UPDATED NOVEMBER 2, 2026
Wondering if we should work together?
You’re looking for a copywriter, you found my website and you’re considering getting in touch. But who you work with is important to you and you want to be sure we’ll be a good fit.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of excellent reasons to work with me.
But there also reasons why it might not be such a good idea. And, as someone who believes in weighing up the pros and cons, I know you’ll need all the information to make an informed decision.
We might not be compatible
It’s true. You may not like the way I work or appreciate my process. You might find what I’m offering isn’t what you actually need right now. Or your project might not be the best match for my skills.
In the spirit of not wasting your time — or mine — here’s why I’m not the right copywriter for you and why you should think about going elsewhere.
Why I’m not the right copywriter for you
Are we a match or a mismatch?
For the record, I’m definitely more of a comfy trainer. I’ve never mastered walking in heels.
You’re looking for the cheapest quote
If you’re looking for the cheapest quote, you won’t find it here.
Effective, well-written copy and content is an investment in your business — not just another expense. And it can pay for itself many times over.
I’m a senior copywriter with more than 20 years’ professional writing experience. I offer effective, results-driven copy that’s meticulously researched and expertly written. It’s not the kind of copy that can be rattled off in half an hour for a few pence a word.
Some other things you should know:
- I don’t offer discounted rates for more regular work — working more hours for less money doesn’t excite me
- I don’t ‘price match’ with other copywriters — if their price is so great, why aren’t you hiring them?
- I don’t respond to haggling — this ain’t a flea market.
My prices are commensurate with the value I offer and are non-negotiable.
You want a free sample
I don’t work for free. Ever.
Writing free samples doesn’t pay my bills. And it makes no sense to write for free when I have clients who are happy to pay me.
If you want to see samples of my work, you’ll find them in my portfolio, on this blog, and on LinkedIn.
If you need to see something else, ask me. I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction or write a paid sample for you at my normal rate.
You need your copy yesterday
Good ideas can come from the most unlikely places.
But they rarely come while you’re hunched over a hot laptop, hammering out words as though your life depended on it.
When I’m rushing, I don’t have time to put in the work that needs to be done. That means I can’t:
- Get to know your audience
- Research your industry and competition
- Give my ideas the time they need to brew
- Edit and refine my work before I submit it.
I spent years in high-pressure jobs, working to tight deadlines. And I often felt that given more time, I could have done a much better job. Now I’m self-employed, I want better for my clients and myself. I want the satisfaction of seeing my clients’ businesses thrive.
Rushing work through is not the way to achieve this — and it benefits neither of us. So I choose not to do it.
You’re looking for a ‘yes’ person
If you’re looking for a copywriter who’ll do exactly as you want, in exactly the way you want it done, without questioning anything, that’s not me.
I’m a partner and collaborator — not a hired help. I’ve been writing professionally for more than 25 years and have developed a process that works and gets results.
If I can see a better, quicker or more cost-effective way to achieve the results you’re looking for, I’ll tell you. Likewise, if you’re asking for something that isn’t going to work for you or risks damaging your business.
If we work together, I’ll be invested in your success. And I’ll want to work with you in a way that contributes to that success, doing things in the best way I know how.
You’d write it yourself, if you had time
Maybe you have a crystal clear idea of what you think your copy should sound like and anything else just won’t do. Perhaps you’ve already worked with a copywriter and things didn’t work out for this reason.
You see, you can give me all the information and guidance you like, but there’s still a good chance I won’t write the copy the way you imagine it should be. First, because I can’t see inside your head. And second, because the way you think it should be written might not be what’s right for your audience.
This is why I put the time in, do the research and write the copy your audience needs to read.
If you don’t value my copywriting skills, you’ll question everything. This will result in a drawn-out approval process and endless changes that will ultimately disrupt the rhythm and flow of your copy, while diluting its message and weakening its power.
It will be a nightmare for both of us.
If you rate your writing skills, hiring a copywriter may not be the best way to get what you want. Instead, you should think about writing the copy yourself and hiring a proofreader to check it for errors.
You expect my copy to solve all your problems
If you’re expecting my copy alone to transform your business, your expectations may be unrealistic.
Don’t get me wrong — my copy is exceptional, but it doesn’t work in isolation.
