent that brand at networking meetings, client pitches and production briefings – how did he know I’d deliver what he needed? I asked him. He replied, “You always do what you say you’re going to do. If you say you can do it, I know you’ll deliver.” 

I’m reminded of those words regularly – and I never promise to do what I don’t think is possible.

2. Get to know your way around a spreadsheet 

I managed a business for someone else before starting mine – so I know how important it is to get your financials right. Targets, forecasts, expenses. Everyone talks about having a six-month buffer – if you don’t know what’s coming in and going out, you can’t build that safety net.

3. You can fire clients 

In fact, it’s good for business. I don’t mean in the middle of a website project – sometimes you have to stick with the hand you’re dealt. I worked with a company around five years ago who hired two copywriters to write different parts of their website (they told me they weren’t changing certain pages) and didn’t tell either of us. Apart from being dreadful business practice, it’s horrible for the work – they had me editing her draft (and I’m guessing she was editing mine). They were a company I should have fired – I’ve simply made sure to never have any contact with them again.

Last year, I fired a retainer client where scope creep was happening regularly. For those unfamiliar with scope creep, it’s where a client pushes for more work than quoted for or moves the goalposts on a project – taking more time and effectively costing you. 

Did it feel horrible? I thought it was going to, but once I’d explained my feelings and we agreed on an end date, I felt relieved. And less than one week later – guess what? I replaced that retainer with a more lucrative one. 

If you’re using too much energy on a client and not being rewarded for it, it isn’t helping you. Free up that time to do better work. It’s worked for me every time.

4. Pricing is about value

Once upon a time, I charged per hour or per piece. Now, I charge for the 13 years of experience that informs how I write.

I keep reading, learning, practicing, polishing - even in my so-called downtime. If I’m upgrading the tools I use continuously then I deserve to be paid for the higher standard of work I can create. It’s like being a junior doctor or a neurological consultant – who do you pay more for?

5. Be flexible when building a business

I have been very adaptable about where I write copy.

I’ve written parts of a Thai hotel website while on a 13-hour layover at Hong Kong Airport. I’ve propped myself up against a pillar and took out my laptop at a packed Gatwick Airport when I was delayed. I’ve written something urgent for a Palm Dubai resort after an overnight bus, when I finally got into my hostel accommodation around 9am. 

More recently, I planned a day at a five-star hotel in Sri Lanka that looked like this:

7am wake, stretch, work

7.45am swim

8.15am breakfast

9am work

10am read, swim

11.30am work

12.30pm swim

1.00pm lunch

And so on… you know what? I got loads done. Each swim was like a little refresh, a reward for my work. I also walked on the beach and treated myself to a super-spicy curry that evening before crashing on comfy pillows watching a movie around 9pm.

I have built a business by showing up but it hasn’t looked like a neat cubicle in a London bank. Everyone is different. I’m not saying my way is the best way, but if your clients don’t notice a difference in how you perform – you can get the work done however you like. 

6. A good contract protects everyone

It can be short and sweet, but I’ve learnt to make sure it includes my red lines (as long as they’re reasonable). 

It’s how I guarantee my client that I’ll deliver on agreed timelines. If there are parts of the project breaking down or my client hasn’t responded for three months, a contract is how I can enforce getting paid when it’s not my fault. It hasn’t happened often, but being able to refer back to the contract helps.

Sometimes you think you won’t need one. Maybe you know the client well beforehand? That’s exactly when you need one – so professional lines don’t get blurred.

7. Build a community

“Your network is your net worth,” according to Porter Gayle, former Vice President of Marketing for Virgin America. People often read $$$ into that – I see it from a few angles.

(a) Network with other people running a business. They become confidantes, not just people to give you referrals. Take their advice and share yours when asked. The people you have in your network are valuable – not just from an earning perspective.

(b) Other copywriters are my best resource, not my enemies. I have passed off plenty of work to copywriters over the years – at least 16 people off the top of my head. Sometimes I’m not available or I don’t write for that industry. There are times the client has asked for experience I don’t have – I’d much prefer to scroll through my contacts and recommend someone to them than pass it off. I also love a chat with another copywriter, whether it’s to chat about a previous project or bitch about a bad brief.

(c) And of course, referrals. I try to make sure they flow both ways.

Me in 2013, year 1 of my business

Copywriting tips that I’ve learnt over 13 years

1. Specific is better than clever 

Write clearly, sound human, get to the point. I’m not Proust or Elena Ferrante, I write copy. I can be clever, but it won’t always land. Clear communication beats a pun every single time. 

When I get carried away with a piece of copy I think is witty – I ask myself is it specific to this product or service? If it’s clear, it stays, otherwise it goes in the digital bin.

2. Read it aloud

I always say this is my number 1 piece of advice and I still do it today. If I stumble over a sentence, the reader will too.

3. Know when to break the rules

A few years ago, I had a client and the Google doc was showing all sorts of rewrites by a few different people – half of it ‘fixing’ what were perceived grammatical flaws – like starting a sentence with ‘and’. 

I thought I was writing for a solopreneur, so I asked her – who are all these other ‘stakeholders’? She proceeded to inform me that her partner got an ‘A’ in his A-Level English, and her nephew was in his final year of English at university. So? I wasn’t asked to write a British novel in perfect English. Once again, you hire a copywriter – not an author – and one of those writes to sell. 

I have taught English, I’m a grammar nerd, however I also know when to break the rules for better impact.

4. Writer's block is usually just your brain taking a break

People have heard me say that I don’t believe in writer’s block. Because for a copywriter, I’m flexing a muscle that I’ve trained well. I pick up a book and scan the third paragraph of page 58 and see if it sparks anything. I go for a walk in a local park and listen to the birds singing. I just pause for a bit and usually I can resolve it.

I’m not going to write brilliantly every single day, and I know that but I aim to deliver at least 97%, and I’m confident that’s better than most people’s efforts (those who don’t write every day).

What helps nurture my mindset

1. Staying curious.

I don’t claim to know everything about marketing or copywriting – how boring that would be. I am committed to being curious and open to learning all I can. That’s how I get excited about new projects – it’s the opportunity to learn something new.

I never know where the next lesson comes from, but whether it’s about finance, human behaviour or how an award-winning pastry chef makes a galette., it all tops up the cup of curiosity.

2. Celebrating wins

When you work alone, you often don’t have anyone to celebrate with. I think it helps to mark the occasion somehow. Philip King from Silver Websites once told me he buys a bottle of fine whisky when he completes a project – I imagine he’s built up quite the collection. 

I have found a variety of ways to acknowledge a win. When I hand over a web copy project, it’s normally a little dance in my living-room. When I get paid, I might buy a bottle of Whispering Angel or book a flight to see my Mum and Dad in Spain. 

Over the past few years, I’ve had a Christmas party with a fellow copywriter, Russ, who supports me as a sub regularly and helps cover my holiday periods. Having a seasonal night out – or even just early evening tapas – has made me feel like I run a legitimate business. I get to act like other business owners do, and after 13 years, I deserve that.

Do you have any other tips you would add from your experience in business? I’m all ears.

Need an expert copywriter to help you find the right words? I’d love to hear from you, please get in touch.

How to Give Your Copywriter Good Feedback in 2026

April 8th 2026

As anyone who runs a business will understand, people just love to give you their unsolicited advice about what you should be doing, why you should be doing something else etc... Most of it is friendly, some of it is well-meaning and honestly, I was a sponge when I started my own company, soaking it all in – I probably listened to too much of these kind comments for too long.

I have to say now, that when I look back, I’m appreciative of those who just let me set out on my way, wished me luck, and were there in the background if I needed them. 

I’m a creative and we seek knowledge. We look to others in marketing, the arts and business, read their books and write down their lines on post-it notes that we stick on our laptops as reminders.

But we also receive more critiques than most. It’s a part of our role as messaging specialists. No one gets it spot on the first time. We include rounds for refinement as part of a project, because effective feedback creates great copy.

I have had to learn to not take it personally. 

I think I was battle-hardened by running a business for Gerry O’Leary Photography first and prior to that I’d been in sales. I knew how to overcome objections, but now I also had to listen to what the client wanted and think about how to achieve that.

Another thing I’ve learnt is when to push back a little to improve the project. Most collaborations run well, but sometimes they could glide more smoothly. It helps to set some rules at the start, but even then, I admit, it feels tricky to push back at times.

What is useful feedback? How do you give it? I thought I’d give some ground rules which can support the process, because we all want the best outcome.

First, understand what feedback is, and what it’s not

Feedback is not rewriting the copy. I get it, you want to be hands-on, or you have an idea of how it sounds in your head. 

I have nightmares about drafts that come back with all the red revisions, changing the meaning of passages entirely. Often adding far too many words. This doesn’t do anything for the message, and it makes us co-writers. 

Track changes is a great tool for editing and proofreading, when you want to fix a typo or make a small amendment. However, if the direction, tone or message actually requires changing, “tracked changes” is not the correct tool.

I need to grasp “why?”. Not like a whiny small child, but because I want to deliver what you want.

Use comments

Use the comment function. I’ll admit something silly - I get a tiny thrill when I open the comments sidebar. Woo, here’s something I can work with. 

Tell me what phrasing you love. Tell me what wording you hate (check out your competitor). Tell me why this doesn’t quite fit your brand. And this leads me neatly onto…

Be specific 

Explain if that word isn’t one you’d use (this is something you can add to your style guide).

When you rewrite the line and don’t explain why, I’m left perplexed. Sometimes because someone in the organisation has written something that doesn’t really align with the language another person gave me.

A brief is imperative. I ask you prior about a) tone b) direction and c) brand guidelines. I use these to write as your brand, to sound like your company. When you supply me with these, it starts as a better partnership and usually it produces improved results.

Be aware who is in the room (and who is seeing the doc)

Sometimes you get input from an unexpected source – someone who wasn’t in the original meeting, email thread or anywhere else. Then they show up modifying the version and the copywriter is wondering where the thread was lost.

A year or so ago, I was commissioned by a very exciting boutique property in a country I had never written for before. I loved their tone, their style, and their genuinely unique hospitality offer. 

The first few pieces went well. Of course, we had some tweaks and edits, which is normal in a pre-opening phase as things get added or removed and I adjusted to the tone of voice.

The company assigned more deliverables to me, which indicated they were happy, and the relationship I was building with my main point of contact was going well. Then that person, likely under pressure as the opening approached, began forwarding me documents with scribblings from others.

Whether the person giving the critique meant for me to see it or was just venting to the marketing executive, the results were messy. I actually knew the senior person from many moons ago, and I’m not sure this was how they would speak to me directly. It was evident they hadn't been trained in how to provide constructive notes.

So many cross-throughs, it looks like a thicket

I am pretty straightforward and I love direct notes, but this draft was a disaster. Track changes everywhere and new sentences stuck in here and there that didn’t seem to align with the brand expression I’d been striving to align with.

I couldn't find the actual instructions on what I was supposed to do with it. It took so long to establish what they wanted that we had an email ping-pong tournament. 

We ended up in so many rounds of rewriting that I had to charge more. I hate doing that, but we had gone three times over the contract limit. One piece of output was approved, only for me to be asked to rewrite it two weeks later.

It made me question myself: was I just not getting it? 

The reality is that if the parameters had been clear and the guidance explicit, we wouldn't have ended up there. 

Everyone involved should understand who is reading their edits and ensure they are effective commentary for the person receiving the notes.

Talk to your copywriter like a person

What a revolutionary idea in 2026! Some of the best notes I have ever received have come from a quick call rather than a long email thread. Some people find it easier to communicate their thoughts more clearly over the phone. I can explain nuance more easily and react in real time. I can explore alternatives with the client without committing them to text straight away.

It also builds trust, which is underrated in this whole process. The more I understand your business, your tone, and your instincts, the better the output becomes. 

Isolated rounds of edits can be stark, humans connecting and having a chat can be helpful.
 

Be clear about the goal, not just the wording

One of the biggest challenges in copywriting is that feedback often focuses on the surface level. Does that word not feel appropriate? Or could the sentence be tighter? Is the headline not landing with the audience? You can say that – but the root cause might be a bigger issue.

If you can articulate the goal, I can fix the execution. For example, saying "this doesn’t feel premium enough for our audience, I’d like it to be less transactional," is much stronger than adjusting a few adjectives. It gives direction that can shape the entire piece, not just a line here and there.

Give notes early, not just at the end

There is a tendency to wait until a full draft is delivered before giving detailed feedback. 

Sometimes that is fine. 

However, if you already have strong opinions on tone, structure, or messaging, it is worth sharing those earlier in the process, ideally at the start.

A quick check-in on direction can save a lot of time later. It also means I’m not second-guessing what you might want, which is where things tend to drift. 

Remember what you hired them for

I cannot tell you how many times I have wanted to explain that I’m hired for my writing skills, not my mind-reading.

You hired a copywriter because you wanted someone to translate your ideas into something clear, compelling, and consistent. That involves a bit of interpretation, a lot of creativity, and trusting my experience. If the process becomes too directive, you lose that.

The best professional relationships I have had are the ones where clients give thoughtful, honest observations, but still leave space for me to do the job they brought me in to do. 

So, what does "good feedback" actually look like?

• It is precise, but not prescriptive.
• It explains reactions, not just edits.
• It focuses on the bigger picture as well as the details.
• It is collaborative, not corrective.

When it flows easily and feels on brand, that is as much the result of an excellent brief as an expert copywriter. I love the collaborative part of writing a website and it feels even more rewarding when we see it working – visibility is increasing, engagement is rising and conversions are up – that’s what I’m aiming for. 

I’ve been a copywriter for businesses for 13 years and offer content strategy as well as web copy and blogging. If you like to have a chat about your copywriting needs, please get in touch.

The Good, The Bad and The Egg-cellent Ads this Easter

April 1st 2026

I’m not averse to a decent pun. Playing with words has been my job now for over 13 years so it makes sense that I appreciate them. However, around Easter it can get a bit much. Brands can definitely over-egg their advertising at this time of year.

I’ve been looking at bus shelters, listening closely to the radio when driving and scanning my email for anything acceptable. It’s a mixed basket this year.

The supermarket radio ad

First up. On the radio, Asda caught my attention with “Big Easter Energy”.

“Big ___ energy” has been floating around popular culture for a few years now. It is a little cheeky and coy, and crucially it works very well in audio. Adults clock the tongue-in-cheek reference. Kids are none the wiser and just hear something upbeat.

For a supermarket that leans heavily on value and personality, it feels current without trying too hard. Retail brands live and die by staying culturally aware, so tapping into a phrase people already recognise is smart. Familiar language does half the work for you.

Then I moved on to my inbox.

Polished but dull

Scrolling through the usual Easter campaigns, I have to admit I felt a bit underwhelmed. One that stood out, unfortunately not for the right reasons, came from Glossybox with the subject line: “Something Egg-citing is Hatching Tomorrow”.

Maybe I have simply seen “egg-citing” too many times over the years. Possibly I am becoming a hardened veteran of seasonal marketing. Either way, it felt like a missed opportunity.

A beauty brand has so much room to juggle with language. Something along the lines of “Crack open some egg-stra glam tomorrow” would at least feel closer to their world. It gives Easter the nod but still keeps the focus on beauty and transformation. The original line just didn’t shout glam to me. It could have been from any brand really.

On brand from the chocolatier’s 

Next came a much stronger example from Cadbury, who had the in-email line that read: “Better the hide, better the hunt.”

Now I think this is clever, and here’s why:

Some families plan Easter egg hunts with military precision. They survey the garden for the best spots. They pull back the sofa ever so slightly. They size up whether the youngest can reach the cupboard. The line “better the hide…” taps into the family ritual. 

It never explicitly names the product, but we conjure the image anyway. 

When I read it, I immediately pictured chocolate eggs being tucked behind plant pots or balanced on a low branch. No puns or clichés but I still got the message from a short line built around a shared experience.

Copy works well when it's tight, but also relatable.

A nursery rhyme used well

Finally, I opened an email from Gail's, the London-founded bakery that seems to have appeared on half the high streets in Britain, or at least in the suburbs near me!

The subject line, “Baking for One More Week”, didn’t set my pulse racing, but the second I opened the email, I smiled. 

Across the image sat the line: “One a Penny, Two a Penny”.

Did your mind auto-complete? It pulls straight from the collective memory of people who grew up in the UK and Ireland as the instantly recognisable nursery rhyme, “Hot Cross Buns”. No explanation required.

We get a glimpse of the buns in the image, but I’d argue that they didn’t need to say hot cross buns in the line below. We’ve already made the connection.

It is mnemonic, musical and instantly familiar to most of their target audience.

While most Easter campaigns orbit the usual suspects, bunnies, chocolate, eggs, this approach highlights another seasonal staple. Of course, Gail’s are known for their baked goods, so it works on this level. However, knowing their audience they trust them to fill in the gaps. Sometimes that is far more satisfying than spelling everything out for us

What makes brands land at Easter

We often talk about keeping copywriting simple. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be clever. The key is truly understanding what your clients want, need and value.

The strongest lines can draw from shared rituals, cultural shorthand or a well-placed phrase. But we know when something is forced and it usually repels us.

It’s great when you can land a punchline, but I saw more examples of brands fumbling this Easter – perhaps not wanting to use old yokes this year.

Wherever you are celebrating this year, I hope there are chocolate eggs hidden somewhere nearby, a hot cross bun (and a cuppa!) within reach, and a long weekend that beats all egg-spectations. (I’ll stop now)

Happy Easter. 🐣

Seasonal copy adds sales to your business! If you need an SME copywriter for upcoming campaigns, please get in touch.

Recent luxury hotel copywriting case study: Anantara Tented Camp Kafue River

March 25th 2026

I’ve been writing for luxury hotels and resorts under the Anantara Hotels & Resorts banner since early 2016. I started as one rebrand was in progress and have been through another since, with tone of voice shifts to accompany those but I feel like my career as a hotel copywriter has grown alongside my role in that decade.

Anantara Tented Camp Kafue River first came into sight for me in 2023 when I wrote a press release about its development in one of Zambia’s largest national parks. Fast forward to July 2024, when Mabel reached out, the day after my birthday, to request that I start writing the website copy.

Properly wild

I didn’t need to learn to write in a new voice, but the city skylines, rocky cliff edges and exotic islands that I’m used to writing about for Anantara, were gone. I’ve written for properties with direct access to the African bush, but this was a new concept. An elegant canopied camp suspended above the river – not disrupting the environment, but woven in. I had to make it sound like an Anantara property while respecting the location (as they had done during its build – partnering with local stakeholders to ensure it met all environmental protection measures).

Sustainability isn't a throwaway for me – not only do I write about it, but I practice it wherever possible. I know Minor Hotels prioritise it (especially through Green Growth 2050), so this was a project where it felt in sync with my beliefs. People will still travel, luxury is in continuous demand, but it is evolving and I need to reflect that in how I write too.

Finding the sanctuary

The challenge with a pre-opening project is that I need to sell a ghost. I might have renders, design notes and videos of muddy half-built rooms. I need to conjure a feeling for the guests of arriving at a unique hideaway suspended over the river and how magical it feels to be the only people for miles. Before they book their flights, I have to encourage them to choose this canopied retreat over others.

It’s certainly exclusive. There are nine Pool Villas and three Horizon Terrace Suites elevated over the Kafue River.

I pitched the tagline "Sanctuary in the Wild" early on. Depending on the project, there can be a couple rounds of feedback and taglines change as the property takes its final shape. I understand that my copywriting goes through several rounds of approval in hotel companies so I may need to amend it. Perhaps I’ve got the destination right but not the brand voice. 

Here, the tagline remains. It’s a private, remote escape that doesn’t try to outshine the 500 species of birds calling the Kafue Park home. It offers refuge after sunset cruises but doesn’t disturb the hippos wading further down the river.

Beyond the jargon

I know all the hotel cliches. I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t been guilty of a few. When you’ve written for some of the world’s top hospitality companies (including Shangri-La Hotels and Four Seasons) as I have, you learn to distinguish what discerning guests are looking for. I have tuned into brand voices, and I am always looking for the distinctive details that make a property stand out.

By its nature (pun intended), Anantara Kafue offers more rugged accommodation than a suite at the heart of Dubai. People will discover it by their interest in or loyalty to the service Anantara provides, but how do I introduce the destination?

People who want to travel by Land Cruiser to a tented retreat in the wild may be the same as those who recline with a martini at a pool bar between the skyscrapers, but they don’t want the same experience. Both places need to offer contemporary comfort, but the views are remarkably different.

Bringing the experience to life

The meat of the project involved translating architectural blueprints and sustainability manifestos into the actual sections of the website. For the Accommodation, the narrative wasn't just about the sophisticated experience proffered; it was about the integrity of the build. I had to communicate the tactile nature of the local craftsmanship and the use of reclaimed materials that ground the nine pool villas and suites into the Zambian earth, showing each suite as a deliberate extension of the riverbank. 

When it came to Dining, I moved away from the usual hushed tones of fine dining. The focus here is the food of Kafue, of Zambia, of Africa. I wrote about sustainable sourcing and graceful presentation, but with the freedom of any-time dining that fits a modern traveller lifestyle rather than a rigid schedule.

For Leisure, the copy had to move the reader. I wanted to capture the literal elevation of life there — the floating gym on the water, yoga sessions on the deck, and the slow patience of birdwatching from the treetops. 

Then, of course, there are the game drives. You aren't just observing the wilderness, you’re immersed in it, hair flying as a 4x4 coasts along a bumpy dirt track spotting lions in the distance. Or on board a boat gliding into the sunset, watching the water shimmer as a croc dips below. 

My job was to ensure every word felt as active and immersive as the activities themselves, steering clear of passive descriptions and letting the unique, remote reality of the camp do the heavy lifting.

From imagination to pre-opening

We started revisions in March last year – the suites had some changes; birdwatching was being highlighted and there were edits for the dining facilities. There may be some frantic, last-minute notes ahead of the proper launch in June.

I still have the list where I scribbled 12 or 13 taglines down and “Sanctuary in the Wild” looks up at me. It’s Anantara but also Kafue. It gives travellers a brief glimpse of a place in Zambia where they can awaken with nature. But for me, it’s about finding the right words to describe a place as concisely as possible that didn’t yet exist.

I haven’t yet been on a sunset cruise on the Kafue River, but I’ve definitely dreamt about it. Maybe I’ll get to go for research purposes?

I’ve written about hotels in Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. If you need a copywriter for a luxury hotel project in 2026 or 2027, please get in touch.

The Copywriter’s Irish Playlist – What Song Lyrics Can Teach Us (About Copywriting)

March 18th 2026

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, and while the rest of the world drank gallons of Guinness and dyed their hair, rivers and venues green, I tuned into some Irish artists. Fontaines D.C., CMAT, Hozier and my friends band, Oracle.

While singing along with the lyrics, I started thinking about how the different phrases and wording that make them memorable or catchy can also make great copy. I’m from a land famous for its saints and scholars where a farmer from County Clare is just as likely as an ad man from Google to give you the perfect hook, depending on what you’re selling!

Being economical with words

Songwriting in general has a knack for emotional economy, which is a vital skill I use in my role as a copywriter for small businesses. Songwriters know how to get their point across in six words, whereas it might take someone else six hundred. In a song, you have around 3.5 minutes to make your point, on a website, it’s much much less.

As a senior copywriter, I’ve spent years deconstructing why certain lines stick. Often, the best headlines aren't found in marketing textbooks; they’re found in the bridge of a song playing in a Manchester local or a Dublin dive bar.

When looking for inspiration, sometimes playing a tune can unlock ideas for a great tagline.

Here’s some lessons I’ve picked up from great songwriters:

Hozier: A Master of Emotional Economy

Lyric: "You know the distance never made a difference to me." (Unknown / Nth)

Literary and soulful, Hozier knows how to bleed emotion into every lyric. This particular line is a masterclass in brevity. In one sentence, he establishes a relationship dynamic, a commitment, and a history.

Hozier tells us that the distance wasn’t a barrier to their relationship, but we interpret that the other person made it an excuse. He tells us something about his values and expectations, but also how they were betrayed. Somehow, from a single line, we get all that.

The lesson: Stop over-explaining your value proposition. If your service bridges a gap — whether that’s logistics, tech, or long-distance consulting— this is the energy you need. Be confident and cut through the noise in as few words as possible. When you write down 20 words, cut that in half, then again – what is the quickest way to tell us what you offer?

Fionn Regan: Succinct

Lyric: "Be good or be gone." (Be Good or Be Gone)

Songwriters deal with scarcity, and we all sing along. Fionn Regan employs it to great effect and there’s no misunderstanding. This one speaks to me because in business, you won’t last long unless you’re good. You can give them all the flowery language in the world, but you need to deliver.

The lesson: Urgency is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but it only works if the stakes feel real. So you’re using “buy now, or it’s gone,” it had better be the truth, because you’ll only get away with using it once.

Fontaines D.C.: The Direct, Gritty Truth

Lyric: "My childhood was small, but I'm gonna be big." (Big)

Fontaines D.C. are the kings of the no-nonsense headline. They don't do "aspirational lifestyle" fluff, they do grit. In a sense, and though they would hate someone to describe them as a brand rather than a band, their pillars are being authentically Dublin and even a little polarising. But they also speak cross-generationally for Irish people.

There is also so much poetry in what they write. I absolutely love lines like “There's a certain kind of air in the smoke / Must be some amount of truth in the joke” and the alliteration in “the misery made me another marked man" but while these are clever, for copywriting, you can be wily with words but must always be direct.

The lesson: Use contrast to make a statement. In this line, it’s so simple, but it could easily transfer to a brand – “We started small, but we’re going to be big.” 

The Final Verse

A great headline is like a great chorus. It’s the only part people will remember when they’re walking away, so it has to be perfect. Irish music works because it prioritises the story over the spectacle.

If your current website copy feels a bit like a "plastic paddy" pub, all tinsel and no substance, maybe it’s time for a rewrite? I can help you find the right words, whether lyrical or just good copy.

I’m a senior copywriter based in Manchester, though I can sometimes be found further afield. If you need help finding the right words for your website, I’m currently taking bookings from April onwards, so please please get in touch.

On This Year’s Six Nations (as an avid rugby supporter and copywriter)

March 11th 2026

I have watched the Six Nations for most of my life, since in fact, it was the Five Nations. Which means I’ve been watching Ireland play long enough to remember that it often ended in pain. Supporting a small nation with four teams when rugby is the fourth choice sport sometimes requires a fairly strong sense of optimism and a tolerance for disappointment.

Over the past seven years, give or take, the story began to change. We had a strong run of consistency, with 20 wins out of 22 matches from July 2022 to October 2023 (don’t). We have been punching above our weight – there is no other way to describe it, but perhaps the golden era is over. Every team has a transition period.

A disappointing Autumn Nations and cautious hopes for Six Nations

After losses to New Zealand and South Africa in the Autumn Nations, fans and media have been cautious about their expectations for the Six Nations. The Lion’s Tour hangover was mentioned, as 15 Irish players had travelled Down Under with the squad. Injuries loomed large with foundational team members such as Andrew Porter, Hugo Keenan and Robbie Henshaw ruled out, plus the mercurial Mack Hansen, who also missed out on last year’s tournament. The totemic Bundee Aki was cut for disciplinary reasons. People discussed an aging squad and the need for new blood; however it might affect the cohesion during the tournament.

The level-headed among us thought that third place could be expected. As it stands, we could still end up third, but we’re also in with a sliver of a chance of winning it. And in a nutshell, that tells you how unpredictable this year’s tournament has been.

The almost favourite’s fall

England started the tournament as near favourites and have lost three matches in a row. First up, they hammered a shambolic-looking Wales, but the chariot collapsed in Murrayfield the following week. Scotland had lost to Italy seven days prior, and they, who were once everyone’s comfortable assumption at the bottom of the table, went on to beat England for the first time in their history and look defensively tougher than they have in years. 

France looked almost unstoppable early on in the championship, until Scotland reminded everyone that momentum can shift very quickly on days in Edinburgh. 62 minutes into the match, Scotland were leading 47–14, which would have seemed unimaginable before kick-off. France fought their way back in to put 40 points on the board, but the Scots held out.

It’s been thrilling to watch, with each weekend seemingly more electrifying than the last. And it’s reminded me of something that I’ve learned as a results-driven copywriter with global experience.

Reputations and results don’t always align, in rugby and in business.

How quickly a narrative can shift

At the start of a tournament, many pundits and media types were talking up England, surely it was their year. They’d won 12 consecutive test matches in the previous year. France would definitely put up a fight – and it seemed like the final match, which will take place this Saturday 14 March, would be the decider.

As it stands, England hasn't a hope. Even if they win, they won’t go above 4th on the table. It’s true that something seems amiss, but it’s incredible how quickly their reputation has faltered in a matter of weeks. 

Italy’s reputation as the underdog has been swept away with their historic victory at Stadio Olimpico, their first EVER win over the Red Roses.

Scotland remains one of the most fascinating teams in the competition year on year. Some weeks they look slightly disjointed, a group of exceptional players still trying to find a collective rhythm. But their performance against France was sheer, relentless class. Confidence, execution and pressure – the French were left looking like headless chickens at times.

And my dear Ireland. It hasn’t been perfect, but there have been highlights. Widely dismissed, even by our own media, in the run-up, we have fought our way back into contention, albeit until we meet Scotland on Friday in Lansdowne Road, and who knows?

Reputations need constant reinforcement.

(The Irish rugby team warming up at Stadio Olimpico)

Authority is built in public

We all know strong brands that rely on their reputation; think Rolex or Heinz, or even Harrods. Strong brand names with a history of quality. People know who they are.

All of that matters. Reputation is valuable. In many ways it is the foundation of trust.

