Back in 2000 we were in senior marketing jobs, and in need of people to write our brochures and websites.
We had a problem, though: finding copywriters who could tell the difference between a feature and a benefit. People who could create the sort of sales and marketing copy that makes customers sit up and take notice.
So, as we were writers by trade as well as marketers, we felt there was a future in business copywriting.
Twenty-one years on, we work with clients who share our belief in the value of the written word. Our writers have a wide range of experience but one thing in common: the ability to create compelling copy that builds your brand and sells your stuff.
Writers
Paul Waddington
Plain Text co-founder Paul followed a 10-year career at Reuters with a stint as marketing communications director for FT.com. He was responsible for award-winning campaigns at both organisations. Today, he writes for clients from multinationals to startups. Paul holds a BA (Hons) in French from the University of Liverpool and he has written three books, including Seasonal Food. He is a keen outdoor enthusiast and a certified UK mountain leader.
Norman Ireland
Norman worked for many years in financial technology, at Datastream International, Reuters and finally at SunGard UK, where he was managing director. He has worked with Plain Text since the end of 2003. Norman holds a BA in Economics (Hons) from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. His interests include yoga, motorcycling and food and he aspires to make perfect sourdough bread.
Paul Nero
Paul worked in advertising and PR at the BBC, Visa International, ITV and FT.com before co-founding Plain Text in 2001. He started his career in local newspapers and radio, having gained a degree in Theatre Arts and Social Sciences. He also has an MBA from Bristol Business School. Paul is chairman of independent local radio station Radio Exe and has written books including Creative Business (FT/Prentice Hall, 2003).
Jilly Luke
Jilly is a talented copywriter who worked on Cambridge University’s Varsity magazine, the Huffington Post and at the BBC before joining advertising agency McCann Enterprise. She now combines freelance copy work with her English PhD studies at the University of Edinburgh.
Paul Connolly
Paul was a magazine editor at The Times before becoming the newspaper’s senior celebrity interviewer. He has since helped launch two newspapers in the UK and Ireland and was most recently TV Critic for the Daily Mail. He still contributes to The Times, Daily Mail, The Guardian and Daily Telegraph.
Paul Roberts
Paul has over fifteen years’ copywriting experience in both public and private sectors. A former in-house editor at the UK’s Central Office of Information, he typically focuses on long copy projects such as annual reports, guidance and white papers. Other recent projects include working with lawyers to simplify tenancy contracts and a range of case studies for tech companies. When not at his desk (and sometimes when he’s there), he’s busy plotting the downfall of rival village cricket teams.