Copywriting, proofreading & editing

Every time you commit words to a page, you are creating a marketing document. 

That’s obviously true when you’re writing specifically to attract business, for example with a website or a press release.

But it’s also true for writing you may not think of as marketing per se. Maybe you’re writing to a client to clarify a problem… announcing a new pricing policy… asking for cooperation… apologizing for a misunderstanding….  or even just sending an invoice.

These are also marketing documents.  Why?  Because your written communication always positions you, somehow, in the hearts and minds of your readers.

In fact it functions on two levels at once:  On the surface it aims of course to provide the readers with information… But it may also aim to keep them interested… to persuade… motivate… convince them to take action. 

Clearly, what you have to say is important if you want to achieve these goals, but equally important is how you say it.  Because your readers are not only reading. They are also judging you. So below the informative “surface” of your message, the style of your communication is playing a vital role, too. 

By “style” I mean your tone of voice, the degree of formality you choose, whether the writing seems dynamic or static, active or passive, and even the emotional distance you seem to create between yourself and your readers. All of these intangibles affect how they see you, what they think of you, and how they will respond.

So even if the content has nothing to with the usual objectives of marketing – e.g. getting new business – its style reinforces your image, your brand promise, and how you position yourself in your market… and can hugely influence how receptive your readers are to your message.  

Style is the hidden persuader.

Can your copywriter accomplish this?  I can.

My name is Woody Wade.  I’m US-born and educated but have lived and worked in Switzerland since the 1980s.  I have a bachelor’s degree in European history and German, followed by an MBA from Harvard Business School, and since coming to Switzerland I’ve held senior marketing positions in several leading organizations.   

This background is important to you: it means I understand what makes a business tick and how to market services and products — and I will be able to call upon this know-how when I write for you. At various points in my career, I have been a Product Manager in a large multinational and the Marketing Director in an institution with a worldwide reputation as the Rolls-Royce in its field. I was a member of the Executive Board of the World Economic Forum and the founder and editor-in-chief of a publishing company focused on the global hotel business. In all these jobs I created thousands of pages of brochures and flyers, direct mail copy, client correspondence, magazine articles, advertising copy, website pages, press releases, high-profile speeches — you name it. 

But my writing experience goes beyond the practical tools of business. I have also written four books: two in the humor genre, and two business books, one of which was commissioned and published by Wiley, the biggest publisher of business books in the USA. It is still a worldwide reference on its subject, scenario planning.

Your clients have high standards. Mine do, too.

As an independent copywriter, I’ve created marketing communication for clients from many different parts of the economy, from the Zurich-based institution that Bilanz ranked “Best Private Bank in Switzerland” three years in a row — a client of mine for more than 20 years — to the 5-star hotel group whose flagship property has been chosen as the site of the World Economic Forum in May 2021 — a client since 2010.

Private banks and luxury hotels have a lot in common: their clients are very demanding. They expect perfection. If you have clients like this, you need to continuously nurture their confidence in you, in every written document they will see — whether it’s a web page explaining the benefits of your portfolio management philosophy, or a glossy brochure describing the once-in-a-lifetime atmosphere you’ll create for their daughter’s wedding banquet. They need to trust you. The language you use to communicate with them is of the utmost importance.

Besides my work in these two industry sectors, I’ve written and edited content for many kinds of organizations, in many types of media:

• As the editor of The Hotel Yearbook, an annual publication I launched back in 2007, about 800 editorial submissions were sent to me from industry executives and consultants over a span of 12 years — and I edited every single one. In their raw form, the articles I received ranged from near-perfect to near-disaster. But each year, I went to work on these 70 or 80 submissions, and they all ended up in the publication, reading well and looking great — and greatly pleasing their authors.

• Likewise, I recently was asked to proofread and “lightly edit” the manuscript of a 100-page book being produced by Switzerland’s largest private family office. It was interesting and informative, but needed some work restructuring the text and harmonizing the style. A few days later, the foundation had a beautiful promotional tool, clearly and persuasively telling the world about its history, mission and successful activities across the globe.

• I even edited a long, complex PhD thesis that had been written and assembled by an aspiring doctoral candidate over a span of two or three years. Produced in several chunks that were written several months apart, the raw document was disjointed, repetitive — and therefore unable to present its analysis and arguments coherently. Imagine how much was riding on that: a career, a future, in many ways a whole life. The final edited version was a success. One very happy customer!

My clients consider me more than just a writer for hire. They count on me to transform their ideas into the clearest, ms elegant English for the given situation, and to advise them why, where, and how I propose making changes.  To them, I am not merely a service provider but a real partner who thinks on their behalf, too.

Why not benefit yourself from my talent, judgment and experience?

Am I expensive?

Not exorbitantly, no. I’m definitely a lot less expensive than publishing something in language that — sorry to say — makes your clients think less of you.

You have important things to communicate. I can help you do that clearly.

Your image matters. I will reinforce it.

And your customers have high expectations of you. Don’t let them down!

In general I don’t charge by the hour, as you’re not paying for my time but my expertise. So prices for copywriting or proofreading/editing can vary depending on the assignment.  Contact me and we’ll work out a mutually acceptable arrangement.

Interested in having me work for you?  

Let’s talk.  Please phone me at +41 (0)79 359 8102, e-mail me at wade@11changes.com, or fill out the form below. I’d be happy to discuss your project and give you a quote, without any obligation on your part.