But reputation on its own has a shelf life. 

Let me suggest Boeing. How do you feel about them now? After a series of fires and unit failures, public failure dipped in the aircraft manufacturer. Airlines started moving towards Airbus for their orders and over $10 billion was wiped off their stock valuation. Reputations are valuable.

So, you may be building a new business or have a solid foundation, but either way, people want to see evidence of not just what you sell, but how you think, how your customer service is, what your values are. Your reputation has to be carefully managed, and you don’t always own it.

Ever since I started my copywriting business in 2013, I’ve thought about reputation and how I can cultivate it. Every LinkedIn post, every blog, every email, every piece of work I share with a customer has to meet exacting levels – I focus on ensuring that I maintain a reputation for integrity, cooperation, and polished work. I’m assertive about my lines in the sand but I’m always truthful. 

How do you build a reputation?

Long-form content, particularly blogs, still play a surprisingly important role in building a presence that impresses (and lasts). Yes, SEO has changed, and we have AEO and GEO now too. Blogs feed into all of these.

How? A blog gives your business space to articulate your thinking properly and explain decisions or explore the nuances of a subject that cannot be captured in a short caption or a polished marketing sentence.

Over time those pieces accumulate on your site, demonstrating your depth and experience. They answer the kinds of questions potential clients are already asking long before they reach out.

This body of work reinforces your authority and reputation. 

Just like a rugby team, you can tweak your systems, improve your output and deliver week after week – giving that reputation the weight it deserves.

Why this tournament has been addictive

One of the reasons this year’s Six Nations has been so compelling is that whatever script we thought the teams would follow, it was absolutely out the window by week two.

The favourites have stumbled and the supposed underdogs have absolutely everyone rooting for them (bar the opposition on the day). We’ve seen how unforgiving the media can be when momentum stalls, as it has for England.

But they’ll come back, like Wales have. Written off at the start, they have clawed back respect and we’re hopeful to see what the former giants of the game can do next year.

The teams that succeed over time are the ones that keep reinforcing what they are known for. The ones that build performances patiently rather than relying on reputation alone.

Parallels between rugby and business

Because my mind is usually whirring at 800 words an hour, I spotted these parallels last weekend.

Build your authority, demonstrate it repeatedly, try and strengthen it every single time you show your thinking in public, whether that’s your team giving a presentation or your blog featuring a product review.

Teams invest in players, coaches and systems. Businesses do the same. If thoughtful, substantial content is part of your system, then it’s more than simply a marketing asset – it provides credibility that boosts your reputation.

And much like a good rugby team, that kind of consistency tends to show up on the scoreboard eventually. Just like we saw Ireland do at Twickenham two weeks ago, Scotland by grabbing the reins over France on Saturday and Italy crying happy tears at Stadio Olimpico after beating England.

Whose reputation will change this weekend?

As well as being an experienced copywriter for SME’s, I’m an avid rugby supporter who will be watching the 6 nations Super Saturday this weekend. If I sound like the type of person you’d like to work with, please get in touch.

Spare Us Your Sanctimony This Week

March 4th 2026

I had planned a very different post this week, but after the past few days I realised that it felt disingenuous to share a case study or copywriting advice for small businesses when missiles are being intercepted over the place I called home for over a decade.

I’m lucky that business goes on mostly as usual. Though I haven’t heard from all my contacts in the Middle East, particularly Dubai, I’m assured that everyone is ok after a turbulent weekend. But I admit that I am checking my phone more than usual, both for news updates and messages from family and friends that call the United Arab Emirates home.

It’s quite harrowing to see scenes of hotels on fire from debris and smoke billowing from Dubai International Airport. However, I’ve become increasingly irritated by the reactions of people sitting safely behind their screens in the UK and Ireland.

My Dubai

I moved to Dubai in 2004. To say it was a different world is an understatement. We didn't know what an influencer was because the concept didn't exist. This was a time before smartphones, when trying to take a decent photo on a mobile was a lost cause, let alone livestreaming your breakfast. Most people in Ireland thought it was dangerous because the Iraq War was ongoing, not realising that Ireland is as far from Italy as the UAE is from Iraq. Perspective.

Moving halfway across the world is exciting, but it can also be a culture shock. However, Dubai welcomed me with open arms and what I thought would be one year turned into over a decade. Making real friends was tricky, but when you do scale those hurdles, they become friends for life – no matter where we all now live.

And I built a business, a home, a life. I still have family and friends there, including a 12-year-old godson.

I’m aware that I am showing my age by saying this, but life was a little simpler – certainly as someone moving abroad to work in the UAE. For starters, there was a lot less judgment. Although many young (and indeed a little older) British and Irish people have adopted it as a rite of passage to spend a few years teaching, nursing or as cabin crew for one of the airlines, there is an added stigma now. A group of people have decided that it’s not ok.

The "Glee" of Judgment

I’m aware there are segments online where people absolutely love to slam the UAE, I usually stay away from them. Quite honestly, there’s a lot of sanctimonious bs.

Since Saturday, that has escalated. Some people are almost revelling in the fact that missiles are being aimed at the country. Whether they’re having a go at ‘influencers’ or people they perceive to be ‘avoiding tax’, it seems to be highly amusing that Iran is attacking the UAE.

It’s very easy to chastise people and talk about a country’s moral failings, but not everyone has the luxury of choice. I moved to the UAE when I was young and naïve and yes, I have the privilege of being able to travel, but others moved there to escape all kinds of things. Some were offered roles with their company. My friend’s children share classrooms with dozens of other nationalities and play outdoors safely. I don’t think people who move to Sydney, New York or Bangkok are viewed through the same narrow, nasty lens.

PICTURE: 
One of the lesser seen views of Dubai, Etisalat building on Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street – copyright of this image is solely mine)

How did the UAE provoke Iran? Oh, it wasn’t them. However, their military reaction has been impressive, protecting their citizens by intercepting drones and missiles, keeping everyone informed and paying for accommodation for travellers stuck in transit.

The UAE has several US airbases, which is why Iran is targeting them. Good ol’ Uncle Sam doesn’t have to worry about the war following him home for the moment, because of these military installations worldwide. 

It’s quite bizarre to celebrate the misfortune of others just because you don’t always agree with their life choices. To think it’s funny that innocent people could suffer for a war they have absolutely zero part in. We’d better all stop buying anything made in America or Israel, right?

My Perspective

My work still keeps me deeply connected to the region. I collaborate with people across Qatar, Oman, and the UAE from every possible nationality, and they are all in my thoughts right now. I’m currently working with hotels that are going above and beyond, taking in extra travellers while the airports are closed. Having previously worked with Dubai Airports and Fairmont Hotels, I know the level of care and resilience these teams possess. I hope everyone stays safe and that this passes swiftly.

I don’t like that over 70 million Americans voted that orange groping felon back into power, but I don’t believe people should be dropping bombs on their houses.

While I’m logging on to see if the people I love are okay, others are busy rattling off posts about how governments shouldn't bother rescuing their own citizens because they chose to live elsewhere.

Everyone wants a better life. How they go about that is their choice. If it doesn’t affect you, maybe take a pause and look at yourself before you post your judgement.

Ultimately, wars solve nothing. I feel this keenly because the people I love are caught in the fallout of something that has nothing to do with them, but this is a story playing out everywhere. Normal people always lose. Old, megalomaniac men just keep sending people to their deaths while they sit in safety. While most in the UAE will be safe, there have already been lives lost. And the deaths of 108 schoolgirls in this regional escalation is something that can never be justified.

For what it’s worth, none of my friends in the UAE are talking about leaving. They are staying put. They have confidence that the UAE government is looking after things, because they are.

I’m a freelance copywriter with clients across the UAE, Oman, India and Thailand. Please get in touch to find out more.

Does My Business Need A Blog In 2026?

February 25th 2026

This blog was prompted by an actual client conversation near the end of 2025, but it usually comes up when we discuss a business website.

Some people think blogging is obsolete and wonder if anyone even reads their blogs. Those with successful blogs know that there are definitely customers that read theirs!

It’s true there was a golden era of blogging from around 2003 – 2012. Everyone seemed to have one, from the messy, personal ones to the brilliant business advice pages. Businesses adopted a blog to be progressive and to show up in SEO.

Then social media came along. Maybe our attention spans got shorter. For some businesses, blogs lost their shine, because they were focused on the next glittering thing.

Blogs may have fallen out of fashion, but they haven’t become unnecessary. They are another tool in your sales kit.

When you ask me, “do I need a blog for my business?”, you’re probably actually wondering – will a blog help people find me on the internet? Will it actually add more value for my audience? How can I make it sound like my potential customers should buy from me? You want to know the value, the ROI.

What is your goal? Being the trusted provider. For that, you need to establish authority.

Search engines have changed

It’s true that search has changed for everyone in 2026. A decade ago, we spoke about keywords and once upon a time they were the foundation on which your blog was built. Then we needed to add value. Now, people are using search engines and AI tools, and they assess depth, consistency and real experiences. All the systems are scanning for businesses that demonstrate what they know, not simply what they sell. They are summarising and synthesising information from businesses that look structured and credible.

When you or I look at a website and click through the pages, we look for substance. We wonder “how does this help me?” We want to see reviews and proof that the product/service does what it says it does. 

Some will head straight to the services page. Many of us will dig deeper before making any purchase. The devil is in the detail – how can you make us trust you? Your blog is an opportunity to build that trust.

Blog or social media? Both

Social media, useful as it may be, does not hold detail particularly well. Posts may disappear when algorithms shift. You don’t have control over your reach and decisions can be made that change it. It is like rented space. This doesn’t mean that you abandon your social strategy, but it’s good to recognise its limits.

On the other hand, you own your website, it’s literally called your domain. There, you can begin building your house – your mansion, in fact, through your blog. There you can answer the questions your potential clients are typing into Google on the train on the way home from work. You can share experiences that they identify with and show them your team are real people who enjoy helping them.

To counter this, not every business needs a blog. If you sell a low-cost product that requires very little trust and almost no research, a blog may not move the needle for you. If no one internally is willing to own the strategy, commit to consistency, or invest in quality, it will become a half-updated afterthought. And believe me, nothing looks more neglected than a blog that stops mid-sentence in 2023.

But if you sell expertise, transformation, property, hospitality, advisory services, design, or anything where the decision is considered rather than impulsive, your depth matters.

Your buyers compare. They evaluate tone. They look for reassurance that you understand nuance. A blog gives you space to demonstrate that nuance. It lets you explore why you do what you do, not just what you charge for it.

How is AI search affecting business blogs?

AI isn’t creating authority, it is aggregating it, drawing from what already exists. If your expertise is not documented anywhere substantial, it cannot be referenced, cited, or surfaced. Search engines and AI tools are increasingly privileging content that shows experience and coherence. In practical terms, which means thoughtful, structured, long-form content published on your own domain.

In 2026, a blog is no longer simply “content marketing” but more about infrastructure. It becomes the foundation for everything else. Your newsletter draws from it. Your LinkedIn posts expand on it. Your PR angles emerge from it. Even your sales conversations are sharpened by the clarity that comes from having articulated your thinking properly.

And yes, SEO still matters. I began my career in the era when blogging was heavily tied to search visibility. I wrote for keywords and tracked rankings obsessively. That layer still exists, but it has matured. SEO now rewards depth, internal linking, topical authority, and genuine expertise. A strategic blog supports all of that in a way sporadic social posts never will.

I often think the reason blogging fell out of favour is because it was done badly. It became a box-ticking exercise. Five hundred words on a generic topic, published monthly, with no clear audience in mind. Businesses were told they “needed content” and so they produced it, without asking why. At some point, it felt a little pointless, especially if you weren’t seeing an ROI.

How should you approach blogging for your business

If you’re thinking about blogging for your business in 2026, you need an editorial hat on. It should have clear themes that align with your services. When writing for your customer, answer their questions specifically. It should be optimised for search, but not in a robotic way. 

Your business blog should be slowly building authority, showing that you’re present in your industry and eventually becoming a reference for it.

So, does your business need a blog? 

If you rely on trust, probably.

If your clients research before buying, almost certainly.

If you are tired of relying solely on platforms that change their rules without notice, it is worth considering.

The golden era of blogging as a cultural trend has passed. We are not going back to personal essays about morning routines and coffee rituals (though, as I always say, a little behind the scenes activity has a place). But potential customers are looking for something useful.

Don’t think about a blog as chasing attention, reframe it as documenting the expertise that you/your team have. Over time, you will see the numbers rise. Create a body of work that search engines, AI tools and clients recognise as credible.

You don’t need a blog because everyone else has one.

You need one if you want your authority to exist somewhere solid.

If you need help with ideas or planning your business blog, I offer two-hour content strategy meetings that include a completed calendar once we’ve finished and can help you find the right stories for your audience that resonate. Please get in touch to find out more.

What Are You Planning For Your Q2 Content?

February 18th 2026

Halfway through Q1 and it feels like we’re still shaking off the dust from our New Year promises, right? However, as a copywriter I always have one eye towards the next quarter. I’ve been writing Q2 and even Q3 campaigns for the past few weeks.

Content strategy is one of the services I offer. Not only is it my role to write to a brief, but I can also provide themes and ideas that are relevant specifically to your audience. My previous blog like this (on Q4 content ideas) was a winner with my audience, so I thought I’d give a little help for the coming months. 

If your cursor is blinking and you are stuck on what to plan for the next quarter, I’ve prepared some ideas for you.

For Luxury Hospitality Hotels & Resorts

Digital Detox 

We all go on holidays to get away, but do we disconnect from all our devices? In 2026, that’s unlikely.

So how do you make your guests put their phone down?

Is it an Ayurvedic immersion where guests begin the day with warm herbal infusions and a consultation that explains why certain spices calm the nervous system? Or is it a more active reset, where mornings begin with a guided hike, afternoons involve deep tissue massages, and evenings revolve around nourishing dining that doesn’t leave you sluggish?

You can craft several posts from this with your kitchen playing a part. Why not share:

a) A recipe designed to support focus

b) A short film of herbs being picked from your garden before lunch service

c) A conversation with your spa director about how specific oils reduce mental fatigue

People have different interpretations of how to detox from modern life. For some it might be silence, but for others it might be the call of nature. 

Conservation (but don’t lecture)

Many of us are still interested in sustainability practices, even if we don’t want to hear about them.

Luxury increasingly means fewer people and more access. Smaller groups. Protected landscapes and exclusive experiences are expected.

If your property partners with local conservation projects, or operates its own garden, take guests into that world. What does it feel like to join a reef restoration walk? To collect eggs at sunrise? To cook with produce grown on site?

Island destinations such as Seychelles and safari-led stays in Zambia are showing that conservation-led travel are top of many luxury travellers' wishlists.

If you have an on-site farm, could you build a cookery class around it? Could you commission a guest to write about their experience harvesting ingredients before dinner? That perspective is far more powerful than a sustainability badge on a website footer.

Better Options For Teens 

Many hotels mention children’s programmes, but teenagers have been forgotten, even though they need a holiday too! The 13 to 17 age group does not want face painting, they want to feel like they fit in, but they also want independence. 

If your resort offers teen-focused programming, why not write more about it? Tell us about adventure days and surf lessons, turn the lens on your photography workshops. Or content creation sessions for those who want to make more of their devices.

Brands like Six Senses have begun to approach this age group with more intention, recognising that if teenagers are engaged, the entire family relaxes.

Q2 is when many families begin planning summer. This is a strong, and often overlooked, content angle.

A Day in the Life

Instead of another polished property overview, consider showing a full day through a photo book, a short film or perhaps a guest-written journal. Bring your audience into the feeling of your resort.

What time does the light hit the terrace? What does your breakfast buffet actually look like? Or is it served to their pool for a floating start? 

Where do guests retreat when the afternoon heat settles in? 

Give your guests something to imagine when they’re thinking about their next getaway.

For Small Businesses

Q2 is about business, everyone is in the thick of it. They want to be motivated and helped.

Explain How AI Helps Your Customers

AI is still a topic, but audiences are past the hype stage and they want specifics.

How are you actually using it? Have you automated invoicing? Does it summarise research on the types of carpet they liked last time they were browsing so they waste less time looking? Handling admin so you can focus on strategy?

If you can show your process, do. Where does AI step in for your company and which part still lies with you? Build their trust with transparency.

There is also increasing interest in ethical positioning. If you have boundaries around how you use AI, or where you refuse to use it, that stance is worth articulating. It draws the right audience for you.

Community Over Virality

Many small businesses are exhausted by algorithms.

Instead of chasing reach, lean into the audience you already have. Ask them what has helped them most this year. Share customer stories with context. Highlight transformations in a way that feels true to them.

Your community is worth a thousand viral reels, people buy into it, they don’t just scroll past. So speak to them about their needs and deliver what they are asking for.

Community is slower to build than a viral reel, but it is steadier.

Behind the Scenes

People buy from people, but they are quick to spot forced vulnerability.

Show the real mechanics of your work and your people at work. They want to see how you come together to plan an event. The ideas that don’t quite make it off the whiteboard, the laughs that the most outrageous ideas get. This year, all of our human messiness is being celebrated, because we’re all a little messy sometimes. 

If you run a service business, explain how a project moves from enquiry to delivery. Demystify your expertise. That alone can position you more clearly than any sales post.

Getting Your Content Right For Q2

We’re putting thought into the rest of the year in Q2, whether we’re travellers, copywriters, business owners or people who need those businesses.

Travellers are reconsidering how and where they rest, for how long and what they want to do with that time, even if it is mostly by the pool with resort activities. Founders are reconsidering how they work, who with and how they want to do it. Everyone is reviewing who they choose based on how attuned they are to their values.

Seasonal graphics are a part of the plan, but they are never the whole story, and in Q2 we need stories.

If you need help with ideas or planning your content, I offer two-hour content strategy meetings that include a completed calendar once we’ve finished and can help you find the right stories for your audience that resonate. Please get in touch to find out more.

How the Powerful Use Obfuscating Language in 2026

February 11th 2026

It’s all out there, all three MILLION pages of the Epstein files, finally. However, talk about flooding the zone. And that is just one of the many ways that they are keeping us occupied – when there’s so much to look at, what is true and what’s not? And who are they? 
Those in power.

I’m normally a grounded, rational person and I sound like a conspiracy theorist. Most of us who are generally sane are probably teetering towards that edge at the moment because of the rampant abuses of power in so many places.

But today I want to specifically talk about the language that’s being used. We’re used to politicians not answering questions directly, but now it’s everyone. And we’re not all familiar with crisis communications like Rachel in Traitors (UK, Season 4).

Those in power love to use careful phrasing that tells us nothing. No one is answering anything – they are creating shields for each other. They pay handsomely for communication experts to smooth the edges, dilute impact and if possible, redirect attention elsewhere.

Finding the right words to divert

You see, words always matter. And when the stakes are higher, such as in legal or political worlds, the language is sometimes about containment rather than straightforward communication. I preach about clarity, but in these rooms, they discuss insulation instead.

They use words such as “irregularities”, when they could be talking about illegalities. They talk about “oversight issues” deliberately being vague and shoving distance between the person making the speech and what they are talking about. It’s elusive and it’s designed to be.

Those who have moved in the corporate world are familiar with it. Press releases where companies “apologise for any inconvenience caused,” and emails where management tells us, “we are committed to learning from these experiences,” and we never hear anything again.

Remember we were told they’d “take the allegations seriously?” I’m not seeing much of that.

Our instincts know better

We recognise the inane patter and we know we’re being managed somehow. With a little critical thinking, we grasp that certain words are blurring the lines. Because it’s my job, I can decipher a sentence that has been engineered to avoid further scrutiny but it makes many people switch off.  

Brands, CEOS, politicians – whoever is in the spotlight – understand that being specific brings a risk. You can’t say – this will be dealt with on a particular day, because you’re leaving yourself open. Names can’t be named without 100% proof because it could prove costly. So they use passive language rather than active language, the concrete becomes abstract and evasion is far more important than accountability. That is, if you want to keep your job.

The signals

Check the tone. Look at what has been omitted. Is there suddenly legal phrasing where plain English would work? Ah, look how responsibility dissolves.

This isn’t unique to any one institution or moment, if you look back through history, you’ll see a pattern, especially out of the mouth of politicians (who it seems are never responsible for anything).

Once I began seeing it, it made me more cynical about the world because it’s absolutely everywhere, from government announcements on TV to the polished statements of people who have clearly been briefed by an agency, fully coiffed, as they deliver a script that says nothing while their droning seems endless.

Is it better to be aware? I’m not sure. I’m the type of person that has to be, regardless of how bad it is for my mental health.

I became a copywriter because of my love for language and attention to detail, so it doesn’t just stop. My voracious appetite for knowledge means I have to deep dive into everything that interests me.

So, below I’ve written some of the most common linguistic manoeuvres that surface whenever powerful people come under scrutiny without getting too specific.

1. Using passive voice (removing agency)

A classic move. Something happened, but apparently no one did it.

They use phrases like “procedures were not followed” or “concerns have been raised” to conjure a kind of grammatical fog for the audience. They’re acknowledging the event, but the actor has disappeared. It’s a linguistic sleight of hand that dissolves accountability simply by removing the subject of the sentence.

2. The non-denial denial

Oh, we’re all too familiar with these statements that sound like rebuttals but don’t actually refute anything.

“We have no record of…”
“We are not aware of…”
“At no point did we intend…”

The denial is so narrowly framed that it becomes meaningless. It’s a way of appearing definitive while leaving every important door swinging in the wind.

3. Euphemistic softening

High-stakes documents often reach for gentler language to describe serious matters.

“Irregularities.”
“Misjudgements.”
“Compromised processes.”

These phrases sand down the edges and turn the sharp reality into a malleable abstraction. They’re not quite lies though, are they?

4. Flooding the zone

I can say this with confidence, because Steve Bannon (oh, THAT paragon of decency) has discussed using this tactic. Trump employs it to great effect. 

They don’t have to hide information; they just have to drown you under so much of it that you’re floundering (i.e. 3 million pages).

Whenever there’s a large document dump of material that has mixed relevance. One minute we’re looking at emails discussing torture videos, the next we’re trying to figure out if pizza really means Italian food.

When everything is given importance, nothing is. Overwhelm is a strategy – tire us out so that the truth is buried.

5. “We take this seriously” 

Do you, though? It all depends on who you’re working for. This is a formula that acts like clearing your throat. 

When you hear:

“We take these matters seriously.”
“We are committed to transparency.”
“We will cooperate fully.”

Know that you’re listening to statements that signal taking responsibility without offering any. They’re just a gesture and I screw up my eyes when I hear them.

6. Strategic ambiguities 

When lawyers are called in, they use precise phrasing but these create a distance. They are constructions that don’t fully acknowledge, because they create more questions.

“To the best of our knowledge…”
“At the time in question…”
“It is alleged that…”

7. Redaction 

Omissions have a narrative function. When names are missing and documents are full of black bars then we fill in the gaps, and we might get it wrong. 

But what are they hiding? Sometimes it’s worse than we imagine. Sometimes our minds create things that aren’t true, because they fit with our view of events. The fact is, without all the information, it’s impossible to know the reality.

8. Telling us how to feel

Pre-emptive reframing looks like this:

“It’s important to remember that…”
“In the broader context…”
“Historically, these processes…”

This language acts as a cushion to soften the landing of the horrible thing they precede. They’re an excuse.
 

Rhetorical redirection

Of course, there may come a time that you need to use some of these obfuscations and hopefully I’ve provided a lesson. I aim to use language to connect, but this is showing how it’s also a tool to conceal. 

More and more, I see that powerful people are using language not to be understood, but to remain untouched (except Musk, if ever there was a man unbothered by semantics, it’s him).

We’re hungry for plain clarity because it’s stressful always trying to read between the lines.

Honesty has become an expensive luxury. People are paid for their silence. 

But I think that the words choosing to obscure reveal that there’s something there to be hidden. In the paper trail, words slip through that give us hints to the enormity – far-reaching, heads of state, complex. 

And words will unravel them all.

If you need to find the right words, please get in touch.

From Writing About Resorts to Waking Up in One

February 4th 2026

Those of you who keep half an eye on my LinkedIn or other social media will know that I’m just back from a trip to India and Sri Lanka. Specifically, I spent the final days of my trip in Kalutara. 

I decided to check into Avani Kalutara Resort for my last few days to give myself a full rest and reset before the journey home. And honestly, where better than a hotel I write for? Who would I be if I didn’t experience the very thing I spend so much time imagining on the page.

In the previous few weeks, there had been planes, trains, wedding celebrations, early starts, long drives, crowded cities, backwater tours, and more curry than any one person needs to consume in a single fortnight. I can’t complain, but I was ready for some downtime. I’ve learnt from previous travels that you need to schedule breaks and that doesn’t mean just a 30-minute foot massage on a busy day.

A copywriting collaboration that began a decade ago

The first time I wrote resort copy for Avani Kalutara was back in 2016, the same year I signed with Minor Hotels. Avani was undergoing a rebrand at the time, and I worked on the website copy for the property as part of my retainer. Thankfully, I had already spent several weeks in Sri Lanka, much of it on the southwest coast, so the landscape and the feel of the place were familiar. It’s part of my role to dream up the experience from the branding and imagery, but this was grounded in my own encounters too. 

Over time, my remit expanded. More hotels came into the mix, other regions took priority, and Sri Lanka slipped out of my day-to-day work for several years. Until last year, when Kavisha Wickramasekera, someone I had already built a strong working relationship with while copywriting for a luxury resort in the Maldives, became Cluster Marketing and Communications Manager for Minor’s Sri Lanka properties. And just like that, Avani Kalutara found its way back into my working life.

Putting aside my role as a copywriter and becoming a guest

Although it’s very hard to turn my brain off, the arrival helped immerse me into the role of guest.

From the moment my tuk tuk turned into the driveway, I felt excitement stir. I caught glimpses of the lagoon I reference in room copy, tropical foliage lining the approach and birdsong filling the air. 

I was greeted by Rovindi from Guest Relations, who guided me to a seat and brought over my check-in form on a clipboard. Shortly after, a gentleman whose name I sadly missed appeared with a cool towel and a glass of fresh strawberry and guava juice, which has now become a firm favourite. 

Check-in was effortless, and I was in my room earlier than expected. I had requested a lagoon view but somehow, I ended up with a bit of both lagoon and sea. I could have simply sat on the balcony gazing at the view for an hour or two.

Switching off by the pool

I changed quickly and headed straight for the pool. I had been travelling for almost two weeks and still hadn’t managed to get a proper swim!

When you work with a brand consistently, you can’t help but notice the details that reinforce it. The purple pillows. The tone of voice on the collateral. Coasters declaring “Drinks on Me”. Cotton bud wrappers labelled “Best Buds”. None of which I can take credit for, sadly, but all of which made me smile. Brand consistency is one thing on a screen, but as the Avani tagline reminds us, the details matter.

Local food exploration

After my swim, I headed to Mangrove restaurant for lunch, which looks out over the pool area and the beach beyond. I opted for the buffet, partly because I was hungry, and partly because I wanted to try a bit of everything, especially their local specialities. They had devilled fish, a rich, spicy dish beloved by Sri Lankans. I had spied the fish thali station where you could build your own plate with an impressive array of pickles and condiments on my way in, and I intended to try all of them. My mouth is still tingling at the thought.

I spent the early afternoon reading by the pool, appreciating the sun on my bones (but also under an umbrella because I have a typical Celtic complexion). I’d brought Livid by Patricia Cornwell, which turned out to be an excellent poolside thriller. 

Once I’d fully settled, I wandered down to the beach. Banana boats skimmed past, I could see fishermen on the horizon, and everything was just the picture of harmony. 

I returned to the pool for another swim because at this point, why wouldn’t I?

A spectacular Sri Lankan sunset

I hadn’t planned to watch the sunset but it crept up on me first on the walk back to my room as it glowed over a low dune. Then I sat on the balcony watching the rays trickle across the sea, casting pink and orange hues in every direction and hearing the call to prayer in the distance.

After I freshened up (excellent rain shower), I set off for dinner via the wooden deck walkway that connects Avani Kalutara to its sister property, Anantara Kalutara. As the clouds rolled in and thunder murmured in the distance, gentle lanterns lit my meandering pathway adding natural romance to the air. Passing Spice Traders restaurant and Anantara Spa in the half-light, I wished I had longer in this stunning sanctuary.

Italian dining in a rainstorm

Dinner was at Acquolina, the Italian restaurant at Anantara Kalutara, which overlooks the adult-only infinity pool. I had read good things, and after almost two weeks of near continuous curry consumption, I had reached the point where I could confidently say there is too much of a good thing. 

I ordered the Linguine al Granchio Bianco. I felt crab was non-negotiable when dining on the Sri Lankan coast.  Sadly, it was Poya, the full moon Buddhist observance day, so I couldn’t have a glass of crisp white wine, but the pasta was light, lemony and utterly delightful.

While dining, the tropical rainstorm that had been threatening broke in sensational fashion. The team rushed to let down the side coverings of the restaurant, but I still had a fantastic view of the angry black skies and palms swaying ferociously in the wind. It was pure cinema.

A quiet night of restorative sleep

Back in my room, I opted for a night in. One of the underrated pleasures of hotel stays is a grand comfy bed and proper television. Avani Kalutara has a surprisingly comprehensive in-room movie catalogue. Thrillers, family films and romantic options curated for February, the month of love. After a day in the sun, I drifted off during a film and slept extremely well.

I had planned the next day to perfection to make the most of my last hours. I woke early, did some work, and headed straight down for a swim. At 8am, the pool was almost empty. I snagged a prime spot poolside and got in several laps before drying off in the already warm air. Twenty five degrees and climbing.

