Kiera W.
About me
| Kiera W. | |
| English and Related Literature | |
| English | |
| Undergraduate | |
| James | |
| 2013 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Copywriting Manager | |
| Tide Banking | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Finance and consultancy | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2021 |
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A day in the life of a Copywriting Manager in the United Kingdom
Whilst living abroad, I started working as a freelance writer for small businesses and my career has blossomed naturally from there.
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
I'm Copywriting Manager for the marketing copy team at Tide, the UK's leading business banking platform. We're a former start-up, now a scale-up, who provide banking services (business current and savings accounts, loans, accounting solutions and more) to small and medium-sized businesses.
What do you do?
First, we should start with the most common question I get asked, which is "what is a copywriter?" Even though the answer is in the title itself (writer), I'll explain here. Copywriters write and edit marketing and advertising content, making sure it's both creative and engaging and meets their company's brand style, which we call "tone of voice".
Content is briefed by product, marketing and PR stakeholders and can include email campaigns, mobile notifications, blog posts, white papers, press releases and more.
As Copywriting Manager, I'm the most senior copywriter at Tide. I'm also responsible for a team of five writers, so my day-to-day includes assigning them work, making sure they have everything they need from their stakeholders and providing guidance and feedback on their work. I still work as a writer, myself, on high-profile campaigns such as blog posts or public articles published under the names of our C-Suite.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
My recent career history is fairly interesting! After leaving a job in publishing, I lived abroad for three years, working as a freelance content writer. It was both a struggle and an eye-opening experience. Finding it difficult to land a job in a country where I didn't speak the language cemented my decision to write for a living. I'd always had an innate talent for "making things sound good" where others sometimes struggled. I bit the bullet and worked to build a portfolio working for entrepreneurs, small businesses and marketing agencies.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, I moved back to the UK and, within a week, landed an interview for a copywriter position at Barclays. It was a dream role at the time and I'm still so grateful for everything I learned there, not least of which from being part of a 15+ strong copywriting team.
After almost 2 years there, I decided that I wanted to take on more responsibility and seniority and was ready to build my own team. I stumbled across a role at a new company, Tide, which piqued my interest. They were looking for someone who had experience of a traditional bank to set up a new copy team in their Member Engagement Marketing division – this is one half of our marketing team at Tide, and covers those of us who market to our existing customers (we call them "members").
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
When I graduated from York, my plans were fairly set on working within the Publishing industry. I knew that this would be difficult as it's a highly competitive industry, but I succeeded and got a job as an account executive at a large magazine publishing and distribution company. After a few years, I realised that this wasn't the right fit for me after all – and my goals changed. I'd always dreamed of a career as a writer, but my lack of experience and portfolio held me back. This wasn't a good reason! Like I said above, it was whilst living abroad that I started working as a freelance writer for small businesses and my career has blossomed naturally from there. Never give up!
Describe your most memorable day at work
Working for a former start-up, no day is the same – which means they can often be memorable! However, some of my most memorable days have been working on our Women in Business campaign, where we conduct studies and provide resources to help more female founders start their own businesses.
The Senior VP of my division is the public voice of this campaign, so it's been brilliant to work more closely with her. One of the articles I edited for her as part of this initiative was included in the Government's "Get Britain Growing" policy paper and launched at the House of Commons, so that's a personal career highlight.
I also wrote a series of email communications that helped us get nominated for two awards at the British Bank Awards in 2022 – so I can't not mention that!
Are there any challenges associated with your job?
When I joined Tide in 2021, my "team" as it is now didn't exist. Over the years, I've implemented processes and structure that help my team perform at their best – from making a clear, no-nonsense briefing process to adding a quality control stage so that we can check everything before stakeholders send it out
This has sometimes meant asking for more detail and time than stakeholders would like to give! But, as all copywriters know, the best content begins with a solid brief. It's also been a bit of a learning curve for those stakeholders who were used to the old way of doing things, when Tide was in its early years.
On the whole, my stakeholders are superstars and we have a great working relationship. But there's always more pressure as the Copywriting Manager to keep things running smoothly. And, recently, I've broadened my scope to look at making things more efficient for other content teams at the business, too.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
At York, I was fairly active in the York Students in Schools scheme. I completed a placement at a primary school and worked as a Student Manager, helping other students who were undertaking placements. It was through this scheme that I developed my social skills: collaborating with others and communicating effectively, as well as building good working relationships and friendships.
As a Student Manager, I was able to share my experience and knowledge with other students, which is something I've tried to do throughout my life. I also took part in the York Award: the interview portion of which was very helpful for life post-graduation!
What would you like to do next with your career?
I hope to always be writing for a living, and I think I can say fairly confidently that I will be. I'm in a career that I love and though it hasn't always been an easy road getting to this point, I'm exactly where I want to be.
I'm also really enjoying taking on managerial duties – I'm currently 3 years in. While it can be a challenge at times, it's totally worth it when you see one of your team members achieve their goals or put something you've taught them into practice.
I have dreams of one day becoming a Head of Copy or Creative Director, but equally I'd still be happy staying as big fish in a small pool as a senior writer.
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
People often say it's important to gain basic "office experience" once you graduate, and the company or industry doesn’t matter. I think you should absolutely still apply for your dream role! It's never too early to start – and businesses will often admire your enthusiasm and ambition.
Most importantly, be open to new career opportunities in all forms. Even if you have a clear plan of the route you want to take, don't be afraid to try something else that either sounds good or has been recommended to you. Your mindset could be totally different in five years or five months from now - trust me! - so don't box yourself in.
I'd also like to direct this response at those of you who want to have a career in writing, but feel that you lack experience or a big portfolio of published writing. If you have those things, that's great! But you shouldn't be disheartened if you don't. I certainly didn't when I graduated. We're very fortunate to live in a world where, thanks to the internet, we can have our voices heard, even if that's via the medium of a personal blog! Don't be afraid to list these things on your CV.
You can also start to dip your toe in the writing world via freelancing, either alongside your studies or afterwards. You'll be surprised how quickly you'll build up clients and new skills. Put yourself out there: ask local businesses if they need help with their marketing or social media. Remember, good writing is an incredibly valuable commodity.
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
I'd be happy to answer questions on working as a copywriter and how to get started in the industry.
Next steps...
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