01 Why did you choose a career in copywriting, and how did you get into it?
Honestly it was a bit of an accident. After years in the lab as a biologist, I made an exit from my planned career in academia. I’d always loved writing and someone suggested “Medical Communications” to me. Without any clue what MedComms was, I applied to an agency, got a job as an Associate Medical Writer and that kicked it all off.
After jumping around agencies for a bit – and dipping my toes into the murky world of marketing – I went in-house as a Science Writer at Abcam. That’s when I started copywriting. In between articles on immunohistochemistry and antibody selection, I was writing ads – proper ads. Had some splashed up on posters, one in a subway ahead of a conference, and even a full-page ad in Nature. Of course, there was standard Google search and social ads mixed in there, but I discovered that writing short creative copy that makes people stop was way more entertaining than dusty whitepapers.
So, I stuck with it. Six(ish) years ago I went freelance, and now I split my time between writing blogs that make science as interesting as it should, webcopy that people remember and even a few ads here and there that people actually notice. The bar in science copy is so depressingly low, so I wanted to change that, one gross “accelerating innovation” tagline at a time.
02 What work are you most proud of, and what makes it stand out for you?
Probably the times when I’ve had to take complex (and often pretty dry) research and turn it into something the public not only understands, but care about. This was my main role as Research Comms Manager at Kidney Research UK and there’s a collection of ads, donation appeals and blogs that did just that. Good times.
Any time I get to let the public get a glimpse of the science I know and love is always a standout moment.
Completely unrelated was a series of ads I made about “Boring Science”, which I love. It was so much fun to take the science we know (as scientists; i.e. moving clear liquids between clear vials and lots of repetitive pipetting) and just being honest about it. Because scientists don’t need exciting lab kit, they just need lab kit that does what it’s supposed to.
03 What piece of copy do you wish you’d written?
Easy. The Writer’s HQ Privacy Policy. Yep, the privacy policy. I came across this years ago and it was exactly the sort of writing I was trying to do (much to the annoyance of my various bosses!). It’s a formal document but it doesn’t sound like it was written by a bloody bot – or a lawyer, which amounts to the same thing. It was irreverent, funny, useful and truthful at the same time. Have a look: https://writershq.co.uk/privacy-policy/
04 What principles guide the way you work with clients and approach your craft?
My guiding principle is that clients rarely know what they want. They have an idea that they want to say something – anything – but quite often they don’t know how to get there. That’s why so many want to “jump on a quick call” rather than writing a brief, because it means they’re going to brain dump a lot of information on you – information they haven’t sorted through – and leave the rest up to you.
I either make them formalise it into a brief or wade through the chaos to tease out what they mean and really want and then send it back to them phrased as “I think what you’re asking for is…”. Which path I take really depends on how much they’re paying me 😉
05 Do you have any favourite copywriting hacks or techniques you’d care to share?
I hate the word hack, so my technique is not using it. The second is to just do the work. Everyone’s chasing the best bit of software, or technique or efficiency tip, but the reality is, it’s hard to beat a to-do list that you just sit down and work through. Stop looking for ‘workflow optimisation techniques’ and just do the work, one job at a time.
If I’ve got to come out with a headline, I’ll just sit down and let as many as possible roll out onto the page. If I have an article to write, I’ll start with an outline and then chip away at the rest.
But everything comes from having done the research first. You have to have read a lot before you can skip to the end; you can’t work efficiently if you haven’t worked hard first.
06 How has AI affected your work as a copywriter, and what do you think about its role in the industry going forward?
You mean other than making me fear for this job’s continued existence?
The reality is, AI’s a brilliant tool but it’s just another tool. Copywriters in particular love to shout about AI being crap because we’re all scared our sacred creativity skill might not be as sacred as we thought. And sure, when it comes to truly genius lines of copy, AI just isn’t going to write that. But in all likelihood, neither are the vast majority of us.
It’s a sad fact that most companies aren’t interested in great copy; they just want copy ‘that’ll do’, and AI’s great at making copy that’ll do because it can fill their endless content calendars at scale and tick all their little boxes – KPI gods will be sated.
But for great writing – those articles and ads that make you stop and think – those will be ours for a while. That weird visceral humanity we can instil into a string of words isn’t quite within AI’s remit. So as long as there are clients who want copy that’s great, rather than sufficient, I think some writers will be safe in this odd little profession we’ve chosen.
07 What do you do when you hit a bit of writer’s block?
Once I’m done being intimidated by the flashing cursor and consumed an unsafe level of caffeine, I admit defeat and leave. I get out. Usually that means going for a stroll along the beach and wistfully staring out to sea wondering if it’s too late to become a fisherman, or sailor or pirate. Sometimes it’s a trip to the gym to clear my mind by picking something heavy up and then putting it back down.
And then, like science predicted, a spark of an idea pops into my brain and I sit back down at my desk to teach the flashing cursors who’s boss. Until next time.
08 Any copywriting pet hates?
Copywriters who call themselves “storytellers”. Eurgh. It’s so gross. You’re writing marketing material to sell products, not guiding someone’s imagination through magical gardens. Stop it. Yes, writing should tell a story, but let’s not be so nauseatingly literal, please.
I also cannot abide the industry desire to drown everything in hyperbole. Everything’s a best-in-class, world leading, gold-standard solution, which is not only untrue but makes everyone sound exactly the same. Any real novelty gets buried forever.
09 What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?
Not given to me personally, or even aimed at careers, but the whole notion of “Take fucking risks” (Mellor & Smith) had always stuck with me in both writing and life. Sometimes you just have to do the thing. If you’re agonising over applying for a job, writing an ad, making a career change, going limited, eating that weird thing – then just take the fucking risk.
You don’t need to already be an expert in something, you don’t have to follow the weird corporate LinkedIn-speak, you don’t have to try to be ‘professional’, you don’t have to be any of those things so that you feel safe. You have to put yourself out there, take the step, take the risk, and ride whatever comes next. Better you take the risk and maybe win, than sit cosy and sheltered forever wondering ‘what if’. Plus, safe is boring and no one remembers or cares about boring.
10 What advice would you give to people starting out on a copywriting career?
Figure out what style of copy you like and think about why. There’s so much out there, and when you just write because you’ve been told to write you can’t help but sort of regress to the mean. Instead, really look at what people are writing, how they’re forming those sentences and what effect it has on you. Try to understand why some copy makes you yawn and other lines make you shout at the screen or immediately whip out your credit card to buy something.
And try it. Experiment. Write loads of ads and lines and see not only what works for your boss/client, but what works for you. Eventually you’ll find your own style. And some people might even want to give you real life Earth money in exchange for that style.
11 How does ProCopywriters membership support your goals?
If I hadn’t discovered ProCopywriters and gone to a CopyCon, there’s a good chance I would never have known about half the things real copywriters and designers and all manner of creatives really do out there. It’s easy to stay in your own little bubble of words, but there’s so much out there! I’ve met brilliant speakers, advertising lecturers, authors, education specialists, agency owners, and a whole gaggle of wonderful wordy people who just get what I do. And that is a very rare thing.
12 Where can people find out more about you?
Officially you can find me over at billhinchencopy.com
But you can more often find me talking about science or complaining about marketing on LinkedIn