Celebrating National Writing Day 2024
By: Nikki Wilson
To celebrate National Writing Day, we sat with Nikki Wilson and Zoe Lamb-Jarman from our copywriting team to tell us about the origins of their passion for writing.
Tell us about your journey to copywriting at LMC.
Nikki Wilson, senior copywriter and editor
Zoe Lamb-Jarman, copywriter and editor
Nikki (NW): I’ve always loved English and was an avid reader as a child. I went on to study ‘A’ level English literature before opting for a business degree at university.
Having started my career in a face-to-face sales position, I moved to an in-house marketing role working in the technology sector, before joining a PR agency where I was account director responsible for technology clients.
Each of these roles involved an element of copywriting; from direct marketing letters through to brochure and website copy, press releases, case studies and opinion pieces.
I spent fifteen years as a freelance writer which gave me the flexibility to look after my young family while working from home, before joining LMC in 2017 where I now work on a broad range of projects for many different clients.
Zoe (ZL-J): Like Nikki, I could usually be found with my head in a book when I was a child (long before the distracting lure of a smartphone). Aged 15, convinced I wanted to study law at university, I ended up doing some work experience at a small PR agency. It was there – while writing press releases – that my passion for PR was born. I realised I was far too creatively minded to be a solicitor.
I spent four years at the University of Lincoln studying marketing – during which time I did a work placement in Germany. After my final exams, I joined a PR, marketing and digital agency in Lincoln where I worked my way up over five years to become an account manager.
In 2020, I moved back to my hometown and took an in-house marketing role before returning to agency life – this time in B2B tech.
By that point, having gained a broad range of PR and marketing experience, I had realised the elements that I’m strongest in and really light my fire are copywriting and editing. Joining LMC in 2022 allowed me to remain within an agency environment while doing what I enjoy the most.
What do you like most about your role?
NW: The variety of work. On one day I can be writing about building with sustainable materials; on another writing about BIM technology for architects and learning about projects from across the world; on another day I’ll be writing about fire safety.
Every day is different, every piece of writing is different. But to work successfully in our sector, we have to really understand the issues, technologies and politics affecting the built environment.
I particularly enjoy taking complex topics and writing about them so they can be easily understood and delving deeper into the stories behind the people and projects I’m writing about.
ZL-J: I won’t say that no two days are the same as, even though that’s true, it’s terribly cliché.
There are several answers I could give, from the amount of people I get to meet, to the fact that there are so many opportunities to learn. Since I can only pick one, for me it has to be the freedom of expression and autonomy I’m given. In this role, I am respected for my experience and am fully trusted to do great work for clients.
What’s been a stand-out / favourite project you’ve worked on?
NW: I’ve recently really enjoyed working on the global case studies for our customer Graphisoft. They include some fascinating projects including gravity-defying designs by Italian firm NOA Network of Architecture and sustainable, community-led projects from South Africa’s Earthworld Architects.
Helping others with their writing is also incredibly rewarding. This includes working with our clients to provide bespoke copywriting training to improve their in-house writing capability; and mentoring colleagues within LMC to help them develop their writing skills and confidence.
ZL-J: Last year I wrote a couple of reports for one of our technology clients – one of which was all about the mental health of site workers. At LMC, I’m learning and writing about so many topics within construction, and I found this one especially interesting.
Nothing beats seeing your work published and this report was distributed at an event held at Frameless in London, where there were many prominent industry figures. Some of my writing was projected onto the walls, which gave me a real buzz. It’s a piece of work I’m especially proud of.
What advice would you give to others who want to improve their copywriting?
NW: Read as much as you can and as many different types of writing as you can. Newspaper features, blogs, websites, novels, autobiographies, advertising copy.
There are plenty of great resources on the web to help you. Take a look at Lorraine Forest-Turner’s website and the ProCopywriters network.
ZL-J: I’ll echo what Nikki has already said: make sure you consume different types of content both on- and offline. Try not to get out of the habit of reading for pleasure.
I’d also encourage you to test out different writing styles to find what works for you. I distinctly recall using my dad’s laptop as a child to create my own newspaper articles, leaflets, brochures and presentations about various topics, which certainly helped improve my writing. Practice makes perfect.
For hints and tips, there are some great characters in copywriting and marketing to follow/sign up to newsletters from, including Dave Harland, Erica Schneider and Harry Dry. The Marketing Meetup – founded by someone I know from school – is also a great resource more broadly speaking.
What would you say are the top three skills a copywriter needs?
NW: Creativity, curiosity and attention to detail.
ZL-J: Again, I agree with Nikki. But for three more, you need to be a good listener, have an enthusiastic attitude and – of course – excellent writing skills.
What do you like to read / what inspires you?
NW: I’m a big fan of modern fiction – anything with a historical twist and a good story that keeps me guessing.
ZL-J: Outside of work, I read fiction. I’ve enjoyed some Ben Elton and Sebastian Faulks novels and I love a good heartfelt, female-led story so am drawn to the likes of Cecelia Ahern and Sophie Kinsella. I like anything that’s remotely believable/based on reality – no sci-fi for me.
When I can, I like to start my workdays by scanning the main national and construction news sites as well as catching up on emails. I’m signed up to several newsletters including some geared towards PR, which contain valuable snippets of advice, insights and campaign examples to influence my work. These can be great to keep in my back pocket for whenever we have creative brainstorms.
Is AI making copywriting redundant?
NW: For now, no. While AI can be useful for initial research, the final copy that it creates often isn’t up to scratch.
However, I have no doubt that with the speed of innovation, this will change. At the moment, we are all very comfortable with using spell-check and grammar-check tools. It will only be a matter of time before we rely more on AI for our creative copy as well.
ZL-J: We have spoken with the team about whether our jobs are under threat from AI. For now, the general consensus is that the human element is still very much needed when it comes to copywriting.
It’s glaringly obvious when a piece of content has been written by an AI tool and it makes me cringe; in our line of work, tone of voice is so important and varies for each client. While the likes of ChatGPT can be helpful for getting started on a piece of work, humans are still needed to fine-tune and finesse the copy.
No doubt AI will only get better, but I won’t start to sweat just yet.