Morning pleasures

Breakfast time. I’m a huge fan of a hotel breakfast buffet, because it feels like tapas. I know it’s a privilege and I don’t waste food, but I definitely taste a little of almost everything. More strawberry and guava juice. Fresh guava, watermelon, honey melon, starfruit and the little lemon bananas I adore. I ordered an egg hopper by one of the chefs, crisp at the edges and light and fluffy at its centre. I had an apricot Danish and a cup of tea to finish it off.

After breakfast, I returned to my laptop for a while, easing back into work mode before one final paddle in the Arabian Sea and another few lengths in the pool. I was kindly given a late check-out, which meant I didn’t have to rush. I stayed poolside until 1pm, collecting a few extra freckles on my otherwise stubbornly pale complexion. Hopefully this provides some proof to people at home that I have been in the sun. 

Copywriting research (but also a treat)

This stay was not sponsored, gifted, or requested by Avani Kalutara Resort or Minor Hotels. I paid, I stayed, I rested. It’s helpful for me to understand the guest experience – but yes, it was also a treat (and after paying a rather large tax bill, I think I deserve it!)

If you’re looking for a hotel copywriter for 2026 (or 2027), please get in touch.

Fun Facts About Your Friendly Irish Copywriter

January 20th 2026

You’re probably reading this while I’m on a plane. “Of course,” you think, because you know that it isn’t unusual for me to be travelling, especially during the winter month. But this time, I’m off to a brand new destination – India. 

My journey to India feels long awaited. Around 15 years ago, a boyfriend (at the time, a distant memory now) and I planned a houseboat trip to Kerala that never transpired because I couldn’t get the time off work. Then in 2018, I was supposed to attend my friend Jessie’s wedding around an hour from Mumbai. That time I made it to the airport, to discover that one single digit on my visa was wrong – ruining the whole trip. I won’t dwell.

An exciting set of nuptials

This time, I’m going to my cousin Hannah’s wedding to Mahi in Varkala. My friend Rachel is travelling with me so we can do some Ayurveda and sightseeing after the wedding celebrations.

The suitcase is packed; I have every type of mosquito repellent you can imagine, from plug-ins to sprays, lotions and wristbands and I’m beginning to get excited, which normally doesn’t happen until we’re wheels up. And it’s January, you probably don’t want to slog through another article on copywriting in the third week, especially if it’s still on your list to plan for 2026.

Things about me 

So, I decided to share some things you may not know about me, a short list that gives you more information on WHO I am, rather than just what I do. 

* I've played poker since my primary school principal taught me how to play on a train when I was 11 years old. I came 5th in a tournament in Vegas in 2016 (not as good a story as first, but it's honest). When I used to play regularly in Ireland (around the early ‘00s), a young woman at the table attracted more attention than it does now. I’m not young either.

* I used to debate in German. Now, I can just about read a newspaper article. Despite doing French in school, college and on later courses, I can barely order food and drinks.

Music, food and charity

* I play piano, but I didn't have the handspan or discipline to be a concert pianist. I don’t practice as much as I should, but I also don’t own a piano. Eventually I will indulge myself, buy one and spend time playing for pleasure.

* Cooking is a huge stress reliever for me, which I discovered during lockdown. I cooked before that, but it was more functional. My go-to dishes are Thai - pad krapow, larb, green curry etc due to the need to recreate the scents and tastes of my former home in Chiang Mai. I know I’m not the best chef in my family – my sister, Mum and Dad would have to fight the overall title, as they can all whip up a tasty meal.

* I volunteer at music festivals every year to raise money for charity. These have included Shindig (never again), Bearded Theory, Standon Calling, BigFoot and Glastonbury. 

While I have raised money for Shelter and Mind previously, over the past few years my preferred charity is the Smith-Magenis Syndrome Foundation UK, which I do through My Cause UK, an organisation that brings volunteers to festivals while allowing us to make an impact for smaller charities that don’t get the exposure that big charities do.

Less fun, but unexpected

* My front teeth are not my own, due to a rather traumatic bike accident in 2014 in Thailand, where I was living and teaching at Chiang Mai University. A songteaow crashed into me at a crossroads junction and I went flying over the scooter onto the ground. I had a helmet on, but it didn’t have a full face covering. (I realise this isn’t that ‘fun’ a fact!)

* Liam Gallagher said hello to me at Dublin Airport once. He was with the diminutive Nicole Appleton and due to the timing, I assumed he was on his way to the Oxegen music festival, which ran in Ireland for around eight years. He just walked straight out of arrivals and gave me a “Hiya,” in his Mancunian drawl.

Maybe he thought we were related? It’s more likely he thought I was his driver.

* I once enthusiastically greeted the chef Marco Pierre White (in his chef whites) on the street beside Jumeirah Beach Residences in Dubai and he gave me a bemused look, then looked back laughing to see if I'd realised who he was, which led to me giving a little shriek when it sunk in.

* Before I started my career as a freelance copywriter, I had various roles in business development, PR and hospitality.

There will be no blog next week as I am on holiday, but please come back or book a chat in early February.

Now you know a little more about me. If I sound like the type of person you’d like to work with in 2026, please get in touch.

Academic Editing on Belittled Citizens: The Cultural Politics of Childhood on Bangkok’s Margins by Giuseppe Bolotta

January 14th 2026

I have been editing academic work for over 15 years, but some projects get deeply ingrained in your being and have a more profound effect than others. This isn’t just a story about editing a book on anthropology, but an interpersonal relationship that changed my life.

Beginning in early 2015, this shows how trust and long-distance collaboration can become foundations for some of the best work.  Serious scholarship is never glib or half-dash and through working on one book, three things evolved – the work itself and the two people collaborating on it.

The editing client

Giuseppe Bolotta and I were introduced in early 2015, when I was a part-time lecturer at Chiang Mai University in northern Thailand. A colleague of mine, Rika, approached me about her mentor and friend, Giuseppe Bolotta, who was seeking someone to edit his academic articles. Rika was aware that I carried out some academic editing in my spare time and she was happy to recommend me.

At the time, Giuseppe was a post-doc living between Bangkok and Singapore. His research was already well underway, built on years of fieldwork in Bangkok’s informal settlements (otherwise called ‘slums’). 

We started with journal articles, which is often how PhD and post-cod students raise their profile. For me as an editor, it’s a test – will I grasp the client’s style, language and voice?  

Not long after, Giuseppe asked whether I would be interested in working with him on a book manuscript that had been developing alongside his fieldwork. The research was there. What he wanted was help shaping it into a coherent academic monograph without flattening the life out of it.

Editing a book over time

Over the next few years, I edited Belittled Citizens in sections as Giuseppe shared them. This is typical of long-form academic editing, particularly when the author is also teaching, researching, and publishing on a regular basis.

As an academic editor, I had to be careful not to rewrite any of his thoughts. I had to ensure continuity across chapters that were written months (and maybe years) apart and identify areas where his point needed clarity. I had to underline parts where the work needed to be more fluid and explain where it needed to be more precise. It’s a fine balance and I’m pleased to say we made a good team.

Being an academic editor is technical, and some will find it unexciting. You need a firm grasp of structure and deep understanding of the author’s thesis and how to protect that while strengthening the work. 

When the professional life overlaps

About two and a half years into our collaboration, our lives crossed in an unexpected way.

Giuseppe had been offered a position at a university in Dublin and was looking for somewhere to live. That is how he ended up as a lodger at my parents’ house for over a year.

I remember welcoming him off the airport bus in October 2017. It felt like meeting an old friend, even though it was technically the first time we had met in person. And that sparked the beginning of our real life friendship, which continues over eight years later.

This level of personal overlap is not necessary for academic editing to work; however I think it highlights the trust we had built from spending time on his manuscript – I had been privy to his life’s most important work to date.

Why this book mattered to me as an editor

Although editing is not a creative process in the traditional sense, I could not help but be inspired by the life Giuseppe had lived while carrying out his research.

He first arrived in Bangkok as a psychology student, where he lived among children growing up in some of the poorest conditions imaginable around the railway tracks on the outskirts of the city. He integrated into the community there, befriending the locals and being treated as one of their own. Later, he began studying anthropology, and through that lens he began to see children not as abstract subjects of policy or protection, but as distinct humans with agency.

Giusepe’s writing resists the way many Western institutions frame childhood. The children in his work were not passive recipients of care or discipline. They were navigating religion, education, state power, NGOs, and social media with striking awareness.

A lay summary of Belittled Citizens

At its core, Belittled Citizens asks deceptively simple questions.

What does childhood mean in contemporary Thailand?
What does childhood look like in a Bangkok slum?
How does childhood shape ideas of national citizenship?

Through rich ethnographic detail, the book explores the daily lives of children born in Bangkok’s informal settlements. It looks at how they define themselves in relation to schools, Buddhist temples, Christian NGOs, state institutions, international aid organisations, and social media.

Giuseppe uses childhood as a context to make sense of broader political, religious, and economic transformations in Thai society. Bangkok’s slums may appear as the marginal spaces of society, but they are also political arenas where local, national, and global forces converge and clash.

Crucially, the book shows how children themselves participate in social change. Their efforts to understand who they are, in an era of authoritarian rule, reflect the wider tensions facing Thailand’s urban poor.

The book argues that childhood in Thailand is not just a stage of life, but a political category and one that has been fundamental to the military state’s power (and potentially to its undoing). More broadly, it shows how paying attention to children, who are usually excluded from political analysis, can produce insights that unsettle how we understand contemporary Southeast Asian societies.

Continuing work in anthropology and academic publishing

Through Giuseppe, I have continued to work with colleagues past and present of his, including a period editing for Antropologia, the quarterly journal of the Italian Society for Cultural Anthropology (SIAC).

Alongside this, I have worked with undergraduate students, MA students, PhD candidates, post-docs, and assistant professors across Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and Europe. Much of this involves thesis editing, dissertation editing, and academic journal article editing, often for scholars writing in a second or third language.

I find it just as important to understand the expectations of different academic systems, disciplines, and review cultures and have discovered that unspoken rules matter more than most style guides admit.

An unexpected step in the editing process

As is normal, when the manuscript was picked up by the publisher, they sent it to an editor of their choice for a final polish. However, Giuseppe discovered that this editor had removed sections vital to the work and was changing words that meant the meaning of certain parts changed entirely. Thus, at the publisher’s request, I had to treat the work once more and finally, it was ready to go.

The book’s release

In 2021, Belittled Citizens received his release – the culmination of years of Giuseppe’s work, which was groundbreaking in his discipline.

Reviewers from global scholars and academics described it as a superb ethnography and “must-read” for understanding modern Thailand. It has also been recommended as a core teaching text, which is highly impressive for a first-time academic author. 

I took particular joy in many people calling it “accessible” as that was an integral part of my role as editor, but the credit belongs to Giuseppe in creating an astounding work that appeals to anyone wishing to learn more about dek salaam (slum children), politics in the slums and the institutions that surround them, plus Thailand’s social make-up.

Seeking an academic editor?

If you are working on a thesis, dissertation, or academic article and are looking for an experienced academic editor who understands both language and structure, I can help.

Advance notice is helpful, particularly for work over 10,000 words, so we can finetune your work to the highest standards.

If you’d like to read Belittled Citizens: The Cultural Politics of Childhood on Bangkok’s Margins, you’ll find it here.

I’m a native English-speaking editor with over 15 years’ experience. If you need help with your thesis, dissertation or any articles in 2026, please get in touch.

Q & A with a Senior Copywriter: The Top Questions for 2026

January 7th 2026

Almost a week of 2026 has passed, though it feels a little like I’m not the only one whose engine isn’t purring yet. It’s probably become a common refrain for those who read this blog, but I simply didn’t get enough time off over the festive period. So while I didn’t have the chaos or circus of over-consumption, I also didn’t achieve a reset. But it will come – this time in two weeks I’ll land in Cochin, India and I’m taking my much sought-after break then.

For this first blog of the year, I thought I would style it like a Q&A. These are genuine questions that people have asked me recently (two of them are from calls this week!) and I think they’re a good indicator of the relevant questions about copywriting in 2026.

1. Do I need a copywriter in 2026?

I’m obviously biased, but I’ll make my point.

Do you need any old words on a page? Then any old person or LLM can write them.

However, do you need an expert salesperson who understands human motive, emotion and why we buy?

Do you need clarity instead of waffle?

Do you need firm decision-making?

Do you need someone who understands your audience?

LLMs (I am specific about this, because AI covers a much broader range than just these models) are excellent at data and research. You may find their grammar impeccable. But copywriting? That’s a human skill, and if you don’t want to sound like everyone else, you need someone skilled at writing for (and to) individuals. So, yes, in 2026, more than ever you need an expert copywriter with global knowledge.

2. Is AI affecting your role as a copywriter?

Whether you want to bury your head under a pile of hardback books or join the ‘we must adapt’ crew, there is no getting away from it.

Short answer, it has an effect but probably not how you think. I have found in the past three years that my clients truly understand the value of a copywriter and how we make a difference. As far as I’m aware, I only lost one tiny piece of business where they thought they could use AI to write something ‘just as good’ as I could. You might blame me for not educating the client to understand why I do a better job; however, I believe that sometimes it isn’t worth wasting my time. Particularly when a higher-paying and more interesting opportunity comes along almost immediately.

This is a topic I could probably write an entire blog on, but I’m just going to mention one other thing. I believe that LLMs have made me a better writer, but also not how you think. Because of what we now deem as ‘AI slop’, I am purposely exercising my creativity more, scribbling outside the lines and constantly trying to find different words rather than relying on the favoured ‘elevate’, ‘revolutionise’ and ‘vibrant’. 

3. What’s your top copywriting tip so I don’t sound the same as everyone else in my industry?

I feel like this question used to be rhetorical, but now it’s oh so true. 

It’s OK to disappoint the people you aren’t for!

If brands sound the same, (excluding the obvious reason so I’m not repeating myself), it may be that you don’t actually know your audience or are afraid of excluding anyone. Being inclusive is excellent, but if you are clear about what you stand for, you don’t waste anyone’s time. 

I believe that strong copy is assured, written with confidence directly to the intended audience. You need to grab people initially, but then make them lean in.

Ask yourself if your brand voice could belong to anyone else. If your answer is yes, then it isn’t YOUR brand voice.

4. Can you just rewrite what we already have?

Of course I can, but I need to ask the right questions first.

   a) Who was it written for originally? Has that audience changed?

   b) What problem is it meant to solve? What has changed since?

Before you rewrite, you need to rethink. The world moves at warp speed – platforms change, our attention has changed. Has your context changed?

It’s usually better to start over. Tweaks can often appear like a patchwork quilt and it’s better to unify your strategy.

But that doesn’t ALWAYS apply and that’s why I run a ‘Clarify Your Copy’ service, which isn’t about rewriting but clarifying your direction and ensuring that your copy is speaking to its intended audience how they like to be spoken to.

5. What does authenticity mean in 2026?

Back in 2024, I wrote a post on my LinkedIn about how authenticity had been murdered, and in a way, my opinion hasn’t changed. The word itself is overused, however, we all still need to be ‘real’, and I would argue that we have to do even more of this in 2026.

What does that mean? I believe that we have to show more of the mess, get more playful if that’s part of our personality and shed the polish. We need to show how we are human because that’s what people respond to. And if that isn’t always perfect, that’s ok. The perfection we all sought a few years ago has grown tiresome and we’re seeking out the slightly more dishevelled now, in all the content we scroll.

And finally, what makes good copywriting in 2026?

First, respect your reader. Pretty much everyone is online now, and they can handle some nuance. 

Find the right words to tell your readers the truth – this will help them trust you.

Meet your potential customers where they are and be informed about which context they are receiving you.

Don’t try too hard to impress your audience, you will not fool them.

Copywriting is collaborative and sometimes it feels a little uncomfortable to start with. (I can see the thought bubbles of some clients wondering, “Why is she asking me so many questions?”) To touch on the LLM topic again, the machine doesn’t bring you questions – you have to tell it what questions to ask in order to get the right results, so maybe the humans still have the edge.

I offer a range of copywriting services for businesses, from writing websites for start-ups to acting as a content strategist for SMEs. 

I am looking to take on at least one new retainer from mid-February 2026. I am open to conversations with brands looking for an experienced copywriter to find the right words for your brand voice or website this year. And yes, I’ll be asking a lot of questions.

I’m a UK-based copywriter for hospitality and SMEs, with over 12 years’ experience. If you need help with your web copy, blogs or content strategy for 2026, please get in touch.

My Wrap-Up of Copywriting in 2025

December 17th 2025

Every December I attempt to look back over the year to see what I have achieved as a business. I then remind myself that my notetaking could be better. You see, while I’m good at my accounts, usually that’s what remains – a collection of invoices and spreadsheets as my reminder. So, it’s taken a concerted effort (and the help of Gemini) to reflect on one of my busiest years to date. 

I started with a plan, and you know what they say about planning? No, not that one, the quote from Robert Burns poem, which reads “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley.” If you aren’t familiar with this, it basically means that they’re likely to go awry. And you know, that’s nearly always what happens, but I’ll plan anyway – and take the curveballs in my stride.

Here's a quick round-up for those interested:

Luxury hotel copywriting: the bulk of the work

When I started out as a freelance copywriter in 2013, SMEs were my core business. Writing for luxury hospitality was a dream that I wasn’t quite sure I could reach as I believed it was likely oversaturated with writers – being quite desirable. Who doesn’t want to dream about the sweet embrace of soft linens or drawing back the curtains to see the ocean rolling towards the shore?

If I had a crystal ball, I probably still couldn’t have foreseen that in 2025, I would act as a copywriter for 49 hotels across 20 different brands in 19 countries. 

That work ranged from a full website for a new luxury tented camp suspended over a river in Zambia to the relaunch of a chic Seychelles beachfront resort after its extensive renovation and ongoing copy for offers, brochures and emails across luxury and lifestyle brands in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Early in the year, I also worked on a regional Ramadan eDM campaign, a season that I hold precious memories of from my time in Dubai.

Alongside this, I managed a full hotel website for a new brand taking over a UAE property, prepared press kits for new openings, including Montenegro, and handled dozens of award submissions for properties I have worked with for years. Awards submissions aren’t the most glamorous side of hospitality copywriting, but my commitment to research and highlighting what matters most helped several teams and managers to victory.

Press releases and brand storytelling

A couple of my retainers were solely focused on writing press releases, and another quite staggering figure emerges. Across hospitality and other sectors, I completed 62 press releases covering everything from green growth initiatives to art and design in European cities.

Publications are always seeking new stories, so getting the hook right as well as maintaining clarity and being concise while in the brand’s voice are important too.

For a few years, I wasn’t a fan of these types of pieces, but after this year, I’ve honed that skill more sharply, and it’s nice to have some growth!

Business and sustainability writing

Outside hospitality, I wrote 25 articles for a variety of publications including The Ethicalist, covering topics such as regulations in the built environment, sustainable transport, and the more useful ways AI can support environmental progress.

Obviously writing longer-form differs from copywriting. I have to expound on complex ideas without using jargon and make it interesting enough to engage the reader. 

When I’m in my role as a sustainability writer, I value projects that trust the reader’s intelligence and do not try to scare or sell them into caring.

I also developed LinkedIn content for a logistics firm and continued executive branding work under a new retainer, adding another layer of strategic thinking to the year.

Editing books 

One of the most meaningful projects of the year was editing Carmen Audino’s book Why do I still think about you? Carmen sought out my developmental editing services in January and we worked together for a few months to refine the structure, tone, and clarity of her manuscript.

This magnificent book is part self-help, part personal reflection, and it truly was an honour to be trusted with it. To edit someone’s lived experience is a privilege. I was careful to be honest yet kind and Carmen was a fantastic client. The book is a testament to her, and I urge you to get a copy.

Copywriting for SMEs

This took a little bit of a backseat this year, which I’m sad about, but as you can see – I didn’t have much time. It also meant I had to reduce my networking activities, and I’ve missed connecting with other people who run smaller businesses. 

Running my copywriting services for small businesses is rooted in wanting to help people, especially those who are experts in their field but need to find the right words. I have an upcoming ‘Clarify Your Copy’ session and I’m looking forward to greasing those cogs again.

Travel? Yes, and creeping burnout

Everyone knows that I pack in a lot of travel over the year. Early on, I had a two-week stretch in Dubai with ten days of back-to-back meetings, which was brilliant but exhausting. Thankfully I escaped to the peaceful Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah for a couple of days, a restorative break by the lagoons in a resort I have known since pre-opening.

In the summer, I volunteered at a few festivals including Glastonbury and The Beat-Herder. Some wonder why I give up precious time off to work for free, but it’s a great reset in my perspective and always for a worthy cause.

Burnout began creeping in early this year. I have to thank my main sub-contractor, Russ, for everything he has helped with. It allows me to manage my schedule, take on the work I like to do and take those rare days off.

Looking ahead

I am hugely grateful to everyone I worked with this year, especially the clients and collaborators I work with regularly. I’ve had one retainer that will be ten years old this January, which is a success story on its own. I have picked up a few six month retainers this year, and said goodbye to one that lasted 18 months, but I value each one for the work, the relationships and the lessons they have taught me.

I will be looking to take on at least one new retainer from February 2026. I do have two calls lined up this week that may well fill that space, but I am always open to conversations with brands looking for a luxury hospitality writer or a copywriter to craft the right wording for your brand voice or website.

I’ve a lot to finish this week and it just keeps coming. So I’m very much looking forward to a sleep-in for four days in a row over Christmas. I won’t be having a ‘quick look’ at my laptop and I will have too many mince pies!

Wishing you all a warm and wonderful festive season, however you celebrate.

I’m a UK-based copywriter for hospitality and SMEs, with over 12 years’ experience. If you need help with your web copy, blogs or content strategy for 2026, please get in touch.

What a Copywriter Wants for Christmas

December 10th 2025

I’ll admit, this blog was inspired by Jennifer Curulli, the very talented designer behind March & Bloom. Every year she puts together a gift guide that you wish was printed because it would look so good on your coffee table. If you’re not signed up to her Sketchbook, I highly recommend it – it’s a thing of beauty. 

My gift list will not be quite as beautiful, but it comes from the heart. Let’s call it the slightly dishevelled cousin of her gift guide.

For the record, I will always recommend shopping local where you can. It is easier on the planet, and you get to support real people instead of filling another massive cart online. But if you are wondering what might delight the copywriter in your life, whether it is your friend, brother or that funny aunt who knows what an interrobang is, here are a few ideas:

1. Tea. Buckets of the stuff, as we say in Ireland.

Some copywriters are powered by coffee; I am not one of them. I am a tea drinker, and even that didn’t really become a thing until Covid lockdown, I think it was just a way of breaking up the afternoon. Now, I love a cuppa to haul me over the finish line. 

Recently, I discovered Bird & Blend in Manchester and they have me, "cup, bag and strainer"! I recommend their Deep Breaths blend for when a deadline is looming and your copywriter friend’s brain is scrambled. It tastes soothing and reassuring, almost like someone telling you it will all get done eventually, even if you have just rewritten the same paragraph five times.

2. A good book, obviously.

I often refer to reading as an occupational hazard, but it’s true! Every copywriter I know has at least three books on the go at any time. Piles on the bedside table. Another stack near the desk. A shelf under the telly and a secret stash in the kitchen (just me?). We all read because we love it, and luckily it gives us the ideas we need to carry us through in our job too!

My top picks this year for the copywriter in your life?

Copywriting Is by Andrew Boulton
I’m happy to recommend this book to all copywriters because Andrew isn’t afraid of personality. This book is full of pithy observations and occasionally crushing realisations about how much we contribute to the world and I love picking it up when I’m feeling a little uninspired. Usually I’m deep in luxury hospitality copywriting and I love it, but when it all seems like A LOT, I appreciate the honesty of this book.  

All Fours by Miranda July
Published in 2024 and rightly praised everywhere, this book follows a semi-famous artist who abandons her family during a road trip and checks into a motel, beginning a strange and intimate spiral of events. 

I found that July writes with a playful irreverence that makes you laugh in one breath and wince the next. My fellow English-speaking copywriters will appreciate the way she bends the tone, pivoting from comic to unsettling in a single line.

That should keep you busy for a while. And if you are feeling generous, throw in a bookmark, something I tend to lose easily.

Photo by The Lazy Artist Gallery

3. Anything that saves us time

Deadlines are a permanent fixture in a copywriter’s life. If you’re me, you will often find yourself working late finishing website copy for hotels in Muscat or Grand Anse. Others spend evenings writing taglines for clients in different time zones. Whatever the project, time is the one thing we never have enough of.

So a gift that hands us a little bit of time back is thoughtful. A Deliveroo gift card is always welcome, particularly on nights when cooking is wishful thinking. Or, even better, a few hours of virtual assistance. I have mentioned Susie before, my brilliant VA from Eden Assistants, and I am simply forever grateful for her help. So why not buy a frazzled copywriter a voucher? A bit of admin taken off our plate can change the whole week.

Give us back time and we will talk about you fondly forever.

4. A candle to make the workspace a little more fragrant

Most copywriters work from home, at least every one that I know (bar one). We sit at the same desk most days, looking at the same wall, typing away while snacking far too often. I’ve loved candles all my life, but I started to use them more frequently when working from home. It adds a little intention to the workspace. 

Anygreenwilldo has a gorgeous vegan candle range, each one inspired by a place. I have my eye on the India candle, scented with lime, basil and mandarin. I am heading that way next month, so consider this research. Also, candles are more expensive than you think, so receiving one feels like a small luxury. Shoutout to Jeanette for stocking them.

5. Socks. Yes, Really.

This one sounds basic but hear me out. Copywriters sit for hours. Seconds upon minutes upon hours. We probably don’t stand as much as we should and our feet get cold. So, I love cosy socks.

I’m loving this selection from Chatty Feet with names like Edgar Allan Toe and Virginia Wool. These are gifts that warm the toes and the soul. 

Wrapping up, or trying to

That is my unpolished, slightly chaotic copywriter Christmas guide, which will hopefully help you if you have a copywriter in your life. Remember, pens and notebooks are absolutely fine but these gifts will make us feel seen. 

We do not need anything extravagant. We just want small things that make our working days a little brighter, especially when the days are as dark as this (weather-wise).

I’m a UK-based copywriter for small businesses, with over 12 years’ experience. If you need help with your web copy, blogs or content strategy for 2026, please get in touch.

Is Luxury a Place or a Feeling?

December 3rd 2025

I have spent a fair chunk of my career writing about luxury destinations – hotels in The Maldives, UAE’s lavish resorts and Thailand’s seafront sanctuaries. All the kinds of places people save up for or daydream about on their commute. All of these are beautiful and every single one is worth visiting for its spectacular beauty or architecture. However, there is definitely a sense that they sit in a higher bracket of budget – you need some pennies (or many) to go there. And last week, as I travelled to one of Europe’s high-end destinations, it made me ponder – does this increase our expectations? If we’re splashing out to go somewhere, then we demand comfort, convenience and a little bit extra, don’t we? 

Reunions in the Rain

Last week, I flew into Naples on a grey afternoon. It all ran pretty smoothly – from clambering into a taxi at 6:00 am when it was -5 degrees to landing in a slightly warmer city in the early afternoon. Having worked at Manchester Airport and on the three-hour plane ride, I felt pretty relaxed and organised due to my early start.

I was meeting my friend’s partner, Rob, for the first time at Garibaldi station. There is nothing like meeting someone new in a chaotic Italian train station to shake off any social nerves. We found each other easily and made our way to the platform just as a thunderstorm rolled in. Of course it did.

We chatted on the platform as we waited for the train. Then it pulled in, creaking and whining as if it had been operating for decades. Flickering lights, doors that need a good pull to close. And of course, it just stopped randomly, for ages, with no announcements. It could have been foreboding, but it didn’t feel it. Eventually we pulled into Pompeii. The rain came down harder, the sky a little darker, and we headed for cover.

Shortly after, we met Zach and Mandy, who I hadn’t seen in six years! 

I met them in a bar in Dublin years ago when I offered them tequila shots that my friend had just bought and I didn’t fancy, at all. I should mention this was 5:00 pm on a Sunday and we were off to see a fringe theatre performance. After the show, we returned to discover our new-found drinking buddies and little did I know but new friendships were born. Since then, we have linked up in cities such as London and Bangkok, had Covid Zoom parties and despite the miles between us, always kept the spark of friendship alive.

Sorrento in the Rain, Positano in the Sun

The four of us were staying in Sorrento, so after hugs and quick catch ups in Pompeii we jumped on another train and headed south through the dark. Sorrento was soaked when we arrived, but I still was swept away by the magic of its historic centre and a quintessential welcome and warming meal at La Maison Douche, where the kind proprietor plied me with Italian wine.  

The next day brought a slightly heavy head and a winding bus ride to Positano. I’m not a fan of high and steep roads, in spite of the breathtaking views, but I trust bus drivers who spend years driving those routes, so we hopped aboard for our journey. 

Positano is one of those Italian towns tucked into the cliff that you picture when southern Italy is mentioned. Pastel buildings stacked along the rock, quaint streets with mosaic tiles, everything that looks like a Technicolor dream.

We made our way along the paths descending towards the Mediterranean, marvelling at its aquamarine hue that only nature can perfect. We poked our heads into citrus-scented shops and snapped photos of artwork and churches. When we started to feel peckish, we found a little place by the sand and ordered pizza, watching the waves spray across the pier. We shared stories, watched pigeons, laughed a lot and contemplated life on the coast of Italy.

A Sunny Day in Capri

The following morning we caught the ferry to Capri, which was a much bigger boat than I expected. Although the temperatures were cool, we couldn’t have asked for clearer skies. We disembarked and simply took in the view for a bit, then decided that it was time for coffee (or juice in my case). 

