My Unfair Advantage?
In a sea of generalist copywriters, I focus on SaaS and have the background to back it up
The short version for the busy professional:
- I got started at an early age — I wrote my first successful piece of copy at age 11 (it’s a funny story).
- My academic background positioned me perfectly — My undergraduate and graduate degrees focused on human psychology, persuasion, and digital business.
- I’m no stranger to data and analytics — I grew up in science labs swimming in data. I insist that my copy is tested and measured.
- I know your market, customers, and competitors — I managed marketing and wrote copy for a VC funded B2B SaaS company. I have spent thousands of hours reading, thinking, and talking about SaaS.
- I write copy for clients like you — I’ve written website copy, landing pages, and email campaigns for SaaS companies like HubSpot, AWeber, InsightSquared, Customer.io, Snappa, Deputy, HelloBar, and many more.
- You can find me in Waterloo Ontario, Canada — aka the “Silicon Valley of the North”… in an igloo of course.
Tell me about your business and copy problems.
I got an early start in this copywriting business. I was an 11-year old boy who wanted a particular Christmas gift…
I had the Sears Christmas Wishbook on my lap. In previous years, I used an elaborate 5-star rating system to prioritize my wishlist. But this year was different, there was only one thing on my list, a Nintendo 64.
My Mom recognized my unusual level of motivation as an opportunity to teach me the power of using the written word to sway people. As my first client, she asked that I write a persuasive essay to communicate the benefits of my receiving this most coveted gift.
Long story short, I submitted my copy on an 8.5 x 11 piece of lined paper before the deadline and received payment in full on December 25th.
I took this success and ran with it. I used my words to help friends get the girl. To get into classes, labs, and jobs I had no business in. And to meet interesting people.
Fast forward 10 years — I learned how to use the written word to sway decision makers…
I studied psychology at university. While my classmates were jazzed about clinical psych, I perked up for lectures on persuasion and decision making.
I wanted to understand what made people tick, why they made the decisions they did, and how I could use language to shape those decisions. I knew that I could take this academic insight and use it to push forward companies, products, and causes I believed in. I could help people make better decisions while doing what I enjoyed.
I then went on to complete my Master of Digital Experience Innovation degree. This industry-focused whirlwind of a professional program taught me how to apply everything I had learned to the digital world.
Unlike most copywriters, your data-driven approach to business doesn’t faze me…
For years, my home was one of four science labs swimming in data. This included labs that did physiological research on astronauts and one that experimented with brain-computer interfaces to help those with degenerative diseases interact with their world.
Today, when I work with clients, I insist that everything I write is measured and tested. I want to swim in your analytics. Analytics software, heat maps, click trackers, user testing, you name it… I can use that data to write better copy.
Because for me, copywriting is more than writing shiny words and sending invoices. Conversion copywriting is a data-driven and structured process. It’s a process that uncovers what is and isn’t working while propelling you towards your business goals.
I ate, slept, and breathed B2B tech in a VC-funded SaaS company. So, your technology won’t leave me wide-eyed and tongue-tied…
Before jumping ship to write MRR-boosting copy for SaaS companies, I managed marketing and wrote copy for a B2B SaaS company as one of its first employees. What an adventure!
In addition to the ordinary marketing responsibilities, I experienced the difficulty of writing copy for technology that I helped create. It was one of the only times in my life that I was consistently unhappy with what I produced. This was when I realized that other companies must also struggle to write copy for a product they know and love so much.
I was with this startup when we graduated from one of Canada’s most prestigious tech incubators, Velocity Garage. I then spent 10 weeks hustling in NYC while going through AngelPad, the top-rated startup accelerator (Forbes, 2015). I left shortly after the company raised its first VC round to start Sway Copy.
Today, I happily craft copy for SaaS companies from my home in Waterloo Ontario, Canada…
I spend my days at my sit-stand desk, bashing my mechanical keyboard until it spits out compelling copy for my clients. Clients that include SaaS companies like HubSpot, AWeber, InsightSquared, Customer.io, Snappa, HelloBar and many more. I specialize in writing copy that makes it easy for
buyers to understand the value of sophisticated technology and why they need to buy it.
When I manage to pry myself away from my desk, you can find me curled up with a book (sci-fi and non-fiction), watching a movie (any movie), or lifting heavy things — my beautiful and insanely talented wife never far away.