COPYWRITER IN LEICESTERSHIRE, WORKING WITH PERSONAL BRANDS IN THE UK, US & EUROPE
Hiya, I'm Hols
The personal brand strategist behind Just Custard Copy. Here to make your words feel like home.
Your creative writing partner is…
I nurtured a content team of five, covering SEO, email marketing, creative campaigns, and website writing. Page 1 rankings and boosting revenue on old offers by 213% (true story) were our jam.
The Ex Features Editor for NEXT Before Just Custard Copy, I was writing everything from product copy and editorials for NEXT Home – one of the UK's biggest household names – plus their partner brands.
An Award-winning Head of ContentSome of my faaave clients are other copywriters. These people know good writing when they see it, and come to me to infuse brand voice into their expert words for the ultimate client experience.
The copywriter for copywritersI brewed Just Custard for the voices of creative storytellers, the animal lovers, the what’s-around-that-corner adventurers, and the home enchanters.
Anyone who has something joyful to say.The big brands were fun. But nothing beats working with personal brands. My word, you lot are dedicated. I love getting to share experiences from working with these household names and getting into every nook and cranny of your content.
And like most of us who have started their own business, I needed an escape…
Success, to me, was running a department. Being the boss. So that's exactly what I did.
Starting out writing product descriptions for NEXT, working my way up to Menswear & Homeware Copy and Features Editor, then becoming the brand copywriter for a gaming company, where I introduced brand voice guidelines, creative campaigns, and scriptwriting from scratch.
I was promoted to Marketing Story Manager, and built a team of five people I was properly proud of. We were freakin' great at what we did. Boosting the company's SEO into page-one rankings, and breathing new life into old offers with campaigns that lifted revenue by 213%. This was, hand on heart, my favourite job I've ever had.
Then I became Head of Copy & Content. And that's when things started to unravel…
I got asked to do the junior work on top of the high-level strategy. Deliver impossible results while nurturing a team of five. AI was introduced and as much as we tried to welcome it, it became obvious that the goal wasn't for it to be a tool. It was to be a replacement.
My inner people-pleaser did a number on me. 3 am wake-ups. Bursting into tears mid-afternoon for no good reason. Until, finally, I rang the doctor’s, "I don't know why I'm calling, but I feel like I'm going insane."
I didn't get pills. I got a little time off. A few days into resting, I got to thinking. Maybe running someone else's department was never the dream.
Working for myself… yeah, that’s got a nice ring to it. So I invested the £5k in my savings into a copywriting business coach, and it's the best money I've ever spent.
When I got stuck on what to call the business, she gave me one piece of advice: pick something that makes you smile.
And that's how Just Custard Copy was brewed.
WHAT I BELIEVE IS MISSING FROM CONTENT
A conversation is the difference between feeling lost for words and loving your brand
Your personal brand identity isn't something you have to invent. It’s there waiting to be unearthed in your memories, in the ordinary stories you might dismiss as boring.
At The Custard Content Cottage, here’s how we do things…
There is a mutual respect in kindness, a willingness to move forward toward a shared goal. There’s simply no need for it.
In kindYour KPI is a calm nervous system. A camera roll of memories rather than content screenshots. Consistent sales. I want this work to benefit you way beyond the project start date.
Now and thereafterExplore avenues you didn’t think of. Brave enough to detach yourself from what everyone else is doing and find your own path.
Mind wanderingNothing is forced. It takes greater effort to pretend to be someone you’re not. So, from the get-go, we only embrace what comes naturally to you and your business. Everything else can wait.
Only naturalAppreciation of what we do. It’s not just words. We’re talking trust, psychology, connection. We’ve spent years honing our crafts. Dismissing that just because some new tech is out? *sigh*.
The art of the craftAllow yourself the simple joys, knowing that your website is working overtime while you’re sat on a rainy day huddled with a bloody good book.
Everyday romanceWHERE YOU’LL FIND ME
When I’m not brewing brand voice
Ask anyone who knows me… I'm happiest meandering the fields with the hound. Appa, gets first dibs on my mornings. After that, it's a brew, a book, or a wander somewhere memory-riddled (New Walk Museum, I love you).
I'm naturally an introvert who had to learn to be an extrovert… Which, funnily enough, is what makes me good at drawing your words out of you. I notice things.
I love to ask the questions that invite conversations that tell me a little bit more about you.
And I've got a soft spot for a well-told story, whether that's yours or Pride & Prejudice* for the hundredth time.
*The Keira Knightly version, obvs.
IN THEIR KIND WORDS
Why business owners choose Just Custard Copy
"You've managed to pull out some absolute gems from my ramblings!"
Before we worked together, Rebecca had months of overwhelm and content that never left her Google Drive. Now she's fully booked and thriving.
"I feel clear on my brand's direction now, and I know that no one else in my industry has the same theme."
Rebecca | The Peak Edit“My husband looked through it too, and he isn't a fan of chatty websites, and even he thought it sounded great and would help me stand out!
Iona had been looking to other jewellers for inspiration. But her offer and experience is so unqiue she needed brand voice and a website content to match.
“Gobsmacked... the website copy read so well and as I was reading it really made me want to buy from me.”
Iona | Iona Buxton Jewellery “She’s excellent at absorbing a brief and running with the brand voice — so much so that it often becomes even stronger than the client’s initial brand voice development”
Zoe has built an incredible business. And with success, the plates get harder to spin. Zo infused me into her process so she could carry on building her business without compromising client experience or her sanity!
The way she carefully wove in subtle copy edits to bring out their very distinct brand voice (think Jane Austen vibes) was truly wonderful. The client loved it!”
Zoe | Zo ConnectedThe brand you hear in your mind, is so close to becoming a reality
Whether you need a full personal brand strategy or just the words to match the business you've already built, I'm properly buzzing to help.