About Rowan Martin, freelance copywriter in Leeds, Yorkshire

Hey / Howdy / Hola / How ya doin’?

It’s always awkward to kick off a paragraph, ain’t it, even if you’re Rowan Martin, a freelance copywriter, and general, all-round copywriting genius of more decades than you’d care to admit.

What?

That’s me?

Ah, well then, this should be easy.

Words have been my preoccupation since conception (according to my mother, an unreliable source at best, my first word was a whole sentence, I learned to read at the age of 2, and could recite large passages of the much-loved classic novel, ‘Black Beauty’, from memory at the age of 3 – which went down a storm at parties).

I now combine a lifetime of passion for words, and their awesome capabilities, with almost two decades as a professional writer. This includes experience writing for my own clients as a freelance copywriter, and as a journalist writing for some of the UK’s biggest, and best loved publications.

I’ve explored the joy of storytelling, and the techniques involved in doing it well, with a BA in Drama at the University of Manchester, and an MA in Writing for Performance, at the University of Leeds.

I’ve also read more books than ten ‘normal’ people (smoke came off my library card through overuse, when I was a whippersnapper), and can spin yarns like a spider to engage (ensnare) your audience, and help them fall in love with your brand.

These days, I work on a freelance basis with copywriting clients across the UK. But I haven’t always been a copywriter, however. I’ve been on a more epic journey than Odysseus (did I mention my obsession with Greek mythology) to get to this point.

From skilled writer to freelance copywriter

Before striking out as a Leeds-based freelance copywriting sensation, I worked in communications roles for several national charities.

In each job, a mountain of copywriting was needed every day. But not one of these charities had hired a professional copywriter – when these words needed someone dedicated to giving them the attention they deserved.

I found this nuttier than squirrel poo.

And ,so, I found myself becoming the copywriter – writing web copy, press releases, case studies, leaflets, posters, funding bids, adverts, emails, letters and more. Words to inform, explain and educate. Words to persuade, engage and inspire.

Good copywriting can turn casual browsers into loyal customers. Words elicit trust and build reputations. Words demand attention and command action. Words are powerful and precious.

‘I have a dream…’
‘One small step for man….’
‘We shall fight them on the beaches…’

I rest my case.

In the wrong hands, however, words have a habit of misbehaving – make a simple spelling mistake, over complicate an explanation, or strike the wrong tone of voice with the wrong audience and you can quickly destroy the trust you’re working so hard to build.

Belligerent little buggers, those words.

In every role I inhabited, I quickly became the ‘go to’ person for copywriting – even before I became a copywriter.

Until one day, my boss said…

“Hey, Rowan! If you worked as a freelance copywriter, you could make shit loads of money writing cool stuff all day for loads of really interesting clients instead of getting bossed about by us lot for peanuts.”

So here we are.

Need a freelance copywriter for your business?

I’m based in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, often described as the Notting Hill of the North (this just means we have expensive coffee shops and lots of hipsters) but work with businesses across Manchester, Sheffield, the UK,  and indeed the world.

Psst… Wanna get to know me better?

Read my recommendations on LinkedIn . I’m also a member of the Alliance of Commercial Writers, UK.