What is the power of a swear? Why do some brands do it while others don’t? And can you (or should you) swear in your brand copy. Get all the answers here, with plenty of real life examples.

You’ve decided who your brand is. You’re intellectual, enthusiastic and creative. Or perhaps you’re thoughtful, optimistic and vibrant. Now, you need to figure out how to bring those traits to life in your copy.

In this post I’ll introduce you to the building blocks of tone of voice. The areas of writing you need to think about and decide upon that will give your writers the structure and goalposts they need to nail your voice every time and on every platform. Think of it like looking in your fridge to decide what to cook for dinner. A block of parmesan, some fresh tomatoes and basil? Looks like we’re having pasta. Minced beef, carrots, some potatoes and an onion? It’s cottage pie night.

Rather than letting  your brand values gather dust, why not use them to shape and inform your brand’s tone of voice?

How and when do we imitate other brands in marketing and advertising? How much copying is okay? And is originality at all costs really worth striving for?

If you run a sustainable business or have an element of sustainability to your business, you’re going to want to write about your values. The trouble is sustainability copywriting isn’t easy. So, here are my top tips for hitting the right note with your purpose paragraphs.

Let’s talk about those little, sometimes hidden, opportunities to sprinkle your brand voice like hundreds and thousands on your ice cream. First, I’ll share some real-life examples. Then I’ll tell you how you can find your own opportunities to make your customer experience just that little bit more memorable and special.

From over 123 clients, I can only count three major slip-ups. Here I share what went wrong and what I do differently as a result. Because these three fails are a big part of how I make every future project a success.

This tube ad from Bubble ticks all the boxes. It’s unusual, fun, ethical and a little bit silly. Find out how you could steal some of that messaging magic for your brand.

Maybe you’re a business owner who wants to write more confidently for your social media. Perhaps you spend half your working day agonising over an email, wondering why you can’t quite get the words right. Maybe you need to put together a pitch deck or write a winning bid for that funding that will change your company’s trajectory. It’s a bit of a writing cliché that to become a better writer you need to become a better reader. But I’ve certainly found it to be true. So, I thought I’d share my tips on how to read better.

The time will come in most freelancers’ lives when for whatever reason, for a week, a month or perhaps longer, the phone just stops ringing. Here’s how to weather your freelance dry spell and come out on top.

Sometimes, as businesses, we need to break bad news. Maybe an order’s late. Maybe you double-booked a room. Maybe you slept through an important meeting. We all make mistakes. What’s important is what you do about it. Tone of voice is a helpful tool to make your message more palatable and essentially save your bacon.

At some point your business will change. You might cultivate a new target customer, expand into new categories or markets, shake up your pricing, or update your visuals or words. But it isn’t always easy. So, when change is on the cards, what can you do to guide your customers to the other side with confidence?  

Marketing has a bit of a reputation for being sleazy and pushy. But as businesses, it’s also essential to our survival. Luckily, there’s a way to do it without burying your values.

How many of these have you seen in the wild?

Your new tone of voice is ready and you want to start putting it into action. But how do you get your team on board? And where do you begin with updating all your old content? Check out my guide to changing your tone of voice and bringing it to life across your organisation.

Have you ever become completely stuck when you sit down to write for your business? The endless choice and possibilities of what you could write leave you unable to start anything. But it’s the endless choice and possibilities that are the problem. Here's how to use the power of restrictions to save time, boost creativity and produce better work.

Brand values are the beliefs that guide how you run your business. But why do you need them, how do you get them and what do good ones look like? Let’s find out.

Before you go splashing your distinctive tone of voice across every corner of your business...hold your horses. There are certain places and scenarios where your tone of voice could do more harm than good. Find out when and how to flex your tone of voice to keep your customers on side.

As social media becomes more and more meh, newsletters are a brilliant alternative. Whilst I’m not claiming to be any kind of oracle, here are some things you should know before starting an email newsletter of your own.

When it comes to copy, sometimes, you know exactly what you need. Maybe it’s words for your website or the packaging for your latest product. But sometimes, you’re in need of something less defined. That’s where brand messaging comes in. The trouble is we strategists and marketers have lots of confusing words for the different tools and we don’t always agree on what these words mean and what the tools do. Here, I’ve given explanations, practical uses and real-life examples for each, as well as hints to help you write your own, if you like.

As you may know, I’m all about work-life balance and freelancing to have a more well-rounded existence. Part of that is nailing down processes to make the best use of your time. Stay focused and cover all bases with this list of essential tasks to run a successful freelance business.