Three careers’ worth of practice at saying the difficult thing simply

I started in agencies, writing campaigns for international brands where an idea had to be strong enough to survive a media plan and clear enough to work in six words. That’s where I learned to write to a brief, at speed, and to defend a line without being precious about it.

At Speexx, I worked across campaigns, long-form content, email, websites, customer stories and other marketing materials, adapting the message for different audiences and markets.

In between, I built my own brand from nothing and sold it into shops, bars and restaurants.

Questions before sentences

I’d rather spend the first week asking awkward questions than the last week rewriting. Most content briefs are unclear because the underlying decision is unclear.

Research is the job, not the prep

Customer interviews, existing research, source material and the actual product. Good copy is mostly knowing how to listen, then turning what you learn into something clear and useful.

Design the experience, not just the copy

People visiting a business website usually have something they want to find out, a problem to solve or a decision to make. Too many websites assume they have the time and inclination to read everything.

The job is to give people the right information at the right time, make it easy to find and help them take the next step – whether that’s understanding a product, getting in touch or signing up.

That’s where copy and user experience meet. UX isn’t just the words on a button or a navigation label. It’s how the whole site helps people find what they need, understand their options and decide what to do next.

Consistency, so it scales

Once you know what a business needs to say, the challenge is keeping that message clear and consistent wherever it appears – from a website or campaign to an email, report or sales document. I like finding the right voice, structure and principles to make that happen, so the message works across formats without losing its clarity or personality.

AI as a tool, not a ghostwriter

I use AI for research synthesis, structuring, generating variants and first-pass drafting – then do the thinking and the writing myself.

I wrote SAUCE, a memoir about obsession, entrepreneurship, success, failure and a decade spent trying to build a hot sauce company.