For almost two decades I lived and breathed journalism.
- I won prestigious awards.
- My work was published internationally
- Australia’s #1 magazine publisher headhunted me from the other side of the globe.
I specialised in writing human interest features. Often, I interviewed people who’d been through unimaginable heartbreak.
The strength those people had, in the face of such painful adversity, would’ve reduced even the hardest of hearts to rubble.
My work was often confronting.
But I believe good people - doing important things - should get the recognition they deserve.
How it all started
Many people assume journalism is all about writing.
But over the course of my career, I’ve learnt the most important skill a journalist needs is the ability to listen.
Luckily for me, it’s a skill I have in droves.
It’s why I was one of the first people from my masters cohort to be offered a position as a cadet journalist on a local newspaper (at the time those lauded opportunities were as rare as hen’s teeth.)
Within just a few months I’d been poached by a regional news agency, writing news and features for the British national press.
Over the next few years I worked hard and built up a good reputation for getting the stories no one else could get.
My secret was simple: I took the time to listen, really listen, and people opened up to me.
After winning a prestigious award, my work caught the eye of editors in Australia.
Can you guess what happened next?
In 2010 I was headhunted by Pacific Magazines and I moved from a quiet corner of Northumberland to sunny Sydney.
I loved Australia from the first moment I stepped foot on the asphalt at Sydney Airport.
I’d spend my weekends at the beach and on weekdays, I’d interview and write about the most fascinating people on the planet.
By the time I left Pacific Magazines, I was News Editor of New Idea
We had a total audience of 3.4 million at the time.
The responsibility and the strategic decision-making gave me a huge rush.
But my day-to-day work was more of a project management role and oh, how I missed interviewing and writing.
That’s why, after having a baby in 2015, I went freelance.
My articles were published in Marie Claire, Who, New Idea, Woman’s Day, that’s life!, Kidspot, Practical Parenting, News.com.au, 7News.com.au and the Sydney Morning Herald.
Life was wonderful.
But then 2020 happened
As the coronavirus pandemic gained momentum, most of my regular freelance gigs dried up. At some point in the delirium, someone suggested copywriting.
Even though I was already a whizz at creating unique, innovative and authoritative articles for humans, I had no idea what tickled the Google gods.
So I completed a Search Engine Optimasation (SEO) course run by world-renowned expert, Kate Toon.
My first copywriting projects came to me
A blog post here, a video-script there, some website copywriting sprinkled in-between.
I got rave feedback from clients on my:
- Research skills
- Interviewing, writing and editing skills
- Innate understanding of how to engage any audience
- Ability to magically breathe life into even the dullest subject to make it sparkle
I soon discovered professional service businesses faced the same three challenges:
1. They struggled to stand out in a crowded market.
2. They wanted more ideal clients. 3. They needed to build trust in their brand. And that’s when I had my lightbulb moment. I’d seen the extraordinary impact human interest stories had on sales. And I knew if it worked for newspapers, magazines and TV, it could work for business too.
Character-driven, emotionally-charged stories have the power to change our brain chemistry
Perhaps that’s why anthropologists have discovered storytelling is ubiquitous throughout every known culture. Today, I help brands with integrity connect with people through storytelling. I specialise in customer case studies. Because I believe good people - who do good things - should get the recognition they deserve.