Client Case Study: 91 Magazine

Issues of 91 Magazine

Caroline Rowlands, 91 Magazine Editor

91 Magazine cover

“Georgina inspired me from our very first chat. She’s someone who clearly understands small independent businesses and how to communicate effectively with your customer base. We have built a great working relationship, and I know we will continue working together collaboratively in the future.”

- Caroline, Editor of 91 Magazine

Services provided:

• Digital Marketing - DIVERSIFY MARKETING, DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY

• NEWSLETTER DEVELOPMENT - ANALYSIS & STRATEGY, FEATURE IDEAS, SEQUENCE CREATION

I’ve had a long love affair with print magazines. As a teenager, I would spend all my pocket money on glossy magazines, gazing at the fashion pages of Elle, thrilled by the glamour and drama of the designer clothes and make-up.

Curling up with a beautifully produced and inspiring magazine is still something I relish. So it was such a delight when I connected with Caroline Rowlands, the editor of 91 Magazine. I’d been a reader for several years, and admired Caroline for daring to take on the publishing industry, creating the magazine she wanted to read, and turning it into a popular and valued title. 

I hired Georgina to help me with my email marketing after we'd had an informal chat about the benefits of good email marketing and I realised I had a lot of room for improvement. I really looked forward to our calls and always felt excited about what Georgina suggested.

- Caroline, 91 Magazine Editor

Caroline and I were in touch for a while before actually working together. That initial call turned into several conversations; beginning with marketing and strategy, but soon covering everything from our shared love of design, architecture and interiors, to the highs and lows of running small businesses, and the future of the print industry. 

Caroline is a true champion of independent businesses and creatives. She’s passionate about supporting brands that really care about what they do, and the community they serve. She started the magazine as a passion project, and it’s gone on to be more successful than she ever dared to dream. But after 10 years, Caroline wanted to refresh the business strategy and marketing and rediscover her love for the magazine.

She hired me to help her refine and maximise the potential of the newsletter and develop an effective email strategy. Together we created a distinctive style focusing on the purpose of each email and how it can work to drive sales, we also developed a series of sequences to target specific groups of subscribers personalising brand content for them.

“I am feeling refreshed and energised. It is so helpful to get the perspective of someone outside of your business. It's still early days, but I can already see an improvement in the open rates of my emails, and the engagement is also better, so I'm feeling confident that there will be continued progression as time goes on. ”

- Caroline, 91 Magazine Editor

Working with Caroline has been a pleasure. She’s taken our ideas and executed them brilliantly, with the same care and passion that she gives to every issue of 91. I’ve loved helping her and 91 to grow and thrive and to know that in turn, it’s helping support the thousands of independent small businesses featured and mentioned in the magazines and blogs.

You can find out more about my services here.

Please complete the enquiry form to receive my client pack with full details of my packages, prices & how I can help you with the next chapter of your story.

Client Case Study: Barton Croft

‘The story of Barton Croft begins with a ball of clay. Flying off the pottery wheel. A look of despair at the grey mark it left on the wall before it slid sadly to the floor. I had no idea what I was doing, but even before I’d made my first pot, I knew I was in love.’

The moment Laurena, the founder of the pottery business Barton Croft, described that flying ball of clay, I knew we had the beginnings of a beautiful story; a tale of discovery, and a love of making.

“The story represents everything I wanted but couldn’t find the words to say myself. I couldn’t be happier, thank you!” - Laurena, Barton Croft

Services provided:

• Brand Storytelling & Copywriting - A refreshed brand story for a growing pottery business.

‘Swapping stories and laughter, while passing around generous plates, overflowing with favourite recipes.

Fresh coffee in a tactile mug, sipped in a quiet corner of the garden, to catch the early morning sun.

Or a simple bowl of soup that rests perfectly in your hand.

Barton Croft pottery is made with care, for life.’

I love it when a project and client challenges me. It always leads to the best outcome. The brief for Barton Croft was to create a story to bring the existing brand to life, capturing their ongoing success, but without losing the importance of the handmade tactile qualities that make each piece special. Laurena had already commissioned a new brand design by the super talented Joyce Of All Trades and needed to find the words to communicate the beautiful visuals.

“I love what you’ve done, it’s beautifully written. You’ve captured the essence of Barton Croft perfectly. The business is very personal and