The scenery in Capri could only be described as idyllic and island life, though there was a murmuring of locals on the streets, appears to move at a gentle pace. It’s famous for sights such as the Blue Grotto and it’s long been a favourite of film and music stars, from Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn to more recently Beyoncé and Rihanna (though sadly, not spotted shopping together).

We took a funicular from Marina Grande to Capri town, where I immediately fell in love with the tiny vehicles they use there. I didn’t see a car, just these minuscule trucks puttering along the town’s pretty laneways that I haven’t seen anywhere else. Do they only have them here? (Answers on a postcard please, preferably of Capri).

After a bite in a restaurant with more of those unbelievably picturesque panoramas, we sauntered through the town and I began shopping. I’m not much of a shopper and I usually prefer hunting bargains, but in Capri, it just seemed part of the picture. I wanted to bring back a piece of the island to everyone I know. I’m sure some will be sad to hear that Louis Vuitton was closed. I could have spent the whole afternoon in Carthusia Perfumes.

We meandered through the lanes and made our way to the botanical gardens, Il Giardino di Augusto, where we had an excellent vantage point to view the Faraglioni Rocks.

Then it was time for lunch and spritz while sitting in a pretty courtyard beside a church in the sunshine. I’m usually so busy that this time felt like a luxury.

What I Thought Luxury Was, and What It Turned Out To Be

Capri, Positano, Sorrento are all places synonymous with elegance. We already know they cost more (though Sorrento wasn’t too bad) so we anticipate better service, cleanliness, no rough edges. As a luxury copywriter for hotels and resorts, I don’t just know the drill – I’ve written the brochure. The language I use around these destinations promises a certain polish and I arrived hoping, in some way, that the reality matches the expectation.  

But somewhere between the thunderstorm on the train, the grey sands of Positano, and the spritz in that sunlit Capri , I realised that the luxury of the place was only half the story. The real luxury is time and spending that on people you love, not things. Time to open up and have a laugh, share some stories probably over that one drink too many and not counting the minutes at all. 

Maybe that is what we really aspire to, even when we book the fancy places? Not the infinity pool or the cliffside room. We’re not necessarily seeking curated experiences, though we like the option. It’s the freedom to enjoy these places where nothing else is bothering us, so that we can appreciate the people we are spending it with. 

Italy gave me beauty, sumptuous food, a little sunshine and warm hospitality, which all enhanced the trip – at times there it felt like life couldn’t be improved upon. I relaxed.

We aspire to live life in a luxury setting, but maybe we just want everything to be easier so we can enjoy it with the people we love?

I’m a luxury hotel copywriter who has worked with brands such as Dorchester Collection and Four Seasons Hotels. If you need help with a boutique luxury hotel website in 2026, please get in touch.

‘Tis the Season to Plan Copy, Fa la la la la, la la la la

November 26th 2025

It’s nearly December and betwixt Thanksgiving (for my American friends), mad weekends and (what-day-is-it-can-I-open-presents/drink-sleep?) time, my work tends to shift to copywriting for small and medium businesses in the UK. While you’re filling stockings and checking lists, it is a good time to get your copy and content organised for the year ahead. 

Last week, I had my first content strategy meeting in ages with the lovely Marie de Champschenel, where we dug into her tone of voice and how she wants to sound going forward. Early next week, I am hosting a Clarify Your Copy session for a client who has been referred to me by a floral artist I first worked with back in 2019. That is the kind of long-term connection I love. Good words keep working.

Why now is the perfect time to think about next year’s copy

The end of the year is almost here. I bet you’ve forecast your financials for at least Q1 of next year. How about your content? 

1. Do you know what worked?
2. Also importantly, do you know what’s tripping you up?
3. Do you have ideas but never have time to explore them?
4. Do you know what your competitors are winning at?

Instead of just ignoring that, December is a great time to sit down, pull everything out, and decide what you want your words to do for you in 2026.

For many small business owners, that means finally committing to a clear tone of voice and a simple content plan, so you are not scrambling every time a “we should post something!” panic hits. 

Strategy sounds serious, but it is really just agreeing what you want to talk about, how you want to sound, and which platforms your customers are actually listening on.

What’s on the ‘naughty or nice’ list for 2026?

If there is one phrase I keep reading about for websites next year, it is human copywriting. That doesn’t mean being a bit silly for the sake of it, (though I love a bit of clever copy), but giving people something to think about and trust.

How do we make it really sound like you? How do we explain what your business genuinely does better than anyone else? Leaning into the ‘Greatest Hits’ may work for the DJ at the Christmas party, but it doesn’t last long when you’re scrolling.

I’m thinking of banning:

• “Friendly” . Who, exactly, is out there advertising themselves as cold and unhelpful?
• “Efficient”. As opposed to proudly disorganised?

After nearly 13 years of copywriting for small businesses worldwide, my real skill is spotting what is actually unique about you, then putting that into words that feel natural. People want stories now, they love a peek behind the scenes, an imperfect person, a team they can relate to. They are sooooo bored of corporate twaddle.

I want you to get playful with your copy, if you think you have it in you? And if you feel a little unsure, I’m willing to bet there is at least one sparkly, slightly silly, very 'you' angle waiting to be coaxed out. We can hang some fairy lights on your 'About' page and still make sure you show up in SEO.

Clarify Your Copy (to turn your “meh” into merry)

If you already have a live website, but it is not really doing its job how it’s supposed to (hello leads and conversions), Clarify Your Copy is made for you. Let’s meet on Zoom for 90 minutes and take a look at:

• The words you are using, and which ones could be better for conversion
• Where the copy is confusing, vague or just invisible
• What your customers actually need to see and feel before they enquire or buy

I record the session, so you can rewatch it instead of scribbling frantically, and you walk away with clear suggestions on how to fix things. This is a budget-friendly service, not a sneaky way to push you into a bigger package. The goal is very simple: find the right words, without you having to bin your whole site and start again.

Content Strategy Meetings (with all the trimmings)

If you are sorted on the basics but need a better plan for the New Year, my Content Strategy meetings are where we map out your next three months of copy. We look at your offers, your energy levels, important dates in your calendar and how you like to show up.

On the call, we decide on themes, angles and content pillars for the quarter, so your social posts, emails and blogs actually support your business goals instead of being random confetti, like tinsel in February. After the call, I send you a strategy document that outlines:

• Key themes for the next three months
• Specific content ideas your team (or future you) can run with
• Notes on tone of voice and messaging to keep everything consistent

If all your systems are running smoothly, December can be a brilliant time to book one of these sessions and get ahead while everyone else is still untangling the fairy lights. That said, I often squeeze in a few in the first weeks of the New Year, because most of my clients have a breather then and are ready to think clearly. I may even sneak one client in between Christmas and New Year, because that’s actually a really productive time for me when everyone else is digesting the leftover turkey.  

Ready to talk about copy before the decorations come down

If your 2025 has felt a bit off, copy-wise, let’s not put that on a loop. 

Pour something warm, open your laptop, and add “find the best UK copywriter for small businesses” to your wish list. I will bring the strategy, the stories and the mince pies. You just bring your business and your honesty about what you would like next year’s words to actually achieve.

Whatever has been missing from your marketing this year, this is your sign to fix it for next year. Maybe your conversion rates have been flatter than leftover Prosecco? Maybe your SEO has been sitting on the naughty list? Or maybe, just maybe, you let a computer write your copy and now your website sounds the same as everyone else in your industry. That is ok, no judgement here, I can fix that too. I’ll be under the mistletoe to help you find the right words!

I’m a UK-based copywriter for small businesses, with over 12 years’ experience. If you need help with your web copy, blogs or content strategy for 2026, please get in touch.

Is Your Smartphone Bad for the Environment?

November 19th 2025

We’ve entered that period of the year again where all the sales banners gain a darker hue and our inboxes are swamped with offers. Apparently, the best discounts are here for Black Friday, but it sends some people’s accounts into the red.

I get it, it’s a good time for Christmas shopping, your son Micheal’s console is nearing its tenure and your husband smashed his mobile last week while up a ladder checking the gutters.

Consumerism has wholly consumed us. No one is fighting against capitalism when there are much more frightening forces at play, and hey, who am I to take away the grin on someone’s face come Christmas Day? The cost of our shopping habits, however, is being paid, in places that we will never visit and by humans that we will never get to meet (which I detail in my article).

If you’re not really sure where to start this Christmas, then here’s a tip: smartphones.

The cult of “new” vs what we actually need

Every year, a fresh round of smartphone launches arrives with dramatic music and bigger price tags. Sharper cameras, more lenses, extra AI features that can probably edit a feature film while making you a coffee.

Most of us, though, need our phones to do much less. I want to message people. Take a decent photo of a sunrise when I’m hiking a volcano. Check my email when I’m on the tram into Manchester or get us home from a gig without dumping us in a field. The tech inside the latest models is way beyond what most of us use on a normal Tuesday.

Still, the pull of “new” is powerful. I’ve worked in or around marketing for a couple of decades. I understand that teams are under pressure to keep people buying, again and again. Not because you urgently need a slightly brighter screen, but because that is how shareholder returns keep going in the right direction.

There are billions of pounds pumped into giving us a fresh story and positioning a new device as essential. Who are we to question whether it’s even necessary?

The stuff we do not see

The trouble is our old phones do not vanish when we trade them in for something “better”.

Think of where you’ve put your last three phones. Probably in a drawer in your home office or bedroom. Maybe you had the original box. You’ve found time and somewhere to recycle it so you post it off somewhere… or maybe it collects dust for years and eventually you bin it because you’re having a clear-out.

The truth is that even the most eager recyclers among us have ended up sending a phone somewhere that we simply haven’t thought about. There are entire communities that live beside piles of broken screens and busted charging cables.

For many people who deal with CSR in their business, the phrase “circular economy” comes up. But it’s not just a neat diagram to share in a meeting. If we want to be active in it, then we have to deal with the physical objects that we abandon for a new edition. And the reality of that is that the “dealing with it” is outsourced – it’s sent to places where people don’t have the power to choose where it goes.

For us, the consequences stay unseen.

Photo by novianadss

Durable phones can last a long time…

I am not here to shame you

I am not anti-phone. I am not sitting in a cottage, off-grid, typing this on a stone tablet.

I like technology. I rely on my laptop and my phone for my work. I am part of the system that helps brands talk about their products. I understand the thrill of a new device, and yes, once upon a time, I absolutely believed I needed the latest MacBook Pro to prove I was a serious professional.

I am not writing any of this to make you feel guilty about what you already own. Guilt is rarely useful.

What I do feel, very strongly, is that we can be more honest about the impact of our choices, and a bit more imaginative about our options.

My small act of resistance: refurbished everything

In 2016, I decided to stop buying new phones. Since then, I have only used refurbished or second-hand devices. Every single one has done the job perfectly with no drama. It’s likely saved me money (the bonus is that I get to spend it on experiences), but it’s also been just one less person buying new.  

I apply the same approach to my work kit. My current laptop is not the newest kid on the block, and yet, somehow, the world keeps turning, and my projects still get delivered.

Choosing refurbished is not going to solve the climate crisis overnight, but it is a very practical way to reduce demand for endless new production. It fits into that bigger picture of a circular economy, where we keep materials in use for longer, instead of pulling more out of the ground and dumping what we already have.

It is not just about buying fewer phones

Simply saying “do not buy a new phone” is not the whole story. There are other ways you can reduce your impact when it comes to e-waste from how you look after your devices and when you use them. 

In my article for The Ethicalist, “How Your New Smartphone is Destroying the Environment”, I dig into what really happens along the supply chain, why our upgrade culture is such a problem, and some practical shifts that actually help.

A note for ethical brands in 2026

If you are working on tech, circular economy solutions or genuinely sustainable products, and you want your copy to reflect that, I would love to work with you in 2026.

I can help ethical brands move away from empty buzzwords and find the right words and stories that land with their customers. 

I write articles on sustainable tourism, ethical choices for living and green cities for a variety of clients from the UK to Thailand. If you’d like to commission a series of articles, please get in touch.

The Gate to Great Duty Free Ad Copy

November 12th 2025

A few weeks ago, I once again found myself wheeling my carry-on suitcase through Málaga Airport. It’s an occupational hazard that I take in all the posters around me as I walk purposefully past the dozens of perfume counters and weave my way through wine that is somehow a few euro more expensive than the restaurants just down the road. I subconsciously scanned the ads, but this time one made me pause as it jarred so badly. Among the bottles of booze stood a poster that read, “Celebrate Your Senses,” giving me the sneaking suspicion that the agency may have skimped on the budget for a copywriter and someone put the dullest prompt imaginable into an LLM. 

When the ad copy strays from reality

So why did it miss? Does ANYONE celebrate their senses at an airport? It’s hardly a five-star spa (Changi Airport may be an exception) and usually we’re trying to dull our senses to the cacophony around us. The glaring fluorescent lighting, the stale air, gate calls and announcements and an unpleasant tang that emits from people when they’ve been bunched up on a train, held up at customs and have added a spritz of perfume in duty free. The spaces, while sometimes cavernous, are hardly visually inspiring. If anything, I imagine we’re all trying to dull our senses for the couple of hours that we’re passing through. In short, airports are not botanical gardens, so to imagine us revelling in everything we can see, hear, touch, taste or smell while navigating through is a stretch.

Duty free advertising that converts

Duty free retail isn’t the same as a landside shopping centre, though some of it may appear similar. We may drift in with a vague purpose to buy a bottle of limoncello or globally known vodka, but we’re half-thinking about getting to the gate on time and hoping our flight won’t be delayed. It is not shopping without stress. As our eyes glaze over the displays, we need bold copy that makes a statement to encourage us to buy. A duty free ad should give us permission to act quickly and feel canny while doing it. We want exclusivity and the promise of savings (even if that’s not always the case!)

A copywriter’s checklist for duty free taglines

What does a strong duty free line need to accomplish? Once we strip away the fluff, it should create impulse, because the decision window is short. It should imply exclusivity, tied to here and now rather than to some abstract idea of luxury. It should frame value in a way that is instantly legible, not necessarily with a number, but with a cue that says, “clever choice.” It should be effortless to read from a few strides out, because people are in motion.

“Celebrate Your Senses” fails every one of those tests, because the frame is wrong for this place and this headspace, and the phrase could live on a chocolate box or a candle without changing a word, which is usually a sign that it is not doing a great job. I want a sense of place and timing. 

Better tagline examples that work in duty free

If I were rewriting that Málaga ad, I would lead with a crisp headline and a clear sub. Something like, “Your tax-free treats.” Subline: “Fragrance, skincare, and gifts at travel-only prices.” It is not poetry because it doesn’t need to be. Get the shopper to pause and then move to purchase. Or one of the following:

“Your journey deserves a little luxury.”

This line earns the treat through travel, so the purchase feels justified rather than impulsive, and the tone is warm. It mirrors the headspace of tired passengers who want a small win before boarding, and it keeps category-agnostic, so you can drop it across fragrance, skincare, chocolate, or whisky to suit. 

“Board with bags full of savings.”

I love starting with action first, add a well-known one that we’re all doing and it ties it right to the moment. “Bags full” hints at quantity, and that primes the basket size for your customers. This works beautifully near security exits and at gate-adjacent gondolas, and it can carry a numeric proof below to help close.

“Your passport to irresistible prices.”

The passport device legitimises the discount as a benefit of travel, so shoppers feel clever rather than cheap. “Irresistible prices” is simple value language that scans in a stride, and it gives you room to slot in categories underneath. 

“Save between the gates.”

Pure place and timing. It frames shopping as the smartest use of the in-between minutes, which is exactly when people browse. The word “save” lands the value cue immediately, and “between the gates” paints the picture without any visual aid. It is short enough for wayfinding panels and digital totems, and it leaves space for dynamic offers underneath.

“Last call for little luxuries”

Once again using airport terminology that we’re all familiar with, and keeping it friendly with “little”, suggesting that it’s worth having a look and treating ourselves to something!

“Prices cleared for take-off”

A light aviation nod that suggests motion and reduction together, and it keeps the tone playful without wobbling into being cute for the sake of it.

Sensory lines that still earn their boarding pass

If a brand insists on a more sensorial angle, it can still live in the airport rather than in a fantasy vineyard. Something like “Fragrance that travels better” tethers the experience to the journey and smuggles in a quality claim, and even that works best with a clear subline that points to the category and the savings. 

Airport ad design tips 

Design and placement matter as much as the headline, since the font needs to carry from ten paces, the numbers, if you use them, should be honest and large enough to scan, and if there is a limit or a bundle offer then say it plainly, because nothing kills impulse like discovering the small print while someone beeps your boarding pass. However, I think the one in the picture fails because it’s still shouting at me in the sub-headline and I don’t think that’s necessary.

Hiring an international copywriter for airport retail

Give the weary traveller permission to shop, then provide them with the place and time, and they’ll do it. It is a captive audience after all, so they just need a little push, especially if they’re bored. But I still don’t think something as bland and generic as “Celebrate Your Senses” is allowed, and that’s why I didn’t buy!

I’m a senior copywriter with 13 years’ experience working with global brands. If you need to find the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings for early 2026, so please get in touch.

Copywriting Client Case Study: Gerry O’Leary Photography

November 5th 2025

I first met Gerry O’Leary at an Irish Business Network meet-up in Dubai. He looked familiar to me, and the moment we were introduced I asked if he was from Kerry, specifically Scartaglen (population 163), which is not a place that many might have heard of. Why? I was at college (third level education) with a girl called Emma O’Leary, and although it’s a reasonably common surname in Ireland, I felt like I’d seen Gerry before. It turned out I had. He had photographed his sister’s wedding a few years earlier, and I had been a guest at it. We had established common ground and Gerry was looking for a salesperson. We had zero idea this would be the first link in a chain that has held for almost 15 years at this point.

The beginning

After a fantastic personal reference from Emma, I began working with Gerry in 2011. He hired me as Business Development Director and I would go on to take a lot of responsibility in Gerry’s business, from bringing in clients to marketing and even acting as a production assistant and manager. 

Gerry is, quite seriously, a rare talent in the photography world. He has collected dozens of awards over the past 30 years, including European Commercial Photographer of the Year, UK Overseas Photographer of the Year and is one of only two Master Qualified European Photographer in Architecture. Recently he has won the top AP ALPAMANAC ‘Photo of the Year’ award for two years running. So to say he was an easy sell is an understatement, however I had to overcome the price objections and sometimes educate potential clients on the difference between Gerry and someone who just points and shoots. I was eager and persistent and managed to build an impressive roster of clients that included Dubai Duty Free, Qatar National Convention Centre, Hyatt Hotels and Emaar, along with several other global brands that value impeccable imagery.

Switching hats but the trust remained

A few years later I stepped away to build my own business in copywriting. Not long after, Gerry came back to me, this time as my client, which felt like a good sign. We started with quarterly newsletters, updates that respected attention and gave people a clear sense of what he had been shooting and why it mattered. I worked on clear hooks in the subject lines, keeping the continuity and ensuring people read to the end. I understand what people want to read and how to make them stay.

Choosing a content strategy 

Every so often a small business needs to reevaluate its marketing efforts. What is working? Does it need to change? In early 2022, Gerry and I had a chat about his thoughts on his website and ideas for moving forward. I suggested a content strategy meeting. Although he agreed, Gerry later told me he couldn’t understand why I had scheduled 2.5 hours for this event, but he was impressed by how much we covered and how well-directed the session was. 

The meeting became a framework. I mapped the audience, set themes for each month, lined up stories from recent shoots, and tied everything back to what decision makers actually search for.

PHOTO: National Museum of Qatar, copyright Gerry O’Leary

A strong collaboration

With the plan in place, I began writing blogs for Gerry O’Leary Photography and coordinating with Reem on web design and Charlotte on SEO. 

We also refreshed parts of the site where the path felt unclear, added pages that answered questions people were already asking, and kept the language close to the work. Within five months Gerry reached a top three ranking on Google for priority terms, without any paid ads. Over the next eighteen months he maintained that position across the Middle East, especially for hospitality photography and architectural photography, and several times the site hit the top spot. He saw the knock-on effects in enquiries, proposal requests, and booked work. That visibility translated into enquiries that were the right fit, which turned into briefs and shoots, and the circle completed itself.

What kept it moving

The engine was consistency, not magic. We published on a schedule and stayed close to the data. If a post drew the right traffic, we developed the thread. If something underperformed, we learned and moved on. The blogs focused on behind-the-scenes craft, client outcomes, and practical guidance for marketing teams and property leaders. I don’t write jargon for the sake of it and never add filler for word count. The site evolved as well. Reem kept the experience fast and clean, and Charlotte tuned the technical SEO so the words could do their job.

At the end of 2024, with a solid pipeline and the chance to repurpose content, Gerry reevaluated once more and we ended this cycle, though I have worked on a couple of articles for other publications for him this year.

When words and images travel together

It is still a pleasure when our work appears side by side. A good example is Anantara Santorini Abu Dhabi Retreat, where Gerry’s images accentuate my website copy. It’s the combination of both that helps people imagine themselves in the space and then make a decision, and I can’t imagine a better team to convince them!

Over time more photographers have asked me to write for them, which makes sense when I think about it, because this relationship taught me how to talk about imagery in a way that supports the sale without getting in the way of it.

If you are weighing a similar path

If you run a studio or lead marketing for a hotel, a venue or a design firm, the lesson here is patient and practical. Treat your content as part of the service, give it a plan, and keep it human. Choose topics that answer the questions your clients already bring to you, pair strong photographs with clear copy that respects their time and keep going long enough for the work to compound. It is kinder to your budget than quick fixes, and it tends to attract the kind of enquiries you actually want.

I’m very grateful that I met Gerry as it has paved the way for the rest of my career. He trusted me to run his business and our work together has helped both of us achieve new heights. I’m glad to say that I can also call Gerry a friend and we’ve shared many lunches, rugby matches and pints together in Dubai establishments. I look forward to our next collaboration.

I’m a senior copywriter based in Manchester, working with SMEs throughout the UK and beyond. If you need to find the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings for early 2026, so please get in touch.

Stop Using These Words in Your Luxury Hospitality Copy

October 22nd 2025

I began writing copy for luxury hotels almost 13 years ago. I’ve worked for over a dozen international luxury hotel brands and I’ve developed tone of voice for boutique hotels in several places from Australia and Thailand to Scotland. So, by this point, I’m pretty confident that I know my stuff. 

And I’m going to admit something now… CrapGPT, Claudia, GemiNO, they’ve all made me a better writer. But probably not how you might think.

Same, same, shame, shame

Ever since everyone and their grandmother’s pug started using these tools, we’ve seen so much of the same copy and content, absolutely everywhere. LinkedIn… obviously.

Facebook… occasionally.

Instagram… influencers seem to love a bit of LLM.

Every single sales page seems to have the same copy now (so you’ll pay your salespeople their commission, but don’t understand how copy sells?) 

So, how has it improved my copy if I’m slating it here? Well, it’s made me push back. I’ve always looked for the right words and it’s made me up my game – now when I think of a word I may have reached for in the past, I become my own thesaurus. If I believe a word is too ‘AI’, I challenge myself to write 10 synonyms down that I could use instead. Sometimes these words won’t align with the brand voice that I am writing in, but prompting my brain to work in this way sparks more ideas. And frankly, that’s what I am paid to do – find the right words.

Photo by Denys Gromov

What words are overused

Some of you may feel the same way – that you can spot LLM writing from 545 yards away. Your skin feels dehydrated due to the sheer volume of water poured away as people pump out yet another ‘Elevate Your Stay’ or ‘designed for serenity’. Others may not really notice, but I bet that certain phrases have lost their effect, simply because we’re seeing them so much.

So, what words and phrases are being overused in luxury hospitality copy?

(And how can you replace them)

Here’s a selection:

• Serenity – a word I once loved as it truly lent an air to a destination. If you need a direct swap, tranquillity is better. However, when writing for a luxury resort, I’d be inclined to lean into it a little more poetically, perhaps talk about the ‘natural repose amid the palms’?
• Step into – I baulk when I see this, because come on, ‘Enter’ is already better. But how about inviting them in? ‘Welcome to…’. I’ve noticed that LLMs tend away from the dynamic and personal, when it’s always better for the reader, so I’m really not sure where they learnt it!
• Elevate. Many of us in the business of writing copy for chic mountain hideaways would have been partial to ‘elevate’. It means to promote or raise the standard, but I fear that it’s become so tainted by its use for every kind of business on earth (‘Elevate your gaming with our new intuitive controller,’ and ‘Elevate your cooking with this super-duper thermoregulating saucepan’ or whatever) that people just tend to switch off when they see it. Enhance is a good swap-out, but I also try to think about what we’re elevating, if we’re talking about a national day getaway, maybe we could enrich the escape with extras?
• Curated – ah for the days when curating was seen as an art performed by experts. Now everything is curated, when really they just mean chosen. A safe bet here is to put ‘handpicked’. You can even tone it down to ‘selected’, or how about ‘cultivated’?
• Designed to – whenever I get sent something to edit, I see ‘designed to’ and it’s one of those phrases that, while it isn’t incorrect, has the power to send me into a blind rage at ten past three on a Tuesday afternoon (maybe that’s my hormones?) People especially love to use it in spa copy i.e. ‘designed to promote relaxation’, but my question is, shouldn’t every treatment be? My advice is that if you find yourself writing it, remove it immediately like swatting a fly from your food. Think of what else you might be trying to say, for instance ‘rebalances your skin’s natural tone’. I’m almost certain ‘designed to’ can always be removed from a sentence with little to no impact at all!
• Hidden gem – this one was spent before the chatterbox platforms came along. Firstly, we wouldn’t be writing about it if it truly was hidden. It’s absolutely useless these days for SEO. If you really want to say something along the same lines, mention what is precious about it, why it is a rare find. I love ‘enclave’ for suggesting somewhere that is prestigious and lesser known.

These words and phrases aren’t wrong, per se. However, they have begun to irk a lot of people simply because they are overused. Maybe the writers teaching the LLMs how to write in a more human way will find new words to make us sick of next year.

Also look out for…

There are some patterns that are a dead giveaway that a property has been relying on LLM-copy without amending it. These include clustered descriptions -  for some reason Crappy and friends don’t like to distinguish and just bundle everything into the one sentence. So now when I see ‘sun, sand and sea,’ I identify it as LLM copy, when it could be just human. ‘Calm, clarity and connection,’ is another one that I have seen far too often in the past 18 months or so.

Also, a hint about ‘it’s not just a holiday, it’s a transformational escape where time stands still,’ – tell us what it is, not what it isn’t.

Words I don’t hate

This is obviously an area where I could wax lyrical for some time if I was allowed. But I’m sure I would bore anyone who simply came for the highlights.

But for every yin there must be a yang, so here’s a few words I don’t hate as a global copywriter:

• Iconic – the Burj Al Arab is iconic. So is The Beverly Hills Hotel (who I once wrote for). If something truly is a stand-out in its own location, then it’s absolutely fine to call it that.
• Reimagine – if a hotel has had a refurbishment or redesign of its bedrooms, I think ‘reimagined’ is a lovely term. When you have added a salad to a burger menu, it has not been reimagined, it has been tweaked!
• Enthralling – this is less used and perhaps that is why it attracts me. I want to feel enthralled. Enthral me, please.

If you’d like to learn more about the luxury brands that I’ve worked with, I invite you to have a nosy around my website.

I’m Caitriona McBride and I’ve been writing copy for luxury brands since 2013, including Shangri-La Hotels, Four Seasons and The Dorchester Collection. If you need a luxury hotel copywriter, please get in touch here.

What Would You Like To Read?

October 15th 2025

Every week this year, I’ve written something new on this blog. I figured I couldn’t encourage others to do so without actually doing it myself. It’s also a chance for me to reflect on what’s been going on, whether that’s personally or professionally and shape that into an article, a case study, or something that has been flying around my busy mind and needs a release. Some ideas came immediately – I’m lucky that I flex the muscle so regularly that creativity tends to flow (and that’s why I don’t believe in writer’s block – though that’s a controversial discussion for another day). Then there are other days when I sit down to write, and I need to exercise my mind or brainstorm over a cup of tea and several digestives. However, it proved the old adage that consistency will beat inspiration every single time. When the thing needs to be written, write the damn thing. 

Your writing habits matter as much as the exercises you do to stay fresh. Scribble it all down and be honest. People have been responding to me about it and interested in what I have to say. 

What I’ve Been Writing About

This year since January, I’ve shared:

• A selection of copywriting case studies from websites I’ve worked on such as sales company Pure Luxury Dreams, showing how thoughtful storytelling can enhance a brand and make them more visible
• My ongoing work as a luxury hospitality writer, for five-star brands everywhere from Bahrain and Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg and Karon Beach, Phuket
• A behind-the-scenes look at developmental editing for my client, Carmen Audino’s first book “Why Do I Still Think About You?”, which was a chapter that reminded me about how enriching and supportive the author/editor relationship can be
• Posts with tips for writing blogs, how to write press releases that don’t get filed under ‘delete’, and what common web copy errors are.

I’ve also posted about my own journeys and how they have inspired me or prompted me in some way. It’s been planned in a way that keeps you engaged, but also hungry for a little more. 

Why I Recommend Writing Weekly

If you want to stay at the top of page rankings, then you have to stay in the conversation. Writing a blog tells search engines that the shop is open and there’s lots to see. Not just dull relics that are collecting dust. It builds momentum and hopefully keeps your audience coming back, if only to see what you’re up to now!