There are lots of reasons why copy alone might not help you. For example if:
- Your product/service isn’t that great
- Your website has unresolved issues
- You’re aiming at the wrong market
- Your brand messaging is inconsistent
- Customers don’t like or trust your brand
- You have bad reviews from other customers.
If you want your copy to work well, everything else in your business has to be working well, too.
You don’t want to follow my process
Just as you will expect things from me, I will expect things from you — especially if you want me to meet your deadline and deliver what we’ve agreed.
For these things to happen, you’ll need to follow my process.
This means I’ll need you to complete a copywriting brief and provide all the information I need. And while we’re working together, I’ll need you to be communicative and respond to further questions promptly and fully.
I should also make it clear that I correspond by email only. I don’t accept files or communications sent to me by WhatsApp, Messenger or LinkedIn. This is because I often need to refer to our previous conversations, so I want everything in one place.
You just want words to fill a space
Your designer/SEO has told you to find a copywriter because you need words for your website or blog.
But you don’t really care about the quality or effectiveness of those words. You just want them because you’ve been told you need them. And you probably also think they can be written quickly, cheaply and with minimal input from you.
Sure, there are copywriters who’ll do that. But I’m not one of them.
Good copy is how you communicate with your customers when you’re not there to do it in person.
You should care that it’s well-written, properly researched and represents you accurately. Otherwise you’re doing your business and customers a disservice.
You obsess over metrics and/or grammar
I’m results driven, but working to set metrics just doesn’t work. And grammar rules often clash with writing that’s conversational and keeps people reading.
If you want to tell me I can’t start a sentence with ‘And’, ‘But’, ‘So’ or ‘Because’, we’ll have a problem. Likewise if you evaluate my copy with AI editors. I write for humans, not machines.
And, speaking of machines, there’s my arch enemy, Yoast…
You want me to use Yoast
I didn’t even know what Yoast was until I moved to WordPress in 2018. But I can tell you, its traffic light system is not a reliable barometer of good SEO or good writing.
When I transferred the blog articles I’d written from my previous website to WordPress, Yoast scored every single one of them with an angry red face. These articles, which were ranking highly on Google and working well to generate new business, were suddenly terrible and needing improvement. Because a bot said so? Really?
I was writing SEO website copy and content before Yoast was even invented. Using its traffic light system is like painting by numbers — your results will always be patchy at best. And, as anyone who understands SEO knows, turning all those faces green can actually be detrimental.
Real results don’t look like smiley green faces. They look like a boost for your business and more money in the bank.
You want me to write with AI
I don’t use AI in my writing process. Period.
If you’re looking for a copywriter who will write with AI and charge you less for it… good luck with that.
AI needs prompting. It plagiarises other writers. It makes mistakes — sometimes serious ones. Its output lacks style, context and, sometimes, cultural awareness. Do I need to go on?
In short, it’s a bad idea and that’s why I don’t do it.
You want something I don’t support
As a generalist copywriter, I’m happy to write about most things and I specialise in explaining complex things simply. But there are some areas I tend to stay away from.
Specialist niches
Some sectors are very niche and typically need more specialist expertise than I can offer.
They include:
- Finance/accounting/investments/insurance/loans
- Health/pharma/wellness/mindfulness
- Religious/spiritual
- Technical/scientific/industrial/engineering.
Off-brand sectors
There are some sectors I don’t support because they go against my values.
They include:
- Gambling
- Tobacco
- Animal cruelty/exploitation
- Single-use plastic or paper products.
Unethical requests
There are some things I won’t do for ethical reasons.
They include:
- Working with plagiarised — or possibly plagiarised — content
- Making false or unsubstantiated claims
- Using unprincipled coercion or manipulation tactics
- Promoting exploitation in any form.
You don’t know what you need
For your project to work, you have to be confident in your business and know exactly what you need.
That includes knowing:
- Your audience — exactly who we’re talking to
- Your value proposition — what you’re offering and the value your customers can expect from it
- Your USP — what’s different about you and what you’re offering.
If you’re new to this and you haven’t decided these things yet, it will be difficult for me to write copy that really hits the spot. And if you’re still figuring things out, any copy I write for you will need changing if you change your direction.
Getting your copy written before you know where your business is heading can be a false economy and it’s really best avoided.
Still want to work with me?
If you like the sound of my sensible, no-nonsense approach and you think we could work together, there are a number of ways to contact me — and none of them involve WhatsApp!
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