Why did you choose a career in copywriting and how did you get into it?
I stumbled into copywriting.
Bubbling along doing a degree in Creative Advertising, I was fortunate to be headhunted by an amazing London agency just before the end of my final year. I hadn’t planned on heading to London but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.
In my first five years in advertising I worked as a ‘creative’ – I was trained as an art director and copywriter, so I did everything.
Eventually, I decided to quit my permanent job and try my hand at freelance but I had to choose which discipline to go for. What was I going to sell myself as? What could I do anywhere? What would I get the most satisfaction from?
Copywriting.
What work are you most proud of?
I have to go with one of my smallest clients – Yum Junkie. An artisan office catering business that wanted a new tone of voice, to get customers old and new, excited about their new menus.
Why I’m so proud of it? I enjoyed the writing process but the feedback afterwards was so good I glowed with pride and was reminded why I do what I do.
What piece of copy do you really wish you’d written?
I’ve not got one piece of copy I’d like to have written, I’ve got an entire back catalogue of emails.
Yep, I have a slight obsession with emails from menswear company Spoke – London.
What do you do if you hit a bit of writer’s block?
Firstly, I write down everything that is whirling around in my head. I find it’s better to put things down than try to problem-solve in my noggin. And then I step away from my machine.
I go for a walk to have a change of scenery or even fit in a swim. I then come back and find what I put down earlier is really helpful and the writing starts to flow again.
What are your favourite and least favourite writing-related tasks?
Favourite task – pulling together all the information you’re given on a project and making sense of it.
Least favourite task – changing copy that I love, for the wrong reasons so it ends up not reading as well. This is an underappreciated copywriting skill, having to make tweaks and amends that aren’t necessarily in the best interests of the final piece. Pick your battles!
Any copywriting pet hates?
The word ‘it’.
Whenever I read some copy this little fella seems to creep in. He seems so innocent. But that he isn’t.
I know ‘it’ is grammatically fine to use everyone’s go-to pronoun.
But I just think this seems like such a cop-out, a waste. Every word should work as hard as possible, not lose the audience in a chain reaction of yawns.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?
Don’t be afraid of the unknown, go freelance! If my husband hadn’t suggested making the leap, I wouldn’t have the skills and experience that I have now.
Going freelance gave me the opportunity to work in some of the top agencies in London, for some amazing brands and on some awesome projects.
These early freelance adventures gave me the core skills to set up my own successful remote working business. These past eight years have been brilliant, and all stem from that one piece of initial advice. Go for it!
What advice would you give to people starting out on a copywriting career?
Write for every brand you can lay your hands on. Variety is vital, even if you eventually become a specialised copywriter in one field. It’s obvious, but the more you write and get to play with words, the better you’ll get. Oh, and don’t let negative feedback dampen your spirits – learn from others.
What’s your favourite thing about being a copywriter?
That I can do what I love anywhere. How many people can say they can work from anywhere?
Why do you find ProCopywriters membership useful?
As a remote working copywriter, ProCopywriters gives me a network of talented copywriters I can liaise with, and is also a credible way for new clients to discover me.
Where can people find out more about you?
My website – www.tmcmcopy.co.uk
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/laurakateglover/
Twitter – @TMCMCopywriting
Instagram – tmcmcopywriting