Over to You

If you’ve been following my work or dipping in now and then, I’d love to know:

• What would you like to see more of — behind-the-scenes project stories, writing advice, or something else entirely?
• What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to writing your own content?
• Which topics do you wish more copywriters talked about honestly?

You can reply in the comments or drop me a message, I read every one and I reply when I have time.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

If you’re looking for a freelance UK-based copywriter who understands how to create a strategy around your storytelling and also how to weave a tale, then you have found me! I have over 12 years’ experience in this business so I’m practically ancient in a world that seems to fall for a new trend every week. I’ve seen the trends; I’ve been on those trends and sometimes I’ve even predicted them. Set a reminder and see!

If you’d like to learn more, you can have a wander around my website.

I’d love to hear what you’d like me to write about next, please get in touch here.

The Reviews Are In (again) for ‘Highlights of Manchester’, My City Game

October 8th 2025

We all know that Monday-morning feeling, it’s hardly ever a delight, right? I tend to shuffle from my bedroom to my desk on autopilot. I don’t drink coffee, so I fill my water bottle and look over my timetable. I’m lucky that I usually switch into work mode quite quickly. 

Two days ago, after the weekend I opened my inbox, expecting over a dozen hotel-related queries, and saw an email that hadn’t been spotted in some time. It was the collated new reviews for my ‘Highlights of Manchester ‘walking game on the Questo app, which had received all five stars for September. That gave me a bit of a lift before 9 am, which is rare.

I wrote the game back in 2021, not long after lockdown, when we were all still getting used to the idea of being outdoors without a purpose. Questo, if you’ve never used it, is an app where you can explore a city through a live game.

What the Manchester game’s all about

The Manchester game is built around a fictional story inspired by the city’s history. Players solve clues that range from easy to “how did I not see that?” It guides people around the main sights with a few lesser known pathways along the way. One of my favourites is a quiet spot in front of an old church that is eclipsed by the modern skyscrapers that surround it, and there’s a little ginnel to reach it. You can pause the game whenever you like too, which is ideal if you fancy lunch or a pint. If you need inspiration, may I recommend Scranchester for some foodie haunts.

I’ve played a few Questo games with my partner, usually involving a stop for a cheeky Greggs or a pint of Guinness. You can play one based around the Madchester era or follow the chilling history of Jack the Ripper in London. I’m keen to try the Carnival Quest in Venice on one of my next trips!

Proof of the review 

The joy of live reviews

Of course it’s rewarding to gain reviews for a game I wrote. Sadly, I don’t get any tips, but it’s good to know people are out there enjoying it. For a while, the rating hovered around 4.7, and once it even dipped to 4.5, which gave me a bit of a wobble. Usually, that sort of thing can be traced back to something daft, like scaffolding covering one of the murals, or a clue hidden behind a new outdoor dining setup. Once, I realised a player had completely missed a clue because a busker was performing ‘Wonderwall’ in front of it  (or at least he was when I investigated!) 

But other times I find myself trekking into Manchester in the driving rain, convinced something’s broken, only to discover nothing’s wrong at all. My favourite was one player who, and I kid you not, reported that there was “no policeman” at a certain point in the game. I was perplexed. There isn’t supposed to be a real policeman there, he’s part of the fictional story. I can only assume she expected the poor man or woman to stand in the same spot every day waiting for her, or perhaps they can change shifts every 12 hours but can’t leave that specific set of traffic lights! A bit of common sense, folks, please.

A Christmas idea that doesn’t need wrapping

And with the dreaded C season creeping up on us, and of course, birthdays, anniversaries or any occasion where you buy a gift, it may spark a wee idea to buy an experience. According to recent research, 55% of people prefer to give experiential pressies, rather than physical ones. This makes a lot of sense. When you head out to do an experience, you’re creating memories. And that’s surely better than an item they might use twice before it begins gathering dust! It might even tempt your favourite gamer off the sofa for a change.

If you fancy giving someone a bit of adventure, you can buy credit on the Questo app for around £10, which gives them access to a whole world of walking games. From Manchester to Rome, there really is something for everyone, whether you are a history buff, puzzle lover, or just need an excuse to get outside.

And if you happen to start in Manchester, well, I know a good one to begin with.

My copywriting leads to other stories in the city

Much of my writing lives onscreen and I don’t really get to see it in other environments (I always get a thrill when I’m handed a brochure where I’ve written the copy) so the fact that this game becomes a part of so many people’s Manchester stories is kinda cool. And I get to add game-writer to my list of services.

And if you’re looking for a creative freelance writer in the UK who can craft story-led content, map a trail, or design something unexpected for your brand, please get in touch.

A Flashback to Writing for Luxury Gold

October 1st 2025

Last week I visited Killarney, Co. Kerry with my Mum. It’s a gorgeous wee town in the southwest of Ireland that sees its fair share of visitors, the sort of place where tour buses glide in and out all day without me paying much notice. In another life (truly), I was Front Office Manager at the Castlerosse Hotel just outside the town, perched on the edge of the famous Killarney Lakes. Back then, I was the one fielding questions about jaunting cars and recommending pubs to those passengers who came off the coaches, but now they aren’t really part of my life. I view hospitality from a different perspective these days.

But last Wednesday, a coach caught my eye, the slender gold lettering emblazoned on the side that seemed so familiar. For more than two years I wrote for Luxury Gold, yet I had never actually seen one of their coaches in real life. Strange, but not surprising. I began the contract during the Covid-19 lockdown, and as far as I know, Manchester has yet to become a stop on their itineraries.

How the contract began

At the start of 2020, I was on the Gili Islands in Indonesia when an email landed from Kirsten Spence, a former Dubai client and friend. She was working with Luxury Gold and Insight Vacations, and they needed an interim luxury travel copywriter to fill a gap in the team.

We exchanged a few messages, and honestly, I thought it mightn’t go any further. But by late February, after I’d returned to the UK, Kirsten asked me to meet her at TTC’s London office. TTC (The Travel Corporation) owns both brands, and the team wanted to kick off the role properly.

On that rainy morning in an unassuming building near Buckingham Palace, I met Kirsten and several other members of the team to map out what was intended to be a three-month stint. Kirsten promised to follow up with details of the official kick-off in Zurich a month later. I raised an eyebrow and questioned her on the likelihood of that happening. She had already mentioned colleagues contracting Covid and with the proximity to Northern Italy, which was in lockdown, I wondered if I really would be visiting Switzerland. She assured me that it would pass. I didn’t even consider that the UK would be in lockdown by then. Now, I smile inwardly at our naivety.

The lucky copywriter in lockdown

As the next few weeks passed and the pandemic escalated in the UK (as well as across Europe), I fully expected the contract to vanish. Who needed brochures for luxury tours when borders were closing? But TTC had long-term plans and the resources to keep going. They wanted copy prepared for 2021 and beyond, assuming, like many of us, that it would pass. It was, as we all heard so much, unprecedented – companies couldn’t just seize operations. I’m so thankful they had the budget to cover that.

So, that trip to Zurich on 23 March 2020 never happened… but my first project as a Luxury Gold copywriter began a few days later. I was introduced to Igor Bosnic, and what followed was a fantastic collaboration that lasted far beyond those initial three months. In fact, I ended up working with the brand for nearly two years, even after Igor returned to the US to complete an MBA.

Travelling by page

In those early months of lockdown, when I was sequestered in my family home in Dublin, barely seeing another soul, I was also writing editorial features for the Luxury Gold brochure for the following year. I could hardly call it a “brochure”, if you’ve ever seen one, they appear more like a glossy coffee table book, full of rich imagery and stories.

Through my writing (and revisions!), I travelled. I spoke to Hazem, an Egyptologist, about the Elegance of the Nile tour, where guests might privately access the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut or even the Great Sphinx. I interviewed Chef Rajeev Goyal in Delhi about guiding travellers through the city’s chaotic, colourful street food scene.

Every day, I was exploring somewhere new, connecting me to journeys I couldn’t even take at that time! At a time when movement was restricted and news was grim; I was able to escape into those stories. And of course, I had work as a copywriter, something many of my colleagues across the industry did not.

Lasting appreciation 

Looking back now, more than five years on, I’m so grateful. That role gave me continuity during uncertain times, but it also pushed me creatively. I had to write with both inspiration and precision, creating editorial features that felt immersive while still driving sales. In hindsight, it was the perfect copywriting case study in how storytelling sells. 

I carried the lessons forward: how to shape interviews into compelling narratives, how to make an itinerary feel like a once-in-a-lifetime invitation rather than just a list of stops, and how to bring a luxury brand to life through tone.

Full circle in Killarney

My time with Luxury Gold came to a natural end in mid-2022, after the company hired two in-house writers and I moved to another interim opportunity. But seeing that coach in Killarney last week pulled me right back into that period. It reminded me of the people I worked with, the trust they placed in me, and the way words carried me through lockdowns when travel itself wasn’t possible.

If your brand needs copy that captures the journey as well as the destination, I’d love to have a chat. You can contact me here.

Stuck for Content for Q4 Other Than “Merry Christmas”? 

Here Are Some Ideas (From a Copywriter Who Has Been Creating Content for 12+ Years!)

September 24th 2025

Here we are on the edge of October and that chill in the air is signalling that Q4 is on its way and with it, a barrage of holiday content from Halloween to Christmas. The end of the year feels like a slowly drawn curtain call, but it can also resemble a family on Thanksgiving with everyone shouting over each other and very little time for quiet reflection. Even when people are posting their seasonal contemplations.

How do you cut through all the noise?

I’ve been working on Q4 content for almost 15 years. For clients from Australia to America, in industries as varied as airlines to zymology (that’s a fancy term for wine fermentation) so not only have I had to create unique content for different campaigns regularly, which means I definitely don’t have the metaphorical cookie cutter out, but I am continuously seeking out different angles when business owners or operators don’t have time to. This is vital in 2025 – while you need to know what your competitors are posting, you need to stand out, use your own voice and give your customers something they’ll remember.

Copy and paste from ChatGPT or Claude is not going to cut it in Q4.

Now is the time to get scribbling all your mad ideas and see which one might pique your audience’s interest.

1. Give people stories, not just sales

If all you post in November is “Black Friday deal, don’t miss out,” you’ll blend right into the bargain-bin chorus. Instead, tell the story behind what you’re selling. Share a quick video of your team prepping orders, or a before-and-after of the problem your product solves.

Last year, I was working with an eco-focused brand and we planned a sustainability series for December called, “12 Days of Green Swaps.” Every day of the calendar, customers got a tip paired with a taster of one of their products. It was a gentle sales tactic, but it worked wonders and sales of those products broke their previous records when January came around. This could be applied across the board for companies like this – not every product needs to be your own, you can tie-in with other small businesses to support each other!

2. Celebrate the “non-events”

Everyone is shouting about Christmas. But what about the smaller dates your audience might actually care about? I’ve recently recommended including World Dessert Day to three clients with award-winning restaurants, and this can be approached in different ways – a video of the chef putting the finishing touches to a visually pleasing treat, a curated four-course dessert menu for the day, or a recipe carousel demonstrating how to make baklava. 

World Kindness Day falls on 13 November and is ideal for community-focused brands or those with a cause. 

You can even create your own with a tongue firmly in cheek, such as “The last day to survive Q4 with your sanity intact.” In these times, I wonder if it is possible?

A few years ago, I wrote for a gorgeous boutique café in Singapore who celebrated the shortest day of the year with cheeky socials of staff yawning on shift and their solution being their own extra-strong espressos, which were on special on 21 December. It’s the festive period and everyone working on the front lines is exhausted, so make relatable content.

Connect with your customers by taking a stroll outside the lines. 

3. Pull up the blinds on your business

I love a peek behind the scenes, don’t you? Why not show your potential customers how the festive sausage is made (not literally, unless you’re a butcher). 

Share the chaos of setting up your market hall or the colourful mood boards behind your holiday packaging, or maybe make a festive playlist between your staff that they use as a productivity boost during the silly season?

We are exposed to so much ‘polish’ that we’ve truly begun to appreciate the humans and how they show up. Sure, the gold-frosted Christmas tree is a glossy spectacle for Insta, but we’d also like to see the team who were up until 2:00 am spray-painting it.

4. Don’t forget January

But wait, that’s Q1! I know that it’s tempting to pour all your energy into December, but January is when we’re all carrying the Christmas weight, the New Year hangover and we want inspiration to take us out of the grey. Planning your Q4 content with January in mind means you won’t be scrambling on New Year’s Day trying to post “New Year, New Me.”

One of my clients, a luxury hotel brand, used December to tease their January wellness packages last year. Anyone visiting the spa that month saw it and many booked ahead as they anticipated they would need it. Others bought it as a gift. You don’t have to be Christmas-centric all of Q4.

5. Add a personal touch

I’m not asking you to overshare, but showing the human behind the brand is an effective way to work in Q4 (if not all year round).

Find what works for your business, whether that’s sharing your favourite festive recipe, spotlighting the people on your team, or some pics of when the snow machine went into overdrive at the Christmas party. People relate to that far more than they relate to “Season’s Greetings” graphics.

Why this matters (and how I can help)

I feel like this year has been busier than ever and I know how easy it is to get stuck in content autopilot when you’re spinning all the plates – whether that’s your accounts, sales or cleaning up the cat’s furballs on a Wednesday morning. It’s great to get a pair of fresh eyes or find someone else to add a creative spark. I offer content strategy sessions tailored to your business so you can plan and implement a journey for your customers over Q4 that they’ll enjoy. 

So, if you want Halloween content that creeps into their bones and words that warm like pumpkin pie, I’ll help you find the right messages for your audience.

Final tips

I don’t advise getting into a race in Q4 or simply adding glitter to everything that moves, it just won’t be memorable, but you can make it work by being human. Use Instagram for quick hits and reels, LinkedIn to build community and don’t forget that targeted emails are highly effective.

If you’d like to receive a copy of my brand-new original 30 content ideas for Q4, please get in touch.

A Wandering Soul – How I Combined Writing with Solo Travel

September 17th 2025

For some, the idea of setting off alone to a foreign country terrifies them, whereas for me, I get a little thrill the second it enters my mind. I began writing about solo travel quite some after I had learned I loved it. And deep down, I think I’ll always love it a little more than shared travel. I know that sounds odd, I adore my partner and friends, but it’s an unmatched freedom travelling alone. It always challenges me, and I return a better person for having overcome even small things, like asking for a fork in a foreign language. It is the ultimate way to push yourself outside your comfort zone.

When did my love of solo travel start?

It can probably be traced back to moving to the UAE in my early 20s, a country where I had never been and knew no one. I had a job to go to, which was pretty necessary in those days due to visa regulations. 

I wasn’t worried about travelling alone on the day I arrived at Dublin Airport but had been paired with a future colleague in the company I was going to work for. I’m not sure I’d ever met anyone with so much disdain or cynicism for a place they hadn’t even been to yet (which begs the question why he had even applied for the job?) but it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. Back then, I had unbridled optimism – I saw everyone as a potential friend and ally, and although those feelings have been quelled by experience many times, I still set out on every journey with that attitude. What I managed to do was sleep most of both flights, a habit I unfortunately haven’t been able to maintain. Perhaps my body was protecting me from negative energy?

Later I leapt into solo backpacking…

I feel like I’ve always been drawn to adventure, and that it runs in my family. A turning point in my solo travel excursions came in my 30s when I decided to go backpacking solo. This wasn’t just a long weekend in Italy or a quick solo trip to Muscat, I decided on nine countries in just under nine months.

I planned some parts in advance, such as volunteering in Sri Lanka. Though that had an initial hiccup when I’d booked a Workaway at a hostel and just a few weeks before the host suggested a sexual arrangement even though I had agreed to work 4 hours per day/5 days per week (doing admin/cleaning NOT what he had suggested). I’m sorry sir, no thanks. He was married too. Thankfully, a friend in Dubai (thank you Jane) connected me with some incredible women she knew in Sri Lanka, and I ended up working with Joy at Manacare Foundation. 

Other choices were arranged on the road, or minutes after pulling into Queenstown, New Zealand, when I decided that less than 36 hours later I’d like to jump out of a plane from 15,000 feet.

Why I keep going alone

I have friends scattered across the globe and many who travel regularly. So, I don’t always have to travel alone, and that’s cool. 

But when I’m going solo, I don’t have to compromise my itinerary. In the mornings, I prefer to be out and about early to get ahead of crowds. I feel like Triona who travels differs from the person many know at home and that can be jarring, particularly as most people have different travel styles.

While travelling I can be quite watchful and ruminative, preferring to soak up the experience rather than speak about it. I like letting those thoughts percolate and writing them down gives me a record of where I’ve been and the things I may forget later, like a small shy child introducing me to a snake in a ramshackle village on the edges of the Mekong back on 2 January 2014.

Later, I began working while I travelled and sometimes that requires keeping odd hours or disappearing for a day or two to hit some deadlines. I might hole up somewhere quiet (and a little less budget-friendly) to focus (I usually ensure there is breakfast included and a gorgeous pool). I don’t like holding other people up or disrupting their travel plans, so being alone allows me the opportunity to just do this when it’s needed.

My enduring passion for going solo

Even now, with a partner who I love travelling with, I still seek out solo adventures. Luckily, it doesn’t bother him if I want to explore somewhere on my own, especially if it’s a place that doesn’t spark his interest. I don’t expect to lose my taste for it; it gives me a reset.

Now I get to write about it

Although I mostly work on copywriting projects, as an experienced travel writer I still get commissions to turn my adventures into stories. Some are practical and some are more reflective. Some are uncredited and others I get to add my thoughts to the brief, and I am pleased to do either.

The mindset of a solo traveller isn’t for everyone, but I know it’s contributed to building resilience and fostering my independence. 

To wrap it up, here’s an article I worked on a few years ago with some tips on destinations for solo travellers, especially those dipping their toe into going it alone for the first time: 11 Best Destinations for First Time Solo Travelers.

If your brand is looking for engaging travel content, I’d love to have a chat. You can contact me here.

World Suicide Prevention Day

September 10th 2025

This is not a post about copywriting or editing. 

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. It’s a date that hangs heavy when you’ve lost people. And when their passing never makes any sense, whether it’s five years on or twelve. I haven’t come closer to a solution. It hasn’t given me clarity or taught me a formula for prevention. If anything, time has only deepened the questions I carry.

When it feels that dark, it feels hard for people to see what the rest of us do. Life can be absolutely horrendous, and relentless at that, but there is always someone in your corner, even when you think you have pushed them all away. That’s easy enough to write down in words, but I know how difficult it can be to believe when the weight of despair presses in.

A world that divides

Right now, it feels as though the world is designed to divide us. To split us philosophically, notionally and politically. The media is encouraging to see each other as opponents rather than as people. Even over something as trivial as a popstar but looming larger there are wars and genocide and boats and people that look a little different to us, and oh my goodness, they just love to polarise us, and that in turn, can isolate us. 

Yet the truth is, we all bleed red. We all need food, water and light to survive. We wish the best for our loved ones, and we grieve in ways that are far more similar than they are different. It sounds like I’m trivialising, but that’s the reality.

If we want to prevent suicide, we need to start here, recognising that more connects us than divides us. Then people don’t get as angry, and maybe they don’t turn away when someone is depressed. Because right now, it feels like people barely look beyond the end of their phone, let alone at the neighbour who hasn’t been seen in days. Maybe it’s not just about talking those we love out of darkness but harking back to that kindness we have turned into memes.

When people seem most unresponsive, that’s when we have to hold on.

Lots of conversations in life aren’t easy, it doesn’t allow us to shy away. In a world where everyone seems to have lost the capacity, or is overburdened, we can still ask, “how are you?” and listen to the response, even if it’s hesitant or quiet. 

It might often feel one-sided, or as if it’s going nowhere.

But silence leaves no possibility at all.

PICTURE: Lyrics from Frank Turner’s “Song for Josh”

Hard truths

I don’t pretend to have the answers. When someone you love is locked inside their own despair, there are no pre-packaged, off the shelf solutions, nor sadly are there any build-your-own. 

I can remind them of everything they mean to me. You can point to the beauty of life in the teeny moments such as a robin landing on your windowsill, and sometimes it still won’t be enough. That is the hardest truth to face, and the one that leaves survivors of suicide loss with their own shadows to wrestle.

And yet, even knowing this, we have to keep trying. Keep saying the words. Keep sitting beside people in their pain, even when we feel useless. That presence, that persistence, can sometimes be the thread someone needs to hold onto, even if we never see the full impact of what it meant to them.

Why here, why now

And if you are wondering why this is on a copywriter’s blog, it’s because some things are more important than how I make my living. Sometimes it’s about life. Words are my trade, but they are also the only way I can share what I’ve seen and what I’ve felt. If these words encourage one person to reach out, to ask the question, or to sit with someone a little longer in the silence, then the words help.

Thank you for taking the time to read something a little heavy (my, my isn’t there so much of it right now?) It isn’t easy to sit with these thoughts, but your attention matters.

You can contact me here.

Developmental Editing Project: ‘Why do I still think about you?’ by Carmen Audino

September 3rd 2025

A short time before I began my copywriting business, I began working as an editor. I was contacted by another editor in the industry who offered me support and training in return for proofreading some projects. That was 15 years ago, and although I edit less these days, I’ve carried out further training and love the editing process.

I’ve worked on both fiction and non-fiction projects, providing support to writers who want to make their story more engaging, or identify where it needs strengthening or simply wondering if the continuity is clear.

Writing lets me play with ideas and creativity but editing feels like solving a puzzle like Sudoku. There’s something deeply satisfying about helping an author take their draft and shape it into the book they always imagined it could be. I guess my empathy is obvious to them and I share their sense of anticipation.

A common misconception

Some people expect all writers to edit and vice versa. There are certainly a few of us that do. However, every writer is not an editor, and every editor can’t necessarily write. They use completely different parts of the brain.

Writers are creative – big ideas, plots, people – all wandering around in their funfair of a brain (well, mine seems like that – sometimes things get trapped in the haunted house).

Editors are more like computers – process-driven, intent on a cohesive end result.

If you try to do both, you’re likely going to end up with some hair in your hands. And if you’ve written your whole book and come out the other side, usually the last thing you want to do (or can) is look at it with a different perspective.

The writer’s brain vs the editor’s brain

If you’ve ever looked at your own paragraph and thought, “is this brilliant or absolute drivel?” then you know that clannnngggg when the writing brain comes up against the editing brain.

The writing brain thrives on imagination and intuition. It’s your free-flowing side that pours words on the page without worrying about neatness.

The editing brain, however, is structured and logical. It takes a step back, analyses, and makes the hard choices about what stays and what goes.

Both are vital, but not at the same time. That’s where a developmental editor comes in.

PICTURE: A sneak peak at my client, Carmen Audino’s new book

What is developmental editing?

More than a proofreader, a developmental editor looks beyond commas and typos to see the bigger picture. Your developmental editor is looking at your:

• Structure
• Pacing
• Tone
• Characters (and their development)
• Continuity

I like to describe myself as a mixture of coach, accountability partner, and occasional cheerleader. I’ll guide the process, keep you on track, and push you to see your work from the reader’s perspective. I’m also a writer, so I understand your process. Sometimes I’ll push you a little harder, other times I’ll understand that today is not the day.

Every author needs something different. Some need help expanding their story, others need to know what to cut. My role is to make sure the journey makes sense and that the book is (basically) loved by your readers.

Why do you need an editor?

Having a great idea for a book is one thing. Turning it into something people actually want to read is another.

That’s why developmental editing is a good idea before you hit ‘publish’ just to get it out there. You may feel like it doesn’t need any more caressing, but I guarantee you that a little more clarity and a smoother flow is going to engage your reader better. The finish line might be slightly further than you think, but you’re going to cross it with a manuscript that makes you even prouder.

Because the truth is, most unfinished books don’t fail for lack of talent. They stall because the writer didn’t have structure or support.

Carmen’s story

Which brings me to Carmen Audino. Carmen approached me through a mutual contact, Emma, to discuss her book “Why Do I Think About You?”

Carmen is a gifted writer. Her prose is rich and evocative, and she has a natural ability to draw readers into her world. My job wasn’t to change her voice, but to help her shape the story so the audience stayed with her all the way through. Sometimes that meant encouraging her to expand on key parts. Other times it meant stepping back and suggesting, “less detail here, dial this back and move the focus.”

What stood out most was her courage. Carmen has lived through difficult, life-shaping experiences, and she chose to lay them bare on the page. That takes guts. It also takes trust to hand that draft to someone else and invite feedback on it. It’s scary. You don’t want someone saying that “Your baby’s eyebrows are so bushy I thought their other parent was a gorilla.” Or something else upsetting. What I mean is that I’m grateful Carmen trusted me with such a personal project. But she also did that because she knew then she’d have to send it out to millions of people.

Out now!

Yesterday, the book was released! Honestly, I had butterflies of excitement. They have subsided a little, but it looks fantastic, and I know the story within is compelling, personal and it’s going to help people who are facing their own struggles. 

When I first read it, I told Carmen, ‘I wish I’d had this book in my twenties.’ How Carmen felt after particular break-ups echoed deep within my soul, and rebuilding myself after them could have been different if I’d had a copy of ‘Why do I still think about you?’

Here is the link on Barnes & Noble to get your copy: Why Do I Still Think About You: A Guide For Hearts That Won't Let Go by Karmen Audino | eBook | Barnes & Noble®

Why I love developmental editing

I don’t take on every editing project, but when I do, I pour a lot of love into the role. I choose people that I want to support, and manuscripts where I know I can make a difference. I’ll keep you on course, provide constructive feedback, and challenge you where it’s needed, while always keeping your voice intact.

If you’re somewhere between chapter 4 and 11 and wondering how to pull it all together, or if you have a finished draft that doesn’t feel quite right, a developmental editor can help you see the bigger picture.

Do you need an editor?

Are you ready to finally get that book written? Or maybe you’ve been staring at a manuscript and don’t know how to move it forward. A developmental editor in the UK can give you the clarity and structure you need.

I offer manuscript assessment for new authors, along with UK book coaching tailored to your stage of the journey.

I’m so proud that I was part of bringing the beautiful story, Why Do I Think About You? To the world, even as a footnote.

I have over 15 years’ experience as an editor of fiction and non-fiction, and you can contact me here.

A Copywriter’s Guide to Tone of Voice

August 27th 2025

If you’ve ever worked with a copywriter or marketing person of some description, you’ve likely heard someone talk about your “tone of voice.” Some of you will nod sagely. Though I’ve recently experienced someone gaze at me wonderingly over Zoom as if I’d started slinging Thai insults at them.

What are we all blathering on about and is it important?

I like to put it neatly by saying that your tone of voice is simply your business personality expressed in words. You know the way you can express yourself through clothing? The language your business uses does the same, especially when people haven’t met you.

It’s something that many of us don’t realise UNTIL we start a business. Does our business have to reflect our personality? Sometimes, but not always – especially when it’s a collective or organisation.

Even when they don’t realise it, your customers are paying attention. They’re listening. Weighing you up. They are deciding if you’re someone they’d like to buy from or do business with. You can have the best quality product or service, but people will still buy from brands that they believe value them and reflect their values.

So, when I speak to businesses that I work with about their tone of voice, I’m not just talking about fluff. I’m showing you a business tool.

Tell me more about tone of voice

I like to define it as the language you choose, shaped to match the personality of your brand. You may call it your verbal identity. You might hear an agency call it brand language. Whatever the label, the idea is the same: consistency.

When it’s done well, you’ll feel it across every single touchpoint. Obviously on the website. But also the emails (and I love when that’s done well). Their sales deck. The post-it note on the box you send out. That consistency is what makes your brand stand out.

When it’s done badly, you end up with a neon sign with “guidelines” that say things like “We’re passionate! We’re friendly! We’re accessible!” As opposed to what? Boring, rude, and incomprehensible? 

When the brand voice is fleshed out, it is easier for your customers (and everyone who joins your business) to understand. They become useful, part of your sales strategy.

How do you create a voice?

If I’m writing for your business, I’ll always start with the brand itself. Where do you sit in the market? Who are your competitors? What is your USP (and is that REALLY your USP)? Once I have a handle on that, I imagine your brand as a character. I ask questions:

• How long are their sentences?
• Are they eloquent and love to chat? Or short and punchy?
• Do they talk with warmth or keep it sharp and cool?

From there, it’s a process of distilling. 

What makes this voice unique? 

What rules can we set so anyone in your business can use it? 

When I’m done with it, you’ll have a language system that lives across everything you produce, not just one shiny campaign.

And I give you the rules on how to recreate it, so you don’t just need me (but you can always check in to make sure you haven’t gone off-piste somewhere).

Which brand voices do I like?

In general, I tend to be punchy and to the point, though I have developed more floral tones of voice for clients (such as Pure Luxury Dreams). A good copywriter should work to your requirements, while providing their guidance.

Here are some brand voices I like:

Patagonia – their copy is lean and action-driven. When they talk about the environment, it’s direct and unapologetic. Nothing unnecessary, no vagueness.

Monzo – they write like a friend who knows their stuff. Their emails, app notifications, even their legal small print sound like a human. They’re also not afraid to poke fun at themselves when they mess up.

Mind – they make difficult conversations about mental health feel clear, kind, and supportive. It’s plain English, inclusive, and consistent wherever you meet them.

If Patagonia is the activist, Monzo the clever friend, and Mind the supportive guide, then you start to see how voice is character. I sometimes picture Mind’s tone like David Tennant: warm, candid, human, and just a little cheeky.

Why it matters for you

If you’re running a small or medium business, tone of voice can feel like the sort of thing only “big brands” fuss over. It’s not. It’s how you build trust before someone even picks up the phone. It’s how you stop blending in with the competition.

