Copywriter & Content Writer

Personal summary

I am a small business owner; I started out selling crochet and knitted gifts on the website Etsy, and gained knowledge as my business grew so that I could expand to other content management systems. I assisted with the creation of my own WordPress website and now keep this updated myself, constantly working on SEO keywords and readability. All the communication and marketing is done by myself, using social media to advertise my business, while keeping an eye on trends and untapped markets. My products are all handmade and mostly custom commissions. I collaborate with my customers via email to create bespoke products and answer queries in a friendly but professional manner. I have created a good brand reputation of reliably adapting to customer needs to get the ideal results within their deadline and in accordance to their personal briefs, and being a personable and helpful point of contact. I have just had an article published about my business and commission work, which featured on the BBC News website as well as several newspapers. I have recently expanded into also creating original patterns; documents for others to follow and learn how to create their own crochet pieces. Customer feedback has told me that my instructions are easy to follow and that I have a good teaching style. I will attach one of my more detailed pieces of work to my application as an example, though it is very industry specific and has a lot of technical terminology. And here are some links to a couple of my pattern listings on the database Ravelry and my own website; I can send examples on request. Part of my website is also a blog; where I share my knowledge, advice and recommendations. It is important for me to write with personality behind the written voice, to avoid the text being dry and unengaging. When reaching out to beginner creatives who may be new to crochet, my aim is to create a welcoming and open environment to learn about their new interest without fear of asking questions or making mistakes. I can send examples on request. I am very confident with writing. At A-level, I took English Literature, History and Geography; all of which required extensive essay-writing, intensive research and analytical skills. I also enjoy reading fiction; my personal favourite authors are Jane Austen, Anne Brontë and Richard Osman. These writers have taught me the value of using an active voice to draw audiencesinto a story, as if the reader is directly involved with the narrative. I am also good at proofreading documents. Alongside creating my own crochet patterns for my business, I have also taken part in ‘pattern tests’ for other designers, in which I would check their files for any errors or unclear language. I also utilised these skills while doing administrative work at Bradford College. Creating job adverts for the recruitment department required me to edit and update templates. Tone was an important part for these documents; striking a balance between making the position enticing to potential applicants and thoroughly conveying all the necessary information about the job role. Because I enjoyed and excelled at this, I have just started a course through the Centre of Excellence, covering content writing and copywriting to further enhance my skills. I have a background in theatre, which has given me good communication skills, confidence to engage with new people and the ability to think creatively to find solutions. Also being a musician, I have good attention to detail and can often find new ways to look at tasks. Theatre and music are very fast-paced environments that require you to be efficient and hardworking to create high quality productions within very tight deadlines as a team. I can provide a separate CV for performance work. I have good flexibility and availability and am always happy to step up and help at the last minute with extra tasks whenever I can. I am always keen to expand my knowledge and love gaining new skills to improve my work. I also have lots of customer service experience, both in person and in an online setting, and believe I convey a friendly and enthusiastic manner when communicating with customers and clients. I have worked in two separate Marks and Spencer stores; across cafe, clothing and foods. I was often relied upon to move to different areas of the store to cover when they were short staffed and I was comfortable working in all three sections. I was also given more responsibilities; including the weekly stock counts and taking on more of a leadership role during Saturday closedown, delegating tasks and ensuring everything was done in time. I could always be relied upon to work confidently with new technology and dealing with order pickup. Thank you for taking the time to read my application. I look forward to hearing from you. Kind Regards, Ellie Wilcock

Skills

SEO / SEM1 Copywriter1 Copy editing1 Personnel administration1