Bio
I left Cardiff for Edinburgh in 2011. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, I worked for a small PR and marketing firm, managing clients and writing a steady stream of press releases, articles and website content for some well-known Scottish brands. Since starting Ampersand Copy in 2020, I've provided clients across the professional, creative and financial services with copywriting and strategic content support.
In 2023, I moved to East Lothian — about 30 minutes from Edinburgh — with my wife and our springer spaniel, Bertie. Lately, I spend a lot of time reading, exploring the countryside and attempting to garden (the will is there, but the skill is… not).
Agencies
Agencies work hard to build strong relationships with their clients, so naturally, appointing a new freelancer can feel daunting. When we work together, I make a point of representing your agency with integrity and discretion. The way we work together is up to you; I'm happy to be client-facing or to clack away on my keyboard behind the scenes. I am often outsourced for long-term contracts, but can just as easily jump onto a project for last-minute support.
For new agency clients, I offer a complimentary half-day trial to help you decide whether my writing and approach are right for you.
Direct clients
It takes years to earn trust and moments to lose it. When working with direct clients (non-agency businesses), I take good care of your brand, delivering high quality, thorough work that preserves your reputation as a trusted company. I tend to support direct clients with regular content as part of a wider marketing strategy, or with one-off projects like new website copy and marketing campaigns.
For ongoing support, you can retain my time for a set number of hours per month, meaning I will be on hand to deliver work whenever you need it.
Informative, not snore-mative
Robots govern the way we find information; they trawl, analyse and summarise the contents of the internet, presenting their findings in under a second. Please the robots and they'll make sure customers hear all about you. Anger them and they'll bury you deep within the search results — and you can forget about a recommendation from ChatGPT.
Given the power of these tiny robots, it's understandable that a lot of writing is geared towards appeasing them. But behind the analytics, the search rankings and the AI snippets, there are human readers. And humans are not robots. We like silly things like cocktail umbrellas and yarn bombing and stone skipping — things that serve no real purpose other than to amuse us.
I try to remember that when I'm writing. Yes, I'm thinking about how the work supports your marketing objectives, the best ways to optimise for search and what actions readers should take. But I'm also thinking about how the piece sounds to the reader, what the reading experience is like, and most important of all, whether it's enjoyable.
I'm often asked my thoughts on AI — usually with an "aren't you worried it's going to steal your job?" implied. The truth is, I'm not averse to AI (some of my best friends are LLMs), but I find it best for organising thoughts and refining ideas. Human readers, after all, deserve human writers.
Inform
Content should convey a clear message. Removing complexity from your copy helps your audience understand what matters most.
Inspire
Good writing is compelling. Persuasive writing techniques motivate your customers to take action.
Intrigue
Professional doesn't have to mean tedious. Distinctive and often playful copy makes your brand more memorable.
"I had the pleasure of working with Rebeca and the experience exceeded all expectations"
Craig Sibbald | Founder | Sibbald Digital