It’s the difference between “award-winning family solicitor services” and “We’ll help you protect what matters most.” Between “bespoke artisanal bakery” and “Bread so good your granny will be jealous.”

Get it right, and suddenly your customers don’t just know what you sell. They know who you are, and that you’re just like them. And that’s the key to getting them to take another look and think, “that’s the one for me.”

Tone of voice doesn’t have to take months to develop, it just needs a well-thought out approach. And then your content strategy sessions get easier, because you have the right words.

Do you need a native English-speaking copywriter to develop your tone of voice? I have over 12 years’ experience writing for brands in the UK, Ireland and across the Middle East, and you can contact me here.

My 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Experience 

August 20th 2025

I’m writing this on my return from Edinburgh to Manchester, as my train winds its way under angry skies through the verdant hills of the Lake District. I’ve had a whirlwind 72 hours packing in as much comedy and theatre as I can, filling my creative cup for another couple of months. 

I’ve been to the Fringe Fest before, and I always wish I could stay longer, though it’s become an even more expensive escape over the past few years. And I’m just a visitor. I met a director on Sunday night who told me that his theatre group (which comprises five for this show) were paying £12,000 for 11 nights in the city. 

Which shows to choose?

I used to be a big planner for events like the Fringe. I’d hop online shortly after the programme was released and flag shows to share with friends, booking most in advance before the train tickets went on sale. Of course, I’ve always left room in my schedule for Free Fringe, where performers take over the basements and upstairs rooms in pubs across the city, in the hope of donations from the audience at the end of their show. 

But this year, I was less organised. Every time I went on the programme website, I became overwhelmed by the sheer number of shows in every kind of genre available to peruse. FOMO isn’t something that affects me these days, but I felt that weird sensation tickling my ribs, not really worried about missing the next Fleabag or Baby Reindeer (as so many posters suggest to us they might be), but just that I’ll waste time, perhaps while grabbing a bite in Assembly Gardens, not seeing something that will stay with me for the next couple of years. And someone else is bound to tell me…

I sometimes wonder can I even be wowed anymore? Such is the overload we receive through social media.

Who, what, where, when, how was it?

But everyone will ask. 

What did you see? 

What amazed you? 

What would you recommend? 

Some people just ask to be polite. Others want to hear if I spotted Phoebe Waller-Bridge? Or watched Jason Byrne? Or got tickets to Tim Key?

Short answer? No. Not just because I wasn’t organised enough, not because some of those weren’t even performing, but because I tend away from the crowds in general. I want to see shows that aren't as publicised, or at least something I haven’t really heard of. I want to take a chance on lesser known artists because that’s how we foster new talent.

PHOTO: Balmoral Clock, glowing in the glorious Scottish sunshine

I believe you can actually wear yourself out – I think my daily plan of seeing as many acts back-to-back left me tired – I likely was trying to process too much, too quickly.

My one-liner summaries

I decided to make one-line synopses of each show I saw. A handy reference that won’t bore people. I just made it a game on the train for myself (so I can avoid my heaving inbox – that’s tomorrow’s problem).

I wasn’t allowed to use the words of their blurb. Not quite taglines, as I’m too tired for that, but in that vein.

1. Show title: Let Me Be The Cool Aunt (Sophie Bannister)

Venue: Brass Monkey – Cinema Room

Witty Aussie takes nephew on her expat journey with melodic flair.

2. Show title: Single Use (Verity Mullan)

Venue: Pleasance – Bunker 3

Expressive underachiever starts her journey to sustainability.

3. A Broken Man’s Guide to Fixing Others (Phil Green)

Venue: Banshee Labyrinth

You’ll leave this on MDMA, but not in the way you imagine.

4. The Mothman Cometh

Venue: Just the Tonic at The Subway

Cloaked depressive encourages surprisingly uplifting group therapy.

5. MASSAOKE – 90’s.

Venue: McEwan Hall

The name explains it.

6. CAN – Rob Auton

Venue: Assembly Roxy (upstairs)

Satirical yet sincere, leaves you with a different perspective of the world.

7. Smack the Pony – Back in the Saddle

Venue: Auditorium at Gilded Balloon at the Museum

Tear-inducing sketches and stories from three comedic powerhouses.

8. Brixton Mondays

Venue: Sub-Atomic at Just the Tonic

Ostensibly football-themed five-hander that delves deeper into male friendship.

9. Shane Daniel Byrne: Who’s a Big Boy?

Venue: Jersey at Underbelly, Bristo Square

Self-deprecating, silly and sometimes shady, with a huge slice of hilarity.

10. Caroline Madds: Buzzin’ (WIP)

Venue: Nineties Room, City Café

Offbeat and endearing comedy about an irritating condition!

11. Danny Ward: The Holiday

Venue: The Chamber Room at Banshee Labyrinth

Slick, soulful stand-up to start the day (12 pm start!) with a slightly sad snippet near the end.

12. Bog Body

Venue: The Vault @ Paradise at the Vault

An inventive premise for an admirable actor, with unexpected outcomes.

13. Swiping Right

Venue: Main House at ZOO Southside

Thought-provoking docudrama on polarelationships and their possibilities.

So, that’s a wrap on my Fringe experience this year. If you’ve been, I’d love to hear what you’ve seen (and particularly your one-liner synopses!)

I’m a senior UK copywriter, though often found further afield. If you need to find the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings from mid-September onwards, so please get in touch to see if I can help.

What Does a Day in the Life of a Copywriter Look Like?

August 13th 2025

When people ask how I feel about being a luxury copywriter, I never hesitate. I love it. I know I’m very lucky to wipe the sleep out of my eyes every morning and not immediately feel dread. 

When they ask me specifically about what yields my affection, I mention the variety. No two days look the same, next Wednesday definitely won’t resemble today nor will I be working on the same thing next month.

Yes, some things stay the same. There’s also a laptop… or PC… or MS Surface Pro, depending on where I am. Mid-afternoon, I like a cup of tea on most days. And if I’m at home in Manchester, then I’m at my desk with the sun/grey streaming through the window to my left hand side. 

But I could be working on an aesthetic clinic’s brochure. Or dreaming up poetic posts for a Singaporean yacht company. Or jingling up a radio ad for Christmas parties at a chic city hotel in Namibia. Yes, I’ve done all of these in the past few months.

I provide copywriting services for small businesses, but I’m also a luxury content writer in the UK who writes for some of the world’s most prestigious brands. Over the years, I’ve crafted content for Lamborghini, Dorchester Collection and Armani, as well as high-end boutique hotels, travel companies and small to medium businesses that want their words to match the calibre of their work.

So, what does a typical day look like for me? Here’s a glimpse into one recent Tuesday.

Bringing the wild onto the web

My day began with a project I was commissioned for three months ago, the website for an upcoming resort in a national park in Zambia. It’s only accessible by river or a rugged dirt road and offers an immersive experience where guests can truly experience the wild. I can’t discuss much about it, but I am impressed with the brand’s ethos and care for the landscape in their design. I usually write these across a few days, so this morning I crafted copy for their leisure experiences, which include river safaris to watch hippos wading through the water and crocodiles lurking in the shallows.

Next up was prepping a press release for a celebrated chef’s upcoming visit to Oman. Writing press copy means giving the reader enough of the story and a reason to attend without giving too much away.

Christmas? In August? It’s silly season for copywriters

From there, my focus shifted halfway across the world to a clifftop in Thailand. It’s the time of year I pull out the tinsel (metaphorically) to decorate the Christmas brochures of brands I write for. 

One of these is a beachfront retreat in Bali, another is a hillside hideaway on a Thai island. It’s a lot of fun describing festive events in different tones of voice while bringing in the wonder of Christmas and I’ve completed several of these over the past ten years.

From the World’s Seven Wonders to sustainable thoughts

The afternoon had the mist of Mosi-oa-Tunya in the air. I was penning a new brochure entry for a DMC who designs exclusive, high-end tours. One itinerary in particular caught my eye: a romantic dining experience in Batoka Gorge, just downstream of Victoria Falls. Fly in by helicopter, share a private picnic with a loved one or friends (yes, besties!) before being picked up to see the sunset over one of the World’s Seven Wonders.

I ended the working day drafting some pitches for The Ethicalist, a platform on living more sustainably, for which I’ve written articles on green banking, plastic-free parenting and which AI initiatives are helping the planet.

The business beyond the copywriting

Of course, not everything about my day involves sitting quietly at my desk. I sometimes find myself on air – guesting on podcasts such as Henriette Danel’s The Entrepreneurial Success, or speaking on Dubai Eye 103.8 about sustainable tourism. Talking about my work and my industry is always a pleasure, and it’s great to connect with people through a different format other than writing.

And there’s the reading and research that goes into understanding each client’s brand, their ideal customers and the message they want to land. I thrive on switching between voices – I feel like it keeps me sharp.

Whether it’s a global luxury brand or a passionate start-up, my job is to make sure their words work as hard as they do. And on a good day? I get to write about everything from Moroccan palaces to sustainable travel in the same afternoon. That’s why I love it.

I’m a UK-based copywriter who works with luxury brands worldwide. If you need to find the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings from September onwards, so please get in touch.

Could AI Could Help Us Save the World?

August 6th 2025

Copywriters seem to be almost evenly split into two categories over the past couple of years – one that absolutely hates AI and wishes to preserve the art without LLMs and the other that has adapted it in a tentative embrace and said, “Well you’re here now, let’s see what you’re good for.”

Of course, it’s not that binary, indeed we are known to be more nuanced.

However, it’s definitely been a divisive topic which has spawned thousands, if not millions, of disgruntled LinkedIn posts from both sides, throwing virtual pebbles at each other from behind a screen.

Is there more to AI?

Anyhow, that prompted me to look into ‘AI’ more deeply. Many people call ChatGPT AI, when in fact it is an LLM, a large language model trained on information. People are using that in various roles – to brainstorm, to debug code, or as a study aid. But AI – actual artificial intelligence – is being applied in a mind-boggling number of ways.

During my deep dive, I discovered that hundreds of companies are using artificial intelligence to solve problems such as the climate crisis. And the possibilities rose in front of me:

1. If we can use AI to process data so quickly, we could identify what works and what doesn’t far easily than we have before – i.e. more resilient trees could be planted in places where there has been deforestation
2. It’s possible to create devices that gather information on the ocean without harming marine life
3. Create smarter buildings that are more efficient on resources 

The progress that has been made in targeting environmentally friendly initiatives due to AI innovations is quite honestly, staggering. And it prompted an article from me for The Ethicalist, a platform on living more sustainably, called Smarter Tech, Smarter Planet. It’s a 9-minute read, perfect while travelling by metro, train or tram or bus.

And I’d love to hear your thoughts? Are you impressed by how AI can have a positive impact? Or does it still raise concerns for you?

From my cosy base in Manchester, I write articles on topics from cooling clothing to greener banking for a variety of clients and publications in the UK to UAE. If you’d like to commission a series of articles, please get in touch. 

How to Write the Best Tagline on Earth

July 30th 2025

Beanz Meanz Heinz.

Don’t leave home without it.

Hello boys!

The best taglines stick in your head.

And yet, I’ve had people say to me in a Zoom meeting, “But it’s just a few words, I can come up with something.” RIGHT. Just a few words that could bring in millions. No pressure. Of course I can come up with something, I’m a copywriter with 12 years’ experience (and you should hire someone with just as much experience).

Some of the most recognisable brands in the world owe a chunk of their success to a cracking tagline. Not just because it’s catchy, but because it captures something about who they are and makes it easy for the rest of us to remember it.

But when you’re a small business or just starting out, how on earth do you come up with a line that actually says something? And more importantly, one that is relevant for your business and actually sticks?

Over the past decade or so, I’ve picked up some tips so I’m going to share:

→ What makes a great tagline?
→ A few favourites I wish I’d written
→ The three steps I use to help clients craft theirs

Sitting comfortably? Let’s get stuck in.

Explain it to me like I’m eight, what’s a tagline?

It’s that one line that sums up your brand so well, people start to quote it back to you. Think of it as your elevator pitch’s cooler, more confident cousin.

A good tagline shows people what you’re about. A great one makes them feel something.

Tagline vs slogan – what’s the craic?

In simple terms: a tagline is the line you live by. A slogan is the one you use for a specific offer or campaign. So, while your tagline is your lifelong motto, your slogan is more like a seasonal catchphrase.

We’re all familiar with M&M’s “Melt in your mouth, not in your hands.” But did you know that it’s unchanged since the 1950s? Now that’s a tagline that works (and just thinking about it makes me crave some peanut M&Ms).

And probably the most well known tagline ever is Nike’s “Just Do It”.

But over the years, they’ve run campaigns with slogans like “Run the Day” or “Yesterday You Said Tomorrow.” All of these were good in the moment, but your tagline should be something that remains true – whatever your business is now, and what you visualise it to be in the future.

A great tagline works hard for you

A strong tagline can do the heavy lifting. It builds trust. It gets remembered. It might even be the reason someone clicks your link or says yes to working with you. In short, it’s as valuable as a brilliant member of staff.

Humans respond to taglines from a deep rooted place in our psyche. Short, snappy taglines are wonderful because our brains love brevity. And repetition makes them familiar, so your tagline should easily roll off the tongue.

Everyone thinks it needs to be clever, funny or poetic. But I argue that it doesn’t necessarily need to be any of those things. I aim for what feels ‘right’ for my customer. Like the right lipstick you’ll pull out again and again (how many people swear by MAC Ruby Woo?)

How to write a tagline (without tearing out your hair)

Experienced copywriters will talk in acronyms about formulas for writing good copy, such as AIDA, PAS and GRAB. When it comes to writing your tagline, I don’t believe in using a formula, as such. I listen to my client’s needs and trust my intuition to come up with an attention-grabbing tagline.

If there was a surefire formula that created taglines that make millions, I’d have patented it, bought my dream home in Achill and be writing plays and novels for fun by now.

However, I can suggest a process to help you find the right words.

Step 1: Brainstorm freely

Dump every thought, phrase, vibe, value and mini manifesto into a doc or a notebook. Get it all out, the silliness, even the lines you know won’t work –  they can be acting as a block. 

You know your business better than anyone, even if you hate writing about it. This is just about getting it all out of your head.

Step 2: Clarify

• What really matters to your customers? 
• How do you want them to feel when they read your tagline?
• What makes your brand different to others in the same industry?

Find that thread and keep pulling at it.

Step 3: Let it breathe

Like a good bottle of red, you need to let it breathe. Once there are a few lines that you feel pleased with, you should walk away and give it time.

Focus on other things in your business or go for a walk. I usually leave it at least overnight – because my brain is percolating away.

One tagline usually comes back to me over and over, like a small child tugging at my sleeve, telling me it’s the right one.

Your brain is a powerful tool; it does the work for you. 

A few of my favourite taglines

• Good things come to those who wait – Guinness. Before I liked a pint of the black stuff, this one was already ingrained in my memory. The brand has always had memorable advertising, but their tagline is a winner on so many levels.
• So fresh, it’s famous -  Pat The Baker. My Irish brethren are probably singing this in their head. 
• The fillet of cheddar – Kilmeaden Cheese. Wow, I’m envious of the copywriter who came up with that one, it’s just perfect – we know it’s quality.

I realise all of these are food and drink. Perhaps I’m hungry?

A more recent one is Slack, their tagline may be functional, but it works: Where  work happens. For thousands of teams worldwide, and even freelancers like me who use to communicate on projects, this rings true immediately, which is why it works.

All of these came from human creativity. Sure, you can use an LLM to spit out a hundred ideas – but if you look closely at my examples above, you’ll see the human creativity. I’d love to read the stories of how those lines came up.

Final thoughts

Taglines might be short, but they’re far from throwaway. They’re often the first impression, the lasting one, and the bit people repeat when they recommend you.

If you’re struggling to write one that feels right, you’re not alone. But give it time, space, and a bit of head-scratching – and the perfect line might just find you.

Or better yet, book a copywriter who actually loves doing this stuff (hi 👋).

And if you’re looking for a UK-based copywriter to help you find the right words, please get in touch.

Game Writing for Questo: ‘Highlights of Manchester’

July 16th 2025

Back in March 2021, I got a message that would lead me on one of the most unexpected and enjoyable copywriting adventures I’ve ever had. The team at Questo reached out to ask if I’d be interested in writing a walking game for Manchester. Would I like to create a storyline for players to follow, complete with puzzles, clues, and an engaging route through the city? Yes, this is a challenge I’d be up for.

At the time, I had done a lot of walking around Manchester – in the snows of January, the many rains of February, and sometimes seeing a cheeky glance of sun during the days of March that year. An end to lockdown was in sight, we weren’t arranging any mad parties yet, so walking games sounded like a good plan.

I’d moved to Manchester the summer before, but due to all the restrictions, I still didn’t feel like I properly knew the city. Creating this game offered the perfect excuse to do something I love: wander, explore and find stories.

Building a route, one puzzle at a time

I started with Google maps. Then walking the city streets of Manchester. A lot. I must have tried half a dozen routes before settling on one that felt just right. It had to flow. It had to be accessible. It had to lead people to some of the city’s highlights and a few of its hidden treasures. This wasn’t just a map you could pull from a search engine. It needed to feel alive.

I was lucky that I had some born-and-bred Mancs in my circle to ask about the lesser known places. And I reached out on forums to longtime residents. What would visitors miss? What was overlooked on tours?

Grim histories

That’s how I discovered about the daub holes of the 1700s in Piccadilly Gardens (if you know, you know) and wove some darker chapters of the city’s history into an otherwise light-hearted tour. It was a pleasure to delve into the deep past of Manchester and figure out how I could weave a fictional narrative out of some of the facts. Everyone knows about Manchester’s music scene, from Joy Division to Elbow, almost everyone has an LP, CD or has at least streamed the music created in this city on a regular basis. I wanted people to learn about what they didn’t know.

The joy of creating something fun

Once the route was mapped, I wrote the storyline and built in puzzles at each stop. The idea is simple: follow the story, explore the city, solve the clues. It’s interactive, a bit educational, and designed to be enjoyed by families, friends, couples or curious solo explorers.

At one point, I remember finishing up a test walk of the full route, then heading straight to meet a friend at a bar. We sat outside, coats on under a tin roof while the rain poured, with drinks in hand, toasting my completed route. My first game! 

Still going strong

Since launching “Highlights of Manchester” on Questo, I’ve had to tweak it a few times. Scaffolding went up at one key spot where the 22 bees mural to commemorate the lost souls at the Ariana Grande concert in 2017 was; the town hall is under refurbishment so the pathways keep moving, and I’ve made a few small edits to keep things fresh. But nearly four years on, the feedback is still lovely. Another month, another 5-star review.

What I love is that this isn’t just a tourist thing. Locals play too, and I’ve had several people tell me they discovered parts of their city they’d never noticed before. That’s the magic of a well-written trail; it slows you down. It gets you looking up (hint: gargoyle).

Fancy a go?

If you’re visiting Manchester or know someone who is, give it a go. Just download the Questo app and search for “Highlights of Manchester.” It’s a gentle adventure with a few brain teasers, a bit of local lore, and a good walk around a city that has a lot more going on than first meets the eye. Don’t forget to stop at some of the brilliant boozers that the city has to offer (may I suggest the Rose & Monkey after stop 4?)

And if you’ve ever thought about writing one of these games yourself, I say do it. There’s something hugely satisfying about creating a story that helps people fall a little more in love with a place. Especially when that place becomes home.

And if you’re looking for a creative freelance writer in the UK who can craft story-led content, map a trail, or design something unexpected for your brand, please get in touch.

Hotel Copywriting Case Study:

NH Johannesburg Sandton Hotel

Writing in a new voice for a new city

July 9th 2025

When NH Johannesburg Sandton opened in July 2024, it marked a fresh start for a landmark hotel in one of South Africa’s most exciting urban hubs. Formerly a Hilton, the property was reimagined under the NH Hotels brand, and as a long-term copywriter for Minor Hotels, I was brought in to help shape its new identity. 

It was a first for both of us. The brand (NH Hotels) was making its debut in South Africa, and it was my first time writing for an NH Hotel (having previously worked on NH Collection).

Finding the right words in a new tone of voice

I was given a clear brief by the marketing team. I had to transfer the hotel into the NH world while making sure it felt rooted in Sandton. That meant finding a tone that was warm, modern and easy-going, but still polished and attractive to both business and leisure visitors. 

I worked closely with the team at Minor Hotels (especially in the MEA headquarters) and the on-property staff to understand more about the hotel and its location in Johannesburg. Learning things like the freeform swimming pool is a real gem in this part of the city, where guests love to take a break. It’s vital to let potential guests understand the extras they will receive, from the excellent snacks on offer at the 6th floor Executive Lounge to the free shuttle that carries people to the landmark Nelson Mandela Square, a beautiful European-style piazza with a bronze statue to the decorated former President of the country.

Over the years, I’ve learned to tweak and tailor words to stay original while keeping consistent with brand guidelines. I seek out the local character which helps to weave the identity of a specific property.

Writing copy, especially for a new brand, has to read as ‘considered but effortless’. No one wants to be labouring over the meaning when they’re choosing a hotel – whether for a business trip or holiday!

I aimed for copy that was:

• Refined
• Evocative
• Functional, yet inspiring

The joys of Sandton

Sandton is one of Johannesburg’s most chic neighbourhoods. The hotel is just around the corner from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, a short walk from the previously mentioned Nelson Mandela Square, and close to the Gautrain Station. It’s a brilliant base for business travellers, but also a great spot for weekend stays, with leafy views, a chilled pool area for drinks and a buzzy bar scene.

When I only have 40 words to inject the energy of the district and the ease of reaching what’s on offer, I need to think carefully about what I’m putting in – and what I’m leaving out.

Ticking off another milestone in my career

I’ve worked with over a dozen hospitality brands, including:

• Four Seasons
• Dorchester Collection
• Shangri-La Hotels
• Anantara Hotels & Resorts

I’ve also written for boutique hotels from the Cotswolds to Phuket. And I’ve been working with Minor Hotels as a freelance copywriter since 2016, which is continuously rewarding.

But this was my first time writing for a hotel in South Africa, and my first NH Hotels project. This was a chance to research, grow and hone my copy for a new audience. I never tire of these opportunities as I want to become the best copywriter I can be.

One year on, NH Johannesburg Sandton has found its voice and is an established presence in the Johannesburg business district. I’m proud to have helped shape it. 

Happy Birthday to the hotel and I hope the team and visitors enjoy the celebrations!

I’ve written copy for hotels in Dubai, Johannesburg and Bangkok. If you need a copywriter for a hotel project in 2026, please get in touch.

Six Rules to Improve Your Copy

July 2nd 2025

I’m back to the real world now and the wonder of words. Although I’m pretty tired after a week sleeping in a tent and working on dusty crossings at Glastonbury festival, I have returned to work with a healthier brain than before! 

I wanted to create a blog that adds value to start the month, especially for those who have a little time over the summer to focus on their websites. I have compiled seven tips to improve your copy below.

1. Know your customers

Who are you? What are you selling? To whom are you selling it to? 

It’s not your job to write copy. It is part of your role to understand your customer very well. Knowing where they are and what they need is key to selling. How can your offer provide them with what they need?

That’s where you start with your copy.

2. Write it ALL down first

Get it all down, every word of what you want to say. As a copywriter, I don’t start small – I write reams of text. The trailblazing digital marketer and author of Everybody Writes, Ann Handley, says:

“Brevity doesn't mean bare bones or stripped down. Take as long as you need to tell the story.”

When you have all your points written down on the page, then it’s easy to see what is important and needs to be communicated, and what needs to be edited. It will require paring back for concision, and don’t forget to “kill your darlings.”

3. Be specific 

Show the benefit to your customer early.

They have arrived on your landing page wondering 

“How does this help ME?”

“What do I get from this?”

Answer those questions quickly and clearly. And the more specific you are, the more believable you become. A vague promise won’t land. Be detailed and sharp to hit the target.

4. Use simple language

This is an error I see quite often during my ‘Clarify Your Copy’ sessions. They feel like they need to use big words and impress people. 

You don’t.

Make it easy for people to read and they’ll stay longer.

If your language is too fancy or overcomplicated, you risk making people pause and think, and not in a good way. 

Don’t make them analyse your vocabulary. Make them feel what you’re saying.

If someone is trying to figure out the sentence, they’re not thinking about buying.

5. Create variety

Straightforward and simple doesn’t have to mean dull. People love variety.

Engage them in different ways. I vary:

• Sentence length
• Tone
• Rhythm
• Sometimes I use bullet points

Avoid becoming monotonous with your language and flow. You can frame it through a different lens – curiosity, urgency, social proof. For example, I can create curiosity when writing copy for a luxury villa resort by saying:

“Why every A-list guest requests this villa first…”

6. Avoid transactional words

You don’t need to remind your customer that they are here to buy. It puts the focus on handing over money. 

When you’re writing copy to tease or entice, your reader probably isn’t ready to reach for their wallet. 

Build interest and desire. Show them why they should care.

Don’t remind them of “cost”, remind them of what they can gain.

Make them want it.

These six basics will help improve your copy. And if you’re still tearing your hair out hours in, I can help you find the right words.

I’m a Uk-based copywriter (usually) working with brands worldwide. If you need to find the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings from August onwards, so please get in touch.

In the Fields Again for Glastonbury No. 5 (But Who’s Counting?)

June 25th 2025

As you read this, I’ll probably have a high vis on and be directing festival goers with a megaphone. That’s right, I’m currently at the best festival on Earth – Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts. It’s my fifth time in the hallowed fields of Somerset but the first where I’ll have a role behind the scenes – well very much ‘in’ the scene, but I’ll be there before the gates open.

After the months of hot weather we have had, I’m more likely to be wearing a dust mask than wellies, but you never know, British weather loves a bit of unpredictability. I’ve never seen a muddy Glastonbury, however I have had a month’s worth of rain, and a storm so wild the security towers needed to be dismantled at other festivals, so I know how it can go!

For the first time, I get to see Glastonbury from the other side of the lanyard, as a supervisor for Internal Traffic Management with My Cause UK. (I know. Sounds fierce, official. I’m nervous.) I won’t bore you with the details of the role, but it’s a world away from what I’m usually doing, furiously tapping away at my desk!

PICTURE: My Cause UK Volunteers

Burnout, Bad Neighbours, and the Need to Breathe

Now, you might be thinking, “But isn’t volunteering… work?” Yes. Technically. But it’s also time away from the laptop. No emails, no notifications, no endless requests to “just jump on a quick call.” It’s a glorious break from being a grown-up who is permanently chained to a glowing rectangle.

With only three eight-hour shifts over six days, I’ll have plenty of time to enjoy everything the festival has to offer. Some of you will watch the main stages on BBC and compare it to Isle of Wight or Reading. But what the TV doesn’t show is over 100 stages, more than 900 acres to explore – art, healing, magic shows and men wearing puppets on their… ahem, there’s a reason some things aren’t televised.

The last few months have been a cocktail of stress, stirred with burnout and garnished with a highly aggressive neighbour who hosts midweek parties like it’s 1999. I’ve had a few tricky clients (one even tried to explain to me how to run my own business — always appreciated) and some personal stuff that I won’t share here, because frankly I don’t have to share everything.

I haven’t had enough time for myself in MONTHS. Not enough to think, not to breathe, and definitely not to run my business the way I’d like. And my job needs inspiration; I need stillness to find the right words. 

The State of Things

On a more serious note — because I can’t pretend the world isn’t burning down around us — this year has left me feeling heavy. Listening to a Prime Minister happy to cosy up to genocidal regimes. Watching a certain orange baboon doing everything he can to mess things up across the Atlantic (and once again, in the Middle East). The looming threat of nuclear war, the rising tide of hatred.

Sorry, I am not my usual positive self (see above). 

But it is part of why Glastonbury matters to me. It’s a music festival, yes, but it is so much more. It’s a celebration of creativity in all its forms. It is not just the Pyramid stage or headliners. I rarely see either. What I do see is families, old and young, people decked out in glitter and mermaid tails and others in shorts and hiking boots. No one is judging. It’s a reminder that people can come together, build something, and leave better than they found it. It’s idealistic, yes. But sometimes you need a pocket of idealism to survive the headlines.

People talk about the lines and deep spirituality of the site, especially those who have been attending for over 30 years. That can still be found at the Stone Circle and in the healing fields, which I will definitely wander around this year.

How It All Began 

My first Glastonbury was 2017. I’d tried and failed to go for years, and when I finally got the golden ticket, I knew it would be five epic days of music. Foo Fighters were headlining. I thought that would be the highlight for me, they’d been on my list for several years (I have now seen them 7 times!).

What I couldn’t have known was that the people I met right there in Darble field would change my life.

The girl camped next to me became my pandemic bubble-mate. I moved to Manchester partly because of that friendship. That group I hung out with for five days? I’ve since been to their weddings. Danced at countless gigs, parties and other festivals with them. I’m now godmother to one of their children. And through one of them, I met Danny (my partner).

If you’d told me all that at Glasto in 2017, I’d have laughed and asked how much cider you’d had.

In the midst of a dark mental health patch, Glastonbury offered me solace in a strange way. The kind of peace I wasn’t sure I was missing. I love festivals but I never get quite the same feeling as that special place in Somerset.

I thought it was about the music, the spectacle, the big acts. And it is. But it’s also about tiny, quiet moments. A cry-laugh in the Greenpeace field. A solo wander soaking up all the incredible signs and messages (‘Rise’ will always remind me of that first year). A stranger sharing suncream or a soft drink like you’re long-lost siblings. 

PICTURE: Glastonbury

Let the Cynics Scoff

I know not everyone gets it. Glastonbury has become a kind of national sport for cynics — too expensive, too busy, too full of people who think they’re more enlightened than they are. And maybe some of that’s true. But it’s also full of people trying to be better. You won’t see fights there. You will see people help each other put up tents. You can dance next to a five-year-old and a pensioner in the same crowd, both singing along to Sheryl Crow or Avril Lavigne. And yes, you can even engage with political campaigns, if you want to.

It's fun how I can float between a drag cabaret, a climate change panel, and an orchestral rave within a few hours. I napped on the hill near The Park and danced at the Gas Tower until dawn on Monday.

If I want to lie on the grass beside West Holts with an incredible paella, I can. I will be casting off all the chains of ‘real life’ and my only responsibilities will be my shifts and meeting up with friends.

But if you haven’t been and don’t want to go, that’s fine too, then it isn’t for you.

A New Perspective: Volunteering with My Cause UK

Volunteering at Glasto means being part of the machine that makes the magic happen. It’s no small operation and helping it run more smoothly feels like a real privilege.

And the best bit? Through My Cause UK, I get to support a charity of my choice. When I started, I chose Shelter. Then Mind. More recently, I’ve volunteered for the Smith-Magenis Syndrome Foundation UK — a small charity that supports families living with a rare and lifelong condition. It means a lot to be able to raise awareness for causes that don’t get the same airtime (or budget) that other charities have.

One thing a lot of people forget is that Glastonbury festival is run for charity. The acts don’t get their usual fees. Many take a huge pay cut just to play the Pyramid Stage. The festival supports a range of causes from Greenpeace to WaterAid to Oxfam.

That spirit of generosity and purpose runs through the festival like a thread. It’s part of what makes it feel so different from other events. You’re not just there to consume. It’s a reminder that the community can look like this. It can be silly, spontaneous, and generous. It can be grounded in shared values and good compost loos. 

My Five Days of Christmas

A friend once called Glastonbury “your Christmas.” She’s not wrong. I take less time off at Christmas. I hardly practice the Catholic version with midnight mass any longer. When everyone else has their Christmas holidays, I work. But when I get to visit Pilton on this last week in June, it’s a reset. A reminder of who I am when I’m not chasing deadlines or convincing someone that yes, words really do matter. 

When my shifts are done, I’ll be back among the tents and flags and glowsticks. I’ll be dancing with abandon surrounded by some of my favourite people at the Stonebridge Bar or Shangri-La.  I’m looking forward to crew catering (I’ve heard great things). At the end, I will have likely clocked up 75 miles walking and be shattered, but thankful.

So, I’ll be offline for a bit. You’ll find me in a field, trying to remember how to breathe again.

If you’re also feeling burned out, lost, or just overwhelmed, maybe don’t dismiss the idea of losing yourself for a while. Whether it’s a festival, a forest, or just a weekend offline, maybe find somewhere to step away, recalibrate, and return a little more.

See you on the other side.

I’m a senior copywriter (usually) based in Manchester, though often found in fields throughout the summer. If you need to find the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings from August onwards, so please get in touch.

Clarify Your Copy – The Little Service That Could

June 18th 2025

Around four years ago, it was a night in February 2021 to be precise, we were all in the strange stillness of lockdown. I had time to sit and think, really think, about my business, which is something I don’t get much of these days! 

At the time, I was lucky enough to still be working with small businesses, many of whom were shifting online fast. Some had never sold via a website before, others suddenly realised their old site needed a serious dust-off.

A year (15 months?) online

We were all online more, buying more, and scrolling endlessly. In fact, UK adults spent more time online than any other people in Europe (according to Ofcom) and online shopping escalated. 

Having spent the previous 11 months communicating regularly (through online networking and 1-2-1’s),  I realised a few things.

1. Most small business owners weren’t really sure what a copywriter does. (To this day, I still get asked if I work in copyright law.)
2. They had already spent so many hours trying to write their own web copy —  agonising over how to ‘say what they do’ in a way that felt natural and persuasive.
3. Most weren’t as far off as they thought. Having listened to many people refine their pitch at networking, I understood that many knew their business better than anyone. Often, their tone of voice was already in there, somewhere.

With all this in mind, I wanted to create a service that recognised these things and provided great value.

A budget-friendly boost for small business websites

That’s how my 90-minute web polish was born. I decided on a standalone session focused on what was working (and what wasn’t) on your website. I’d offer:

• SEO pointers
• Keyword suggestions
• Advice on structure and flow
• Note any copy tweaks that would help convert more customers

I specifically didn’t want to set a formula, because no two businesses are the same. I wanted to run a tailored session packed with copywriting tips for small businesses that were personalised to their specific needs.

Blast off!

When I first launched it, I got four bookings in 24 hours, seven in 48 hours, and 11 by the end of the first month. 

The best part? Every single one of those clients recommended me to someone else.

I barely posted about it beyond LinkedIn. No ads, no campaigns — just word of mouth. It’s priceless marketing. 

From polish to purpose: ‘Clarify Your Copy’ gets a glow-up

Late last year, I felt it was time to give the service a bit of a rebrand. The offering had grown to cover more ground, such as tone of voice, sales email strategy, even helping small businesses refine their message for SEO or social media. I didn’t raise the price (still great value at £159), but I gave it a name that I thought was a little less unwieldy and more resonant for small business owners: ‘Clarify Your Copy’.

The target market is still the same. Small business owners who aren’t quite ready to invest in full web copy but know they need a second pair of eyes (this is the benefit of a 12-year copywriting expert). Whether you want help defining your voice, tweaking your homepage or boosting your SEO, this session is designed to give you real, actionable insight.

Why this still works for small businesses in 2025

In a world where attention spans are short and competition is high; your words truly matter. And if you’re an SME trying to stand out, good copy isn’t a shiny new high-end handbag, it’s a necessity. 

You don’t need jargon. You don’t need fluff. You need clarity, personality, and a message that lands with your dream customer.

That’s what this session does. It’s copywriting for small businesses, plain and simple.

So, whether you’re a service provider, a creative, or the proud owner of a brilliant product-based biz, this could be the boost your words are waiting for.

One UK SME copywriter, one session, a better website

I love working with small businesses because I am one. I know how much heart you put into your work. I know how difficult it can be to find the words. I’ve seen people cry into their coffee mugs over it. 

That’s why this service exists — to help you say what you mean, show off your strengths, and connect with your audience.

Want to learn more? You can book it here (or a call with me to find out more).

Because sometimes, all it takes is 90 minutes for me to help you find the right words!

I’m a senior copywriter based in Manchester, working with SMEs throughout the UK and beyond. If you need to find the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings from July onwards, so please get in touch.

Writing About Sustainable Tourism

June 11th 2025

If you’ve followed me for a while here, on LinkedIn or Facebook, you’ll know that sustainability is a topic that I’m pretty passionate about. I’ve written about plastic-free parenting, conscious consumption, and the small ways we can all try to tread a little lighter on the planet. But anyone who knows me in real life also knows how much I love to travel, from living in countries such as Thailand and the UAE, to exploring mountains and lakes in Colombia, Lithuania and Australia… I see it as a huge part of my identity.

Reconciling those two passions isn’t always easy. Because travel, in its most traditional form, often comes with a cost that goes far beyond financial. I’ve always been conscious of what I’m bringing to a place I visit (without being white saviour adjacent!) and what footprint I’m leaving behind. 

What happens when we travel?

Emissions, over-tourism, environmental degradation are only being discussed in travel communities in recent years. But there are definite choices we can make that contribute to places we visit and enrich our Earth (and its people) more than take away. How do we travel with intention?

That’s what led me to write How To Travel Better As A Positive Impact Tourist for The Ethicalist. It came out of conversations I’d been having with friends and clients in the hospitality industry. Conversations about what travel might look like in a post-pandemic world, and how we could use this reset to make better choices – not just for the planet, but for people too.

It was also the reason I was invited to speak on Dubai Eye 103.8 Radio last year – discussing ongoing protests in over-touristed destinations and how we can improve our own behaviours (because, why not?). Asking questions before you book is a positive thing. Buying local when you’re there helps the communities you visit. We don’t have to get things perfect, but there is no harm in trying!

PICTURE: En route to Islas Palomino to see the sea lions

Many of the points in the original article are still relevant now. Things like:

• Choosing accommodation where sustainability in ingrained in their ethos
• Supporting community-based tourism projects that reinvest in local people
• Travelling slower, and spending more time in fewer places
• Offsetting flights in a meaningful way (yes, there is greenwashing, but there are also some excellent initiatives out there)
• Asking what your holiday gives back – not just what it takes

Can there be give and take on holidays?

This isn’t about guilt-tripping anyone out of a holiday. I still travel, and I still believe in the power of travel to open minds and break down barriers. The experiences I have had across the globe have undoubtedly made me happier and more fulfilled. But I also think that with the opportunity to travel you should bear some responsibility, to the destinations you visit, and the communities who live there year-round. 

Maybe instead of flying to the Caribbean, you choose Ksamil in Albania with its white sand beaches? Croatia has become crazy popular but maybe try Montenegro (Sveti Stefan has five-star resorts, private beaches and historical churches and is surrounded with turquoise waters). 

Choosing companies that take corporate social responsibility seriously is another way to help. No one is saying that you abandon your beach holiday, but staying at a resort such as Anantara Bazaruto Island Resort – which has helped build three primary schools on the island, supports local fisherman and runs a variety of initiatives to help islanders into employment – means that you can actually contribute to a community where you stay. And why not join in one of the initiatives while you are there?

So, if you’re interested in adding more purpose to your own trips, or you're just looking for a bit of inspiration, I’m resharing the article here.

And if you’re a travel or hospitality brand looking to build sustainability into your content strategy in a meaningful and strategic way – get in touch. I’d love to help you find the right words.

I write articles on sustainable tourism, ethical choices for living and green cities for a variety of clients and publications from the UK to Thailand. If you’d like to commission a series of articles, please get in touch.

Luxury Hospitality Copywriting Case Study:

Avani+ Barbarons Seychelles Resort

June 4th 2025

I’ve been a luxury hotel copywriter for almost a decade, a role that has me regularly picturing soaking al fresco in a hot tub or strolling along white sandy beaches as the waves roll gently in. 

I’ve been working with Minor Hotels since 2016, and Avani Hotels & Resorts were the second brand I began writing for. Today, I’m going to discuss a Seychelles hotel that is part of the brand, which is known for being upscale but also convenient, personable and on-trend.

While I didn’t write the original content for Avani+ Barbarons Seychelles Resort, when it came time for the resort’s refurbishment and upgrade to the Avani+ tier, Jessica from Minor Hotels’ marketing team in Seychelles got in touch. The resort was closed for a refresh and refurb, and new copy was needed to match its brand spanking new identity.

Putting Our Heads Together In Person

A rare opportunity arose for Jessica and I to meet at World Travel Market in London. We nabbed 40 minutes out of the crazy schedule that event entails to discuss the progress of the project, new restaurant concepts and the general feel we were aiming for with the copy.

Normally, most of my work with Minor is conducted via email and the occasional call. Templates are in place, the voice is familiar, and I’ve written for at least 15 Avani properties by now. But this time, the excellent timing for our paths to cross gave me a deeper understanding of the upgrade (plus the chance to build a rapport with Jessica).

The Challenge

When I was brought on board, the resort was still very much a work in progress. Construction was underway. New lagoons were being carved out, outlets were being repositioned, and entire spaces were being reimagined. Some of the renderings had only just landed in my inbox, while others were still in development. As it so often happens in pre-opening, I’m expected to be part copywriter, part clairvoyant.  

We weren’t yet sure of the final concept for one of the signature restaurants, so I had to work around placeholders and keep the tone adaptable. With only the architectural visuals and a few early briefs in hand, it was a challenge to find the right words without fully seeing how everything would come together. But it’s all part of the job — painting a picture for the reader before the last tile’s been laid or the first cocktail’s been shaken.

From Imagination to Reality

One of the key elements I wanted to highlight in the copy was the location. Avani always puts a strong focus on place, and rightly so. This resort sits directly on Barbarons Bay, one of those dreamy stretches of coastline that actually lives up to the postcard.

The water is impossibly blue. The surrounding landscape is lush and tropical in that unruly, untamed way that feels utterly luxurious.

And the best part? It’s just 30 minutes from Seychelles International Airport. You’re in paradise before your suitcase hits the floor.

There’s real diversity in the accommodation. Couples can enjoy romantic suites and adult-only pool access. Families, meanwhile, have space to spread out, with lagoon-side rooms and plenty of activities to keep everyone happy. Snorkelling in the marine park? Check. Creole cooking classes? Get busy. Horse-riding at sunset? Made for two.

It’s a resort where you can sip cocktails at sunset, drift off to sleep to the sound of the sea, and still get to your flight without stress. Holidays with ease… while still offering premium service and amenities.

Opening Soon!

Of course, like most projects, this one wasn’t simply one round and done. There was back and forth, edits, and fine-tuning. We had to make sure every detail was not just correct but specific to this resort. It had to feel rooted in place. It had to sound like Avani+.

Now, after more than two years since I first started writing the initial drafts, the finish line is finally in sight. The provisional opening date is 16 June. It’s that exciting moment where the renderings become real, and guests start arriving. It honestly feels a bit like sending a child off to school. I’ve shaped it, polished it, and now it’s time to let it go.

Huge thanks to Jessica and Julie for their collaboration along the way. Can’t wait to see how this next chapter for Avani+ Barbarons unfolds.

Seychelles Resorts | Avani+ Barbarons SeychellesOfficial Site

I’ve written copy for luxury resorts in the Maldives, Seychelles and Middle East. If you need a copywriter for a luxury hotel project in 2026, please get in touch.

Tents and Taglines: Musings After a Festival Weekend

May 28th 2025

Last weekend marked my first festival of the year: Bearded Theory. Set in the lush Derbyshire countryside, it’s a family-friendly party with music, comedy and all kinds of creativity that runs for five days. There’s even an onsite Ofsted-approved school for when the kiddies aren’t getting giddy with paints or glowsticks.

I’ve volunteered at Bearded Theory a few times in the past through My Cause UK, a brilliant organisation where you can contribute to a charity of your choosing while earning your ticket. Sadly, our team wasn’t there this year, but I decided that it was unmissable after the past few years – especially with acts such as Nova Twins, Fat Dog and Iggy Pop.

This week, as I settled back into work (with the backpack not quite empty), I found myself thinking about festival taglines. You know, those pithy little phrases meant to sum up the soul of a whole event. With any other event, it’s an occupational itch I have to scratch, but this is the first time I’ve considered it in terms of festivals. I suppose the acts are a big draw, but having volunteered at many festivals over the years, they all have their own USP and they should be using it in their marketing. Some do, some don’t, so I decided to delve deeper.

Bearded Theory: Award-Winning but Undersold?

Here’s the thing: Bearded Theory technically has a tagline. On the website, it’s listed as an award-winning family festival, which is true, and helpful if you’re browsing options with a toddler or two in two. But for those of us who’ve roamed from Pallet to Coda and danced under its fairy-lit trees, it doesn’t quite capture the spirit.

There’s a real indie mischief about the place. It’s got that DIY charm and seems almost on a farm with its hay bale bars. You can sculpt your own wooden seat or have a sauna around the corner from the Meadow stage. There’s a "let’s build a dragon out of bins” kind of energy. So how about something like:
“Music and Mischief by the Trent”?
Or even:
“Where the Kids Go Wild and the Grown-Ups Wander”.

I think it deserves a little more flair.

Glastonbury: The Gold Standard 

Glastonbury, the behemoth of all European music festivals. Pretty much everyone wants to play there and tickets are like gold dust – if you’ve ever tried to get one, you’ll know. If you don’t know it, it sells out months before there is even a decent rumour about who is headlining.

Having been several times as a punter, this year I get to be part of it as a volunteer, and I’m excited to see behind the scenes. Glasto, as many know it, has one of the most recognisable taglines in the UK festival world:
“Love the Farm, Leave No Trace.”

It’s not flashy. But it works because people actually live by it. Over 90% of attendees genuinely clean up after themselves (in fact 99% take their tents home, as you should). The festival’s connection to its land, to local causes, to the big picture, it’s all baked in and has been for more than five decades!

But that’s just one layer. For me, Glastonbury is more than an environmental ethos. It’s a creative city risen from the fields. A place where you can watch a sunrise set at Stone Circle, then stumble into an impromptu poetry reading in a tepee, before heading to Avalon for some pop-punk and a cup of tea.

If I were to sum it up in a tagline?
“A World as One for the Weekend.”
Or
“An Artistic Wonderland, Built by Many, Beloved by All.”

Admittedly, I can’t quite hit it today. It’s too much and it means too much to many. Plus, does it really need to be sold anymore? 

Tomorrowland: Love, Unity… and Bass Drops

Then there’s Tomorrowland, the colossal Belgian dance festival. Their tagline?
“Live Today, Love Tomorrow, Unite Forever.”

It’s poetic. It’s heartfelt. It’s also a little marketing speak, if I’m being honest.

Let’s be real. People go to Tomorrowland for the drop. The moment the beat hits and the half-million crowd goes feral.

So how about:
“Where Every Drop Feels Different.”
Or
“A Million Beats, One Rhythm.”

See? I’m trying to narrow in on its premise by being more grounded in what festival-goers actually experience.

Just a Distraction

Are taglines the most important part of a festival? Definitely not. But they’re a small way to hint at the vibe and I believe that smaller festivals could truly see the benefit.

After a joyous weekend with the people I love most, full of letting loose in colourful clothes, dancing in the drizzle and drinking umpteen elderflower ciders, it’s hardly a surprise my mind is finding ways to connect work and the festival scene.

Call it creative wanderings from a tired but inspired mind.

I’m a senior copywriter (usually) based in Manchester, though often found in fields throughout the summer. If you need to find the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings from July onwards, so please get in touch.

Up the (Con)junction: Keeping Your Sentences Together!

May 21st 2025

It’s English GCSE time. How do I know? Because even though I never sat GCSEs (I’m Irish), I’ve been tutoring my partner’s eldest daughter in English for the past eight months. In a previous life, I taught English, and I’ve also been an editor and proofreader, and I’m here to explain the differences between what you can write on your business page, brochure or blog vs what you were ‘instructed’ to write at school.

Why has everyone got ‘conjunction-itis’?

These wonderful words seem to confuse many people, mostly because there seem to be so many RULES around them. We’re haunted by the spirits of our past English teachers who told us how and when they should be used. As a copywriter, I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve had a small business owner tell me that they got an ‘A’ in English and I absolutely can’t start a sentence with ‘And’. I suppose Shakespeare, Chaucer and Milton were wrong then? Cormac McCarthy loves a good “But…”, and Margaret Atwood has thrown in a few.

Maybe I’ve jumped ahead… let’s start at the beginning.

What is a conjunction?

In short: conjunctions are joiners. They’re the glue that holds parts of your sentence together. The word itself comes from the Latin coniungere, which literally means “to join together”. Think of conjunctions as connectors – they link words, phrases, clauses, or even whole sentences to keep your ideas flowing.

There are two main types you need to know:

• Coordinating conjunctions connect elements of equal importance. Think “this and that”. You can remember them easily with the mnemonic FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.
• Subordinating conjunctions—like although, because, if, and until—link a subordinate clause to a main clause. In plain English: one part of the sentence makes sense on its own, and the other part depends on it.

Photo by Eva Bronzini

Comma, si? Or Comma, na

Another reason people get confused by conjunctions is that it makes them worry about whether they need a comma.

So, here’s a cut-out-and-keep:

• If a conjunction joins two words or short phrases, you don’t need a comma.
  ✅ The dress was short but flowing.
  ✅ She likes crisps and fruit.

• If you’re joining two independent clauses, meaning both parts could stand on their own as full sentences, you should add a comma before the conjunction.
  ✅ I stayed up late last night, because Joanna was leaving on an early flight.
  ✅ He missed the 78 bus, so he walked to Uncle Steve’s.

• But when the clauses are short and the meaning is clear, that comma is optional.
  ✅ You should go to bed because it’s Sports Day tomorrow.
  ✅ You should go to bed, because it’s Sports Day tomorrow.

If it’s clear, I wouldn’t bother. Stick with your own style. If a comma helps the reader breathe or prevents confusion, use it. If it clutters things, don’t.

And what about the Oxford Comma?

This comes up – again usually from people ‘correcting’ my copy when they hired ME to write for their business. Should you use a comma before the final item in a list?

It depends. I write for a variety of clients and some brand guidelines demand it, while others suggest I don’t use it. It’s one I don’t have a personal preference on, because I have to change style so much.

What do you think?

• Without: I had a latte, croissant and jam.
• With: I had a latte, croissant, and jam.

There is no right or wrong. Despite what AP would have you believe. And especially NOT if you’re writing copy, instead of an essay.

Business copywriting ≠ English at school

School may have given you an irrational fear or misunderstanding about conjunctions, but they shouldn’t be the source of any handwringing.

Unlearn your grammar myths and banish that English teacher’s voice from your ear (no one can pull me up here because I loved all of mine!)

As long as your writing is clear, people will overlook where you’ve placed the comma.

If you’re stuck, give me a shout. While I don’t list grammar-wrangling in my list of services, I do have to deal with its nuances regularly.

I’m a senior copywriter based in Manchester, and I write both with and without the Oxford Comma when called for. If you need help finding the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings from July onwards, so please get in touch.

Writing for The Ethicalist: The Impact of ChatGPT on the Planet

May 13th 2025

The majority of my work is writing web copy – from creating copy for a homepage to editing content for different web pages to update the site regularly. However, I make time to write for a variety of publications – some commission me to write pieces, other times I pitch ideas to them, and these are usually articles where sustainability and travel intersect, though sometimes for business journals.

I’ve been submitting to The Ethicalist since 2017, an online platform for promoting ethical and sustainable living, who launched an offline (wood-free) magazine around 18 months ago. I’ve written about topics such as greener banking, eco-tourism and young entrepreneurs who are changing the world with their green ideas, for both the magazine and platform, and not only does this allow me a space to explore my interests, it informs people on topics they may not have considered previously.

Why do I have an issue with ChatGPT? Is it stealing copywriters’ jobs?

Since ChatGPT began stealing everyone’s ideas around November 2022, many copy and content writers like me have either wondered about its effect on our career or seen it first-hand. But a bigger question began to loom for me – with millions of people using these LLMs and systems every day, where is all the information stored? I knew about the Cloud, but surely accessing information that quickly demands sizeable energy resources? 

I was reading regularly on the topic and decided to pitch it to The Ethicalist. My article was released online a few weeks ago and I now have somewhere I can direct people to when they ask what my qualms are regarding AI. 

I believe AI can be a force for good, I’ve also covered that in several other articles (including this one). But beyond privacy and writers’ legitimate concerns about their hard work being used to train models, my biggest issue with it is that it's costing us dearly in environmental terms.

I know many of us are doing are best:

• Changing to hybrid or electrical cars
• Cycling or using public transport 
• Recycling
• Selling and buying second-hand clothes 

And I believe in doing my part. Of course there is more work to be done around policy and sanctioning for huge multinationals - as they are far more guilty than us of polluting our precious planet. And that’s just it – a few huge companies are currently giving people free access to tools that require more water (for cooling data centres) than a small country, that require constant energy to stay powered. They have already realised that it’s unsustainable (in monetary terms), we need to understand how it’s unsustainable from an environmental perspective.

How much energy is ChatGPT using?

If you’d like to read more about this topic, you’ll find it here: AI Is Supercharging The Cloud And The Planet Is Paying - The Ethicalist

And if you have any articles that you need writing, I’d love to hear from you.

I write articles on topics from green property investment to landscape gardening for a variety of clients and publications from UK to Thailand. If you’d like to commission a series of articles, please get in touch.

What Happened Last Week: A Copywriter on Tour

May 7th 2025

I didn’t post a blog last week. I know, I know - any self-respecting and organised business owner should be posting consistently and regularly. But honestly? We’re allowed to be human. We’re allowed to break the rules sometimes.

I needed a break. Desperately. I’d been teetering on the edges of exhaustion for at least two months. And what kind of freelance travel and hospitality copywriter would I be if I wasn’t out there experiencing the very world I write about? This blog isn’t just here to offer value to my audience or support my SEO (although it’s doing that too). It’s also here to give prospective clients a window into who I am and what makes me tick. To give me a place to stretch my creative muscles beyond briefs, deadlines and character limits.

So, I took a holiday and returned to a place I once knew so well, to Kerry, the Kingdom as it’s known there.

Green-hued views, familiar tunes

I lived in Kerry for six years, first as a student, then in hotels and theatre. Those years included many performances and experiences with the beautiful national folk theatre, Siamsa Tíre in Tralee. But life seemed to fast-forward, except for the slow-moving lockdowns, and I hadn’t been back in over six years.

To my shame, there were places I hadn’t even seen during all that time living there - Sneem, Cahersiveen, parts of the Ring that somehow slipped by me. So, this trip was about rediscovering Kerry with my partner Danny, as well as properly seeing it for the first time.

Ireland is often described as having forty shades of green, and I know that’s mainly thanks to the rain. But last week? We were blessed with sunshine. Glorious, golden sunshine, with every day hitting the thermostat 22°C to 25°C. I can’t even remember weather like that when I lived there. It certainly made it easier without the wind driving rain in our faces, and my hiking boots had to be abandoned for flip flops one day.

The Soundtrack of Kerry

Before leaving for our trip, I suppose I reminisced about some of my life there. I don’t know if I ever miss it much, if I’m honest. But when I got there, I was surprised by details that took me back. Mostly, it was the music. The sound of fiddle and flute in the air every evening, seeping out onto the streets from every second bar - not just in Dingle or Killarney, but in Kenmare and Killorglin too. We even got to see my friends Noel & Shane performing in Sean ógs in Tralee. You could hear it everywhere, lilting through that soft dusk in the West of Ireland, echoing off the stone walled shops and modern shopfronts.

We were spellbound from our first night in Dingle. The creamy pints served from shop counters over a hundred year’s old were a wonderful balm on our aching calves.

Food, glorious food (and the creamiest butter in Éire)

Everywhere we ate was divine, I don’t think we had a single bad meal.

I have to give a few places a proper shout-out though:

• PF McCarthy’s in Kenmare, where Danny had a lamb burger made from local meat and I had the most aromatic roasted parsnip and rosemary soup (plus some shrimp, corn, and coriander fritters for us to share – we’re still talking about them a week later).
• North South in Tralee, which served us the kind of Irish breakfast that keeps you full, fed and fuelled through an entire day of exploring.
• And the dairy. Oh, the dairy. The creaminess of Lee butter and milk, which probably hit harder because I rarely have ‘real’ either these days, was worth packing the lactase tabs for.

Banishing the burnout in the Kingdom

Writers from Kennelly to Keane have put Kerry into words far better than I can, but it has its own soul. And perhaps the rolling hills, meandering highways and simple chats with strangers can be found in several parts of Ireland, but this time, it truly seemed like a cure for more in my mind.

One afternoon, while walking a scenic loop, I received an email that our accommodation for the evening had been cancelled – they were renovating and somehow this hadn’t been communicated to us. As I set about trying to find us a place for the night, Danny turned to me and said, “You don’t seem stressed about this, at all.”

And he was right. Calmness had been restored. Burnout had been banished with a “See ya back in Manchester.”

(However, Booking.com were useless. Two phone calls and reassurances as a Genius Level 3 member, they would assist and find me accommodation. They did not.)

PICTURE BELOW: Atlantic views from the Ring of Kerry

Has this anything to do with sales copy?

So, what does a story about parsnip soup, traditional music and unfulfilled reservations have to do with sales copy and being an experienced copywriter for award-winning hotels?

I believe that each one of these experiences enhances my copy. Effective sales copy isn’t ever just a list of features. It must make people feel something. I want them to imagine. To yearn. 

When I write for hotels, resorts, or travel brands, I’m not just ticking SEO boxes – I’m inviting people into the scene with my words. 

When I say I’m a freelance hospitality copywriter, I mean that I live and breathe this world. As a traveller myself, I understand what people want to read and do, what they remember, and what helps them decide where to stay.

And sometimes, I take time off to remind myself why I love it.

Until next time—slán go fóill.

I’m a luxury hospitality copywriter for international brands, with over 12 years’ experience writing for hotels and resorts from Mozambique to Thailand. If you need a copywriter for your luxury hotel project, I’m currently taking bookings from July, so please get in touch.

Case Study: Creating Copy for Pure Luxury Dreams 

April 23rd 2025

One of my favourite things about being a copywriter in the travel and hospitality space is the unexpected connections that come from past projects. In early 2023, I was introduced to Anthony Valen, the founder of Pure Luxury Dreams, through a hotel I’d written website copy for in Mauritius. Like so many of the best introductions in this industry, it came through mutual trust and a shared love of exceptional places.

Pure Luxury Dreams is exactly what the name suggests - a boutique consultancy with a passion for high-end properties in remarkable destinations. Anthony has more than 20 years of experience in the luxury travel sector and, together with his business partner Uriel Jaen, they support hotels, resorts, and DMCs (Destination Management Companies) with tailored sales and marketing strategies. Their combined knowledge of global tourism markets is clear from the moment you speak with them. They’re the kind of people who get this industry inside out.

They work B2B, rather than B2C, in contrast to the hotels and resorts themselves.

How our creative partnership began

When Anthony reached out, he was preparing a full suite of new materials:

• Brochure
• Website
• Flyer

to truly showcase the brand and provide a shopfront to present to the thousands of people they meet around the world. 

We agreed that the best place to start was to create a tone of voice document. Before writing a single line of copy, we needed to define how Pure Luxury Dreams should sound and, just as importantly, how clients would want to feel when they came across the brand.

I planned out a timeline for each part of the project, so that Anthony and Uriel could know when to expect deliverables and we could liaise on the work within their hectic schedule of trade shows.

Listening to the customer to find the right words

Anthony has a deep understanding of the kinds of properties he represents and the kind of clients he works with, so we had some great conversations about how to translate that into words. Pure Luxury Dreams needed to sound elegant, insightful, and assured, just like the team behind it. Though Anthony’s English is excellent, we had some fun with French words, seeing what worked and how they translated. Les beaux mots!

From there, we moved onto the website and print materials, building out the brand story and highlighting some of the stunning destinations in their collection. One of the ideas we had was to tailor a ‘Perfect Day’ description that Uriel and Anthony would suggest for groups, to give them a better idea of each property’s specific amenities.

Writing for villas and hotels in France and Bali

Pure Luxury Dreams features many amazing properties in their portfolio, but for the purposes of this blog, I’ve chosen two that I had a lot of fun writing about.

First is Les Cerises, a truly magical escape in the French Alps. As someone who has been on a couple of snowboarding holidays, this chalet is now on my bucket list. It’s a four-bedroom lodge located less than an hour from Geneva Airport, but I bet there’s little like it nearby. 

The owners put their heart into renovating this place. From Miele kitchen appliances to each hand-sewn cushion cover, the details are sumptuous everywhere you turn.

Anthony and Uriel shared a hot-tub full of information on the property, and that’s where the tone of voice comes in handy – I crafted the web page and brochure entry using the tone of voice, while still demonstrating the USPs of the property.

A totally different property is La Réserve 1785 in Bali. Although also beautifully restored, it is a tropical sanctuary on the outskirts of a well-establishing surfing haven. Guests enjoy French-style service and dining and can admire the curated artwork that hangs in 13 boutique rooms.

Each property has its own character and charm, and it’s clear that Anthony and Uriel take enormous care in selecting properties that reflect their values - unique, chic, and unforgettable.

Supporting a business that supports others

Since working on the original copy, I’ve stayed connected with Pure Luxury Dreams as a part-time collaborator. Uriel and Anthony often bring me in when they need a little sales polish for English-speaking markets, whether they need me to refine a pitch deck, adding new properties to the brochure, or making sure the website is kept up to date with fresh, SEO-friendly copy.

As someone who also runs a small business, there’s something incredibly fulfilling about working with another independent team that genuinely cares. Most of what I do is behind the scenes - refining messages, making sure the tone is just right, tweaking wording so that it lands perfectly. Meanwhile, Anthony and Uriel are often at the front, networking and representing their clients at exhibitions and trade shows all over the world.

It’s a great balance. They’re out there championing incredible destinations, and I get to support them by making sure the words on the page do those places justice.

Shared values, shared vision

There’s a lot to be said for working with people who understand the value of storytelling in this space. Luxury travel isn’t just about beautiful rooms and postcard views -  it’s about how a place makes you feel. Anthony and Uriel know that instinctively. And they also understand that great sales and marketing copy isn’t about overselling. It’s about connecting with the right audience, at the right time, in a way that’s honest, emotive, and compelling.

Working with Pure Luxury Dreams has been a joy from day one. It’s been a creative, collaborative partnership that continues to grow, and one I’m genuinely proud to be part of.

I’m a UK-based copywriter for businesses that work globally, with over 12 years’ experience. If you need help finding the right words for your website, I’m currently taking bookings from mid-May onwards, so please get in touch.

Copywriting for Small Businesses: Your Secret Weapon for Sales

April 16th 2025

Tearing your hair out wondering what to write on your website? Join the great queue stretching across towns, cities and entire regions of the planet. Anyone who has ever started their own business has been where you are, even me, and I’m a professional copywriter with 12 years’ experience!

Copywriting for small businesses isn’t a niche, because everyone has to start somewhere. Yes, even that billionaire who treats his workers like dirt but blocks off an entire city for his wedding. Anyway… (my rage seeps out from time-to-time)

Good copywriting is an integral part of your sales process and if you’re not using that free advertising, you are missing out. 

A great copywriter for your business will:

• Truly connect with your audience
• Make your brand outshine the others
• Get those customers clicking ‘BUY’ or ‘CALL NOW’

Although I think that business owners have become more educated about copywriting since 2020 (when the entire world seemed to move online), I’m going to expand on what copywriting for small businesses is and the difference it makes.

Explain it like I’m five, what is copywriting?

Copywriting is the art of using words that make people take action. Despite what you may think, achieving top marks in your Leaving Cert (which we do in Ireland), or A-Level English doesn’t really matter, though grasping the concepts helps. Copywriting is not writing a novel, it’s being sparse, direct, using each word thoughtfully. Because users tend to only spend around 54 seconds on a page (and often less), you have to get their attention fast.

If you want people to:

• Sign up to your newsletter
• Follow your socials
• BUY your service or product

That polished portrait photo won’t make them do it, but good copy will.

For instance, I write for many Anantara Hotels & Resorts in the United Arab Emirates. The majority of those hotels run at 100% occupancy. Now I know that there are a variety of factors that make that happen, but the fact of the matter is that the first time a customer books their holiday, they will visit the hotel website and it gives them a reason to reserve. My copy builds trust, credibility and explains the experience they can expect in a concise and enticing way.

For small business owners, it’s vital to invest in an expert copywriter. They are effectively part of your sales team.

What type of copywriting does my small business need?

There are different types of copy that your business will need at different times. It depends whether you want boost brand awareness, connect with customers or convert. 

Here are the main types of copy most small businesses will need at some stage:

• Website Copy
  Think homepage, about page, services or product pages, this is often the first impression your clients will receive of your business. It should reflect your brand’s tone and personality and clearly explain what you do and why it matters.
• Email Marketing
  Welcome emails, newsletters, launch campaigns – peoples’ inboxes are prime real estate. Email copy should be warm, engaging and tailored to your audience.
• Sales Pages
  These are the “yes please, take my money” pages. They speak directly to your audience’s needs and objections, showcasing your product or service as the solution.
• Social Media
  Short and snappy, but still strategic. Great social copy is consistent with your brand voice and encourages engagement.
• SEO Blog Posts
  Blogs that answer your audience’s questions, build authority, and (if written with search intent in mind) help your site get found on Google.

You don’t need all of these straight away. Start where it matters most, usually that’s your website. A professional copywriter can help you decide what to prioritise for your business.

If you already have written your website but want to ‘Clarify Your Copy’ – I offer this service especially to small business owners.

Why does my business need good copywriting?

1. Makes them remember you
Great copy helps you stand out in a sea of sameness. Think of brands like Oatly. I bet even if you don’t drink plant-based milk, you’ve seen their copy – it’s memorable.

2. Makes the sale
Copy isn’t just decoration. It’s persuasion. Whether you’re selling candles or coaching, good copy helps turn curious browsers into paying customers.

3. Makes your customer trust you
Words that feel authentic, human, and well-considered help build credibility. And when people trust your brand? They buy. They come back. They tell their friends.

4. Makes them find you
Copy and content that’s optimised for search can help drive consistent, organic traffic to your site - without needing to rely solely on ads. A great copywriter knows how to weave in keywords without sounding robotic.

Creating a brand voice that people identify

Your brand voice is how your business sounds. It’s your personality in words. If you're fun, say so. If you're bold, show it. The most important thing? Be consistent. Whether someone lands on your website, reads your newsletter or checks out your Instagram, they should feel like they’re hearing from the same voice every time.

To define your voice:

• Start with your values. What do you stand for?
• Know your people. Who are you talking to? What do they care about? What is the niggling pain at the side of their thigh that keeps them from sleeping at 4.13am?
• Spy (just a little) on your competitors. What are they doing? What are they not doing? Would you like to do that instead?
• Write it all down. A simple brand voice guide is gold when you're creating content - or bringing someone in to help (and I can help you create one that’s original)

Know your audience

If I had a shiny 20p for every time I’ve said this. Good copywriting starts with understanding who you’re talking to. Not just their age or location, but what they care about. What they want. What they need help with.

Here are a few ways to get inside their heads:

• Market research: Surveys, interviews, even reading Reddit threads can reveal what people are really thinking.
• Create personas: Think beyond demographics. Are they binging ‘White Lotus’ (as I am presently)? Do they Google how to get the bus from Benalmadena to Marbella or will they take a taxi? 
• Be (a little bit) nosy: Keep listening. Keep learning. The more you know, the better you write.

A few final copy tips for small businesses

• Use psychological triggers: Think social proof (testimonials), urgency (limited time offers), and authority (showing you know your stuff).
• Tell stories: Real stories. People connect with people; not polished business speak and LLMs (looking at you ChatGPT) just love churning out the corporate spiels.
• Nail your headlines: Most people will skim - so your headlines need to do a LOT of work. Make them clear, compelling, and scroll-stopping.

Copywriting isn’t magic. But I’ve worked hard at it at least 50 weeks a year for over a decade to make its results magical. 

Whether you’re just starting out or levelling up, good copy helps you connect more deeply, grow your audience, and bring in more business. And if you’re not sure where to start? You’re already in the right place.

Got a copywriting question or want help finding the right words? Drop me a message. I’d love to hear more.

I’m a UK-based copywriter for small businesses, with over 12 years’ experience. If you need help finding the right words for your website, I’m currently taking bookings from mid-May onwards, so please get in touch.

An (Un)Holy Hike on my First Day in Bogota, Colombia

April 9th 2025

You know Facebook’s ‘On This Day’? I absolutely love it. Mostly because it reminds me of all the cool places I’ve travelled over the years.

This time last year, I was in Colombia, a vast country that had been on my travel bucket list for at least 13 years. But living in Dubai, then Thailand, then Spain, there were divils in the details of planning and I never quite got it together until the first few months of 2024.

The trip had a few purposes, but the main catalyst was my friend Rima’s 40th birthday. Rima and I met in Dubai years ago, lived in London at the same time (she still does), and share a love of wakeboarding and music. We’ve spent ladies nights sipping free champers in luxury skyscrapers, Saturday mornings wakeboarding in Ghantoot and sunny afternoons grooving at Glastonbury. When she let me in on her 40th birthday plans for a trip to South America, I immediately jumped on them, trying to figure out how I could fit in between her flashpacking in the Galapagos and exploring Machu Picchu, while juggling my copywriting business (which doesn’t always allow for three-week holidays)!

PICTURE – Rima & I in Cartagena, April 2024

Other people sometimes ask me to reconcile my travel with my passion for sustainability. I’m always aware of the impact of long-haul flights. Yes, travelling across the Atlantic isn’t carbon-free, but sustainability is multi-faceted and tourism is also a lifeline for many communities. In Colombia, tourism makes up at least 2% of the country’s GDP and provides livelihoods for more than 2.5% of the population. It’s not just about whether we travel, but how and where we spend our tourism pound.

I chose to fly KLM to Bogotá, the easiest and most direct entry point from Europe. KLM has been recognised as one of the more sustainable long-haul carriers, thanks to their use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), onboard sustainability efforts, and support for nature regeneration, specifically in the Bita wetlands of Colombia, as well as in Panama and Uganda. The airline’s investment in reforestation and afforestation (planting in barren areas) projects there helped tip the scales for me.

Being used to travelling solo, I landed in Bogotá five days before I was due to meet Rima and used the time to explore the city and head out on a few day trips. A lot of tourists skip the capital in favour of Medellín or Cartagena, but I’m delighted I spent some time there – it gave me a deeper touchpoint for the culture of Colombia before travelling through it and its museums alone are worth the visit, with a personal favourite of mine being the Museo Santa Clara.

PICTURE – the view over Bogotá from the basilica

I arrived on Holy Thursday evening, which, for a country with strong Catholic roots, is kind of a big deal. Growing up in Ireland, I’m no stranger to Catholic traditions. While I rarely darken the door of a church now, I was once an altar girl and still hold an anthropological curiosity about how faith is woven into different cultures.

Around 6.40 am on Good Friday, I joined the pilgrimage from the city streets to the Basílica del Señor de Monserrate, which looms over the city from a lushly forested mountain. Bogotá itself sits at a breath-shortening 8,660 feet above sea level, and the basilica is even higher at 10,340 feet. So, I sensibly chose the funicular railway up, having read that first-timers should avoid strenuous hikes after landing at high altitude. Wise words, especially when I hadn’t realised that the altitude was affecting my sinuses.

While there was a steady stream ascending from the bottom of the mountain, and I even saw someone in a hospital bed with an oxygen tank being loaded onto the funicular, I did not expect to see thousands of worshippers crowding the mountaintop. In every direction around the chapel, people were standing, kneeling or bowed in prayer. The priest was treated like a celebrity, with worshippers hanging on every word that echoed across the hilltops via megaphone. There were dozens of people moving slowly across the stations of the cross, reciting decades of the rosary and children laying ornamental items at each station. I wondered if my Grandma Quinn was watching me from somewhere and I believe this was a journey she would have enjoyed.

And this was just day one of my trip! 

Over the next week, I’d go on to explore more of Colombia, both alone and with Rima, but that first solo leg in Bogotá reminded me of the challenges of travelling solo. And yet also why I love it – the unpredictable drags you right into the present because you need to deal with it. I know that all my previous trips have made me both a better copywriter and business owner. The former has been improved by deeper insights, communicating in different languages and gaining rich experiences. The latter has benefitted from planning to prevent any curveballs yet having the patience to tackle whatever unexpected arises.

Reflecting on the first part of the Colombia trip is prompting me to craft some article pitches, so hopefully some of these crazy experiences will find themselves elsewhere in print.

I’m a senior copywriter usually based in Manchester, though I can often be found further afield. If you need help finding the right words for your website, I’m currently taking bookings from mid-May onwards, so please get in touch.

From a Classroom in Thailand to a Copywriter in the UK

April 2nd 2025

I arrived in Chiang Mai on Christmas Eve, 2013. I'd made my way north from Bangkok, sailing around at sunset in Ayutthaya, cycling around the remnants of an ancient empire in Sukhothai, and catching my breath in Phitsanulok. Each place was charming in its own way, but I didn’t expect to feel struck so suddenly in the heart when the bus pulled into Chiang Mai’s terminal.

How Chiang Mai charmed me from the start

It’s hard to explain the rush of familiarity that hit me in that moment. The only thing I could put it down to was the excitement of seeing my cousin Alex for Christmas. He’d been living in the city for five months and had quickly made it home. Still, something about the place, its rhythm, its gentle cacophony of street markets, the smiles in the eyes of every local – let me know I’d found somewhere special and I wasn’t even fully aware of it.

I was supposed to stay three days. I stayed eight.

I had massages by the moat in rooms that seemed laced with a fruity scent I later learnt to be pandan leaf. I bought grilled pork skewers from street vendors as I strolled past wats (temples) side-by-side with a shiny white dental clinic. I sat by the Ping River drinking Sangsom rum and watched paper lanterns float into the sky by the Iron Bridge on New Year’s Eve.

Finding a new home

Seven months, and several countries later - Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand - I returned. Not just for a visit this time. Chiang Mai had wriggled under my skin and was calling me back for a deeper connection.

Alex, by now fully settled and almost fluent in Thai, wasted no time setting me straight on my first night. 

“You need a visa,” he said, while I sipped a fruit shake and made grand plans to bootstrap my blossoming copywriting business from the studio flat above his own. I didn’t even know that “bootstrapping” was the word for it back then, I just knew I was growing a business and thought it would be cool to do it from Chiang Mai after almost a decade among the skyscrapers of Dubai.

But Chiang Mai, like the rest of Thailand, was starting to tighten up on digital nomads with no legal work permit. 

“They’re cracking down,” Alex warned. “You’ll need to actually work for a visa, but it’s OK – you have a degree.”

Entrusted to teach young Thai minds

And just like that, he came home the next day with a job lead. Chiang Mai University (CMU) was hiring part-time English teachers. I had a degree, a TEFL certificate, and some teaching experience (mostly music and drama, but still). I applied.

The interview was held in a large, formal room with a panel of Thai and American professors. It was more intense than I’d expected, especially when one of the Americans made a vaguely xenophobic comment about me being Irish, but somehow, I got the job. I joined a new cohort of part-time English teachers, and after one day of introductory training, I was standing in front of a classroom, marker in hand, trying to remember what past perfect continuous was and whether I could explain it confidently to a room of 31 curious students. Who called me Taylor Swift (I was blonde at the time).

I taught for two full semesters at CMU, across eight different subjects, from foundational English 101 to third-year classes where students debated real-world issues with passion and insight (social studies). My students were (mostly) wonderful – I’m still connected with a few who I am very fond of.

How did teaching help in my copywriting career?

It’s taken some reflection to realise how much teaching at CMU taught me. When a memory popped up on my socials the other day, I was prompted to write this.

It taught me patience. 

It taught me how to explain complex ideas in simple terms. 

It taught me how to read the room when no one was saying a word. 

In Thailand, teaching is deeply respected. You feel it every day. Students bow to you. You’re given a title. You are, quite literally, looked up to, which is very odd when you’re just over five foot in the shade. 

It’s humbling. As I learned not only by almost every student towering over me, but also when I couldn’t answer a question – the English language presents many!

So how did all this make me a better copywriter?

Intrinsically, both copywriting and teaching involve effective communication. Your subject may be confusing, boring or complex, so you have to make it clear, compelling and worth their time.

I’ve always known how to get to the point quickly, but teaching forced me to do it more quickly. By preparing lesson plans, I had to think about how to structure them and how to anticipate what questions might come up in class.

Specifically, I continuously had to meet people where they were – not where I expected them to be.

Some other ways that I believe teaching made me a better copywriter are:

• Cross-cultural communication: Engaging with students from a completely different background taught me to adapt my language and communication style. I work with international brands, so this has stood to me.

•  Creative problem-solving: Sometimes you have to get creative. Once my lesson plan had become absolutely sodden as I got off a songthaew (a type of bus/taxi/pick-up truck). It was a Monday morning, and I had to think on my feet to deliver a class without it. We ended up having more fun than usual. Situations like these have made me better at coming up with an alternative and seeing how it might be better.

• Storytelling techniques: Teaching often involves connecting ideas and crafting narratives to maintain student interest. Sometimes it involves simply telling stories and teaching your students how to do so. In 210, my oral communication class, I helped student’s refine their narratives and presentation and absorbed some of the learnings in the process. 

And perhaps most importantly, it reminded me that tone matters. A lecture and a conversation are two very different things. The same goes for copy. The best writing feels like someone talking to you, not at you.

So, while I didn’t set out to become a teacher, I’m grateful I did. My life in Chiang Mai was enriched in so many ways by my days at CMU and I’ll always look back on them fondly.

I’m a former English teacher turned copywriter working in the UK with all types of businesses, from legal to hospitality. If you’d like more information on my copywriting services, please get in touch.

How to Write a Press Release That Will Actually Get Attention (from a copywriter who has written hundreds of them)

March 26th 2025

Do you know what a press release is? I’m not going to assume everyone does, as though I write at least one every couple of days, not everyone reading this works in my industry. 

It’s a factual document that businesses or agencies, and especially C-list celebrity managers, share with the media to announce something interesting that the target audience might be interested in. What is considered newsworthy?

• A new product, such as your anti-snoring device
• An exciting company milestone – received new funding, five years in business?
• Launching a new service
• An event

Why do people send out press releases? To generate buzz or build credibility. It also helps with your SEO – as if it’s picked up your business will get backlinks.

But tread carefully. If you're pinging out a press release every second Wednesday about how the office cat prefers Oreos to Whiskas, you may end up blacklisted. Not ideal.

Who wants your news?

Everyone in the media space, from TV producers and magazine editors to bloggers and newspapers, craves fresh content. Press releases about your latest offering, such as a recent piece I wrote presenting how buying property in Dubai can help you get a visa, or another I prepared to promote luxurious and innovative new spa therapy in the Maldives, feed into this appetite.

But journalists can get overwhelmed with releases, with one I know recently referring to feeling as if they were ‘being carpet-bombed with cr**’. How do you avoid this?

IMAGE CREDIT: Photo by Solen Feyissa

Tips for writing a winning press release:

• Active voice: When writing a press release, an active voice works better. As in “Dunshanoon Meats hosted a Blazin’ Barbecue at Betsy’s Bookstore on 25 May,” rather than “A Blazin’ Barbecue was hosted by Dunshanoon Meats on May 25th”

• Headline: Keep it sharp and direct. Clever is great, but clarity wins every time. Recent research suggests the ideal length of headline is between 70 – 90 characters. Ask yourself: what's genuinely intriguing here? 

• Freshness counts: Press releases should announce something current, relevant now, not a product you launched a year ago unless there's something significantly updated. What's new? Has Margot Robbie raved about your pomegranate cleanser as the secret to her flawless glow? Tell us about that.

• Punchy openings: This isn't a novel. Don't start with lengthy scene-setting, please get straight to the heart of why your news matters. Make your first sentence impactful and concise. Then cover the 5 W’s: Who, What, When, Where, Why it Matters.

• Find your angle: Avoid restating the obvious. We know that 42% of UK marriages end in divorce. But could your new anti-snoring device reduce that statistic? Now that's an angle. And if you've got proof, flaunt it.

• Expand on the topic: When you get to the body of the press release, here you can share statistics, quotes from experts or stakeholders. This is where you tell us why it matters.

• Less is best: Don’t ramble. The key points can usually be presented in less than 400 words. Don’t be afraid to trim.

• Direct the reader: If the reader wants more information, let them know where they can find it. This should be in the final lines of the release. It could be a phone number, email address or landing page link. This is the CTA (call to action) for the reader.

If all this seems like a lot of work, then you can always get a press release expert to write it for you! While I include writing press releases in my list of services, I don’t operate as a PR professional so I can’t give you targeted media lists or advise you on them. However, I have a couple of excellent contacts that I recommend – Sarah Stephens in the UK and AllDetails agency in the UAE, both of whom deal with international clients.

I’m a senior copywriter based in Manchester, and I write at least five press releases every week. If you need help finding the right words to promote your product/service, I’m currently taking bookings from May onwards, so please get in touch.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit – A Day to Celebrate Being Irish

March 18th 2025

I’m writing this on St. Patrick’s Day, a day I don’t have to explain to many. Whether you’re in Boston, Brussels, or even the far-flung Galapagos Islands (though I’m not sure there are many Irish folks there), you’ll notice one thing: everyone’s getting into the spirit of the day. Pints, parades, green milkshakes and no end of leprechaun hats – sometimes it’s hard to know what really comes from Ireland and what ‘traditions’ have been created elsewhere?

Corned beef for dinner on Paddy’s Day? Not really an Irish tradition. Irish stew or colcannon are more traditional, though I don’t recall eating them specifically on that day.

Dyeing a river green? I’ve never seen the Liffey turn an unnatural shade of green, though it does sometimes have a sludgy green hue.

‘The luck of the Irish’ – if you know anything about our heritage, I’m not sure you’d call us lucky. This term originated during the ‘gold rush’ in America when miners of Irish descent were particularly skilful in finding the precious metal. I imagine that ‘luck’ was a lot harder graft than people gave them credit for. We can be dogged in our pursuit of things, which often leads to being called ‘lucky’.

As a child, we had a ‘day off’ from Lent, which meant whichever pledge we had made as good Catholics was on hold for the day. That usually meant eating chocolate or ‘sweets’ for the last time before Easter.

I used to get excited about the parade in the centre of Dublin. Watching the Irish dancing schools and majorettes, clapping along to the Garda band, admiring some of the fancier floats (probably by banks) and of course, whoever dressed up as the Welsh fella himself. That’s right, Saint Patrick wasn’t Irish, he was an immigrant.

I’ve had some of the best Paddy’s Day celebrations far from home – in McGettigan’s in Dubai (specifically their concert in 2012 – featuring mainly Irish talent), in the U.N. Irish Bar in Chiang Mai – teaching my fellow teachers from the U.S, Italy and U.K, how to do a reel - and singing Corrs songs and ballads in The Irish Affair in Torremolinos. Tonight, I’ll be at a quiz in a bar in Manchester, perhaps they’ll have an Irish theme? There is absolutely no guarantee. My Irishness is less celebrated here because there are thousands of us, we’re part of the stonework (or at least constructed some of it).

And as every good marketeer knows, every holiday is a cause for a campaign. I don’t know anyone who objects to Paddy’s Day (even though they might insist on calling it Patty’s Day – just stop!) so why not milk it? McDonald’s certainly have with their ‘Shamrock’ shake, and Guinness is the ‘most-valued Irish brand’ but I don’t see the day bastardised quite as much as Valentine’s Day or Easter, to be honest.

It's such an incredible opportunity for sustainable brands that I’m surprised I haven’t seen more of it. ‘Go green for St Patrick’s Day’ is an easy win. Spin the wearing of the green or the shamrock into wearing a sustainable outfit or growing some veg in your garden.

When I’m home around this time, I do see some excellent copy – in bar windows, on t-shirts and ads at bus stops:

‘Let’s get this Paddy started.’

‘Leprechauns: the original gold diggers.’

‘Potatoes, the real gold in Ireland.’ – They’re not wrong there.

A brand that are changing the game are Born Irish. Their brilliant campaign features Irish comedians preparing for St. Patrick’s Day as if it was Christmas! And why not? If you’re going to get all excited for one day centred around a mythical figure, then I fully endorse everyone becoming Irish for one day.

It’s a day for all the engineers too. Not only did the Irish build America, and contribute to many other cities worldwide, but St. Patrick is also the patron saint of engineers. This is because, during his time, he introduced Roman masonry techniques to the island. This helped build a foundation for Ireland’s impressive stone structures that still stand today. 

I’m proud to be Irish, from the land of saints and scholars. It’s a privilege and I know that it’s made my life easier (visa-free entry or easy access to dozens of countries). I’m certain that my heritage of poets and writers has influenced my career as a copywriter.

But wherever you celebrated (and maybe you’re still celebrating if you’re 12 hours behind!), whether that was by radioactive river or under the tallest building on Earth (lit up in green, of course), I hope you did us (the Irish) proud. We’re thankful to be honoured the world over by people of every creed, colour and race.

“Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit” - Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all!

I’m a senior copywriter usually based in Manchester, though I can often be found further afield. If you need help finding the right words for your website, I’m currently taking bookings from April onwards, so please get in touch.

Writing for The Ethicalist: Green Banking

March 11th 2025

When I launched this blog in January, I explained how I wanted to add articles and snippets from my archive so I can have them in one place. 

As a sustainability writer and someone passionate about keeping my carbon footprint down, I often find myself questioning the small actions that add up in our daily efforts to be more eco-friendly. We dutifully switch to electric vehicles, separate our plastics, and live by the principles of reducing, reusing, and recycling. But as I started thinking more about the bigger picture, I realised that there’s something I might have overlooked: my financial choices.

That's when I decided to do a deep dive into the concept of "green banking" and how it fits into our environmental efforts. We may pride ourselves on being eco-conscious, but when was the last time we thought about where our money is going? Are we investing in oil giants or auto manufacturers that perpetuate environmental harm? Or are we choosing banks that prioritise corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable initiatives?

The article I wrote, How Green is Your Bank? for The Ethicalist explores these questions in-depth, particularly from the UAE perspective, where green banking is starting to take root. I also looked at international institutions such as Investec, Metro Bank, and the Co-operative Bank in the UK, all of which are making excellent strides in the green banking space. These banks are leading the way by integrating sustainable policies into their operations and offering eco-friendly investment options.

The goal here isn’t to make you feel guilty about your financial choices, but to open up a conversation about how we can all align our investments with our environmental values. After all, every action counts, and even the smallest shift in where we place our trust (and our money) can have a meaningful impact.

If you're curious to learn more about how you can take your green lifestyle beyond the recycling bin, take a look at the full article. You'll see how even the smallest steps in rethinking your bank and investments can contribute to a more sustainable future.

Let’s keep the conversation going. How green is your bank?

If you’d like to read the article, you’ll find it here: How Green Is Your Bank? - The Ethicalist

And if you have any topics you’d like me to cover, I’d love to hear from you.

I write about sustainability for a variety of clients and UK publications. If you’d like to commission a series of articles, please get in touch.

Podcast with copywriting tips: The Entrepreneurial Success with Henriette Danel

March 4th 2025

At the end of 2023 when setting new objectives for my business I decided I wanted to appear on more podcasts. With that aim in mind, I joined a podcasting mastermind group, aptly named ‘The Podcast Connector’ and began working on my skills as an interviewee.

Thanks to Debra Levitt, I have brushed up my bios, gained superb insights from the expert guests that she’s invited onto our sessions and made several podcast appearances.

The most recent of these was with Henriette Danel, a business coach who works specifically with female entrepreneurs. As well as her own fascinating background and work, she hosts a brilliant podcast directed at entrepreneurs, and it has a ton of helpful information for anyone starting a business from managing accounts to scaling and even our confidence and healing.

Watch / listen below:

The episode I guest on is called ‘How to Boost Your Copywriting on Your Website’, where I share copywriting tips to help small business owners who may not be getting the results they want from their website. I have heard about this struggle many times over the past decade and I genuinely love helping SMEs ‘find the right words’ so this was a great place to share some of my knowledge.

Some key points I cover on this podcast:

• What major mistakes most small business owners make with their copy
• Developing your tone of voice
• Injecting personality – give them unexpected

I spend so much time sitting at my desk writing that it’s good to exercise my voice once in a while! And by talking about something I do every day, I got to share my copywriting expertise with an audience that it can truly help.

Thanks to Henriette for being such an accommodating host.

I’m a native English-speaking copywriter with over 12 years’ experience. I’ve written for SMEs in UK, Australia, UAE and India.  If you’d like me to discuss copywriting on your podcast, get in touch.