Rob Hainsworth

01  Why did you choose a career in copywriting, and how did you get into it?

A bit like being a Villa fan, I didn’t choose copywriting. Copywriting chose me.

My degree’s in Graphic Design and when I went to Watford, I started as an art director. But everyone I teamed up with didn’t want to write copy. So I did it and fell in love with writing all over again – I used to write stories, news articles, poems, ads, THE WORKS(!) as a child. I love how you can play with words, bend them to your will (within reason, of course) and make a great headline (“Think Different”, anyone) and because my brain still thinks visually while I write, I can see the whole thing in my head which is lovely.

02  What work are you most proud of, and what makes it stand out for you?

I’m proud of everything I’ve created in one form or another. But one thing that stands out for me comes from my time in-house at Amazon where I became known as “Mr Radio”. It’s such a fantastic medium where you can have fun and be creative with where you go with it and I didn’t think Amazon’s roster of agencies were doing anything special with it. It always felt like an after-thought once TV, social and press/print were done – the ‘sexy’ things. I asked to have a crack at the radio and that was that. It was brought in-house and we had such fun with it and I wrote some of my best stuff.

03  What piece of copy do you wish you’d written?

It would be easier to say what I’m glad I didn’t write. You look through the D&AD Copy Book and it’s just gold on every page. And then you see what Vikki Ross shares from her copy safaris or others work when shared on LinkedIn and there’s some chef’s kisses going on at the moment. That answer will probably be seen as a cop out by some but that’s my truth.

04  What principles guide the way you work with clients and approach your craft?

I think my principles are probably similar to a lot of people: listen to the client, speak to the client (in that order) and be very collaborative with them.

05  Do you have any favourite copywriting hacks or techniques you’d care to share?

I don’t think about it to be honest with you. Since Tony Cullingham drilled into us at Watford to write 100 headlines and then 100 more, that’s all I do. I try and write as many versions as possible because sometimes it’s one word change or sentence restructure that makes the difference. So yeah, I sit and read the brief, make notes and if something pops in my head, I write it down…and then write another, and another and another.

Actually, one technique I have is that everything starts with pen and paper. I get excited looking at a blank page but stuck looking at a blank Word Doc!

06  How has AI affected your work as a copywriter, and what do you think about its role in the industry going forward?

I appreciate that not everyone thinks like this, but I find AI very interesting – especially as it was very prominent at my last agency. Like anything, I think there’s pros and cons to it and a lot of it is down to it being in the right hands. I’ve used it for scamp storyboards where I’ve written the script and then created visuals to match. And I’ve also co-created a TOV agent for a previous client where it helped remove anything that was missed and made the work fit the TOV 99% (for example) of the time instead of 95%. So I don’t use it to write. That always comes from me but I use it as a second pair of eyes to spot things so I can go away and rewrite. I treat it as a creative partner.

07  What do you do when you hit a bit of writer’s block?

Probably like a lot of writers, I cry and then I go for a walk or do something that takes my mind off it so it resets. (I don’t actually cry)

08  Any copywriting pet hates?

Funnily enough this relates to what I mentioned earlier about AI being in the right hands because I hate it when someone uses AI to write something…and then ask a writer to proofread and amend/rewrite it. Just give it to a writer in the first place!

09  What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?

I have two:

Write-write-write because something gold will appear.

Try and get on with everyone you work with. I think this is most important. I’m not saying you have to be besties with everyone but have and show respect for each other and each others skills/way of thinking. Everyone’s different and if you tap into that, you’ll get some great ideas and work from it all.

10  What advice would you give to people starting out on a copywriting career?

I think at the moment, with everything that’s going on, really think about it before you do it. It’s very tough out there. To be brutally honest, my son sits and draws and writes and says he’s writing ads like dad but I hope he chooses something a bit more stable. Kills me to say it because I love what I do and hopefully things will be better in the future…

But from a non-father POV, read all the books, get in front of people and get some crits and listen to feedback. You don’t have to take it all on board because everyone has a different opinion but you’ll soon find common themes popping up in feedback that will help you with your craft.

11  How does ProCopywriters membership support your goals?

It allows me to keep training and learning, and meet other writers.

12  Where can people find out more about you?

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robhainsworth11/

And my sites are:
https://robhainsworthcreative.cargo.site/

https://robhainsworthcopywriter.cargo.site/