Copywriting
Copywriting
Throughout my career, I’ve tried to use writing for good. Sometimes that means helping a small business succeed with an attention-grabbing slogan. Sometimes it means a fiery rebuke of a public policy. Sometimes it means getting silly with an ad campaign. Whatever good you’ve got going on, I can help you communicate it.
Blog
“The 2020 census data is in, and Virginia’s newly created redistricting commission will use it to redraw district lines based on population changes over the last 10 years. District lines are all about political power – who has representation in our government and who doesn’t. It’s a tedious, complicated process, and the outcome will determine whose votes carry the most weight.
“Population matters when it comes to redistricting, and that’s why the way people are counted is so important. So how do prisons and the people in their custody impact the redistricting process?
“The Census Bureau provides options for people with non-permanent addresses to be counted – unless you’re incarcerated. The census does not recognize the home address of people who are incarcerated, even though they are not living away from their communities by choice. Instead, the census only counts an incarcerated person’s prison address as their home. And, even though people stay in Virginia prisons for an average of only 2.8 years, the district lines based on population rates will stand for a decade.”
Product Promotion
“The Valentine’s founder Mann S. Valentine II left a surprising entrepreneurial legacy. In 1870, his wife Ann fell ill, and her doctors were unable to find a cure. Mann Valentine toiled away in their basement until he crafted a medicinal extract, made of vital nutrients in egg whites and slowly cooked beef. Ann recovered, and Mann Valentine patented the recipe.
“Valentine’s Meat-Juice was an instant hit as both a dietary supplement and as a flavoring. In 1878, Mann Valentine took his Meat-Juice to the Paris Exposition, and a few years later, it gained more popularity after President James A. Garfield took two teaspoons a day to help him recover from an assassination attempt. The profits from the Meat-Juice business helped fund the museum.
“Now, the Valentine has adapted Mann’s recipe to create Valentine’s Meat Juice Bloody Mary Mix! The delicious, spicy mixer is currently available in the museum gift shop and through our partners at Cirrus Vodka. Be sure to look out for The Valentine Bloody on cocktail menus at some favorite local restaurants!”
Annual Report
While on staff at the ACLU, I worked with our communications team to transition our annual reports from paper to digital. I created an outline based on our theme of “Leading the South,” wrote most of the copy, served as the final copy editor, and worked with web designers to turn the content into a graphic-heavy, visually appealing website.
Messaging Strategy
A good messaging strategy starts with research. It could include market surveys, audience analysis, stakeholder interviews, and competition assessments. That research leads to your first deliverable: a set of talking points.
Talking points are your baseline – the starting point for any subsequent messages. Other deliverables vary based on your needs and could include:
- Mission/vision statements for your new business
- Social media content strategies and sample posts
- Audience profiles
- Call scripts and elevator pitches
- Internal memos to help turn staff members into brand ambassadors
Messaging Strategy
Ghostwriting
Ghostwriting
Direct Mail Magazine
““The Valentine is often called an “urban oasis” in the bustling Court End neighborhood. We share sidewalks with VCU folks, hospital staff and city officials. Lately, many of those sidewalks have gotten a facelift to straighten out the wrinkles, and there’s more to come in our neighborhood.
“We’re excited to welcome our new neighbors and grateful to be part of this growing area! Although there’s a lot of construction going on within our walls and around us, our doors will stay open to all. Plan a visit to check out the changes, or visit our website to book a walking tour of Court End, available every first Saturday and third Sunday of the month.”
Statement
“The Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond was erected more than 130 years ago, a 40-foot-tall bronze and granite shrine to the Lost Cause mythology. Not long after it was built, an all-white community was built around it to conclusively say that Black people do not belong in this space.
“What remains now is much more beautiful. The pedestal is covered in layers and layers of colorful graffiti that show the pain that Black Virginians have endured for generations. In between some layers are coats of grey paint – attempts to silence dissent and quiet any voices that refuse to accept white supremacy as the status quo. And yet, Black people continued to come back to this space to pour out their pain, show their love, and build a new inclusive community. The community space was renamed for Marcus-David Peters, a Black man killed by police.
“Today, the treasonous slave owner and his high horse were taken down, and what’s left is the beauty created by the Black community in spite of immense obstacles.”
Op-Ed
“Bottom line: Marijuana should be legal. It was prohibited in the early 20th century to criminalize people coming to the United States from Mexico. Texas police led the charge claiming marijuana brought across the border was the root cause of violent crimes – the kind of scare tactic too often used to justify the war on drugs and the criminalization of Black and Brown people.
“Above all else, legalizing marijuana is about racial justice. When the government declared a “war on drugs” in 1971, police upped their enforcement of marijuana laws, targeting Black and Brown communities. Today, Black Virginians are 3.4 times more likely than white Virginians to be arrested for simple marijuana possession, despite similar usage rates. That number is even higher in certain corners of the Commonwealth like Hanover County, where Black people are 20 times more likely to be arrested.”