The gig economy is the future, we’re told. I’ve been an active part of this economy for just over two decades, and there are two major skills required to make this work. The first is being able to give a clear brief, and the second is the ability to give feedback. Part of the reason many
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So, you’ve decided your company needs a newsletter. You’d like to connect with your clients and customers, keep them updated about innovations or changes at your firm, and you think a newsletter would tick several of those boxes. I’ve worked with several companies on their newsletters, and we always run up against the same obstacles.
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Dear Pee Arr I hope this letter finds you well. Actually, I don’t really – I haven’t even met you – but since you always start off that way, I thought I’d do it too. So look, I love you, really I do. Some of my best friends are Pee Arrs. But we need to
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“I’m sorry this letter is so long; I didn’t have time to write a short one,” is a quote variously attributed to Cicero, Blaise Pascal and Mark Twain. Whoever said it hit the nail on the head – writing something short that has both impact and depth of content is much more difficult than banging
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Nothing makes me want to flee like a request to come and work in a client’s office. I love working remotely, and being on my own, neutral territory gives me both the flexibility to work the (sometimes unorthodox) hours that work for me, and the freedom to prioritise the jobs on my slate. But it’s
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  “That seems a bit pricey for just a proofread.” That’s the comment I received after sending out a quote this week. What the client really wanted was not a proofread, but an edit – not many people know the difference; many underestimate the role that each has to play, and the painstaking work involved
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  I recently posted the information below as a thread on Twitter, and it got a great response – from writers and clients alike. So I’m reproducing it here in case you missed it. Your brief to a writer is crucial – it will help them to deliver exactly what you need, without excessive to-
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So you’ve decided you need a business blog. But you don’t have the budget for a PR or content agency, which means it’s something of a DIY – and you don’t know where to start. Here are some helpful pointers. First, spend some time planning. As a professional writer, I often get requests from people
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As a journalist, I’m well aware that people are probably more comfortable around second-hand car salespeople. I get it, I really do. But there’s no need to panic. Unless you are embroiled in the middle of a media storm or a scandal that warrants some sort of investigative journalism – and you’ll know if you
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So you’ve spent squillions on branding. You have a top agency, your brand identity is beautiful, everything is designed to within an inch of its life, and your PR and marketing and various digital platforms are vetted and checked at every possible point. Sorted, right? Wrong. Your internal communications need just as much work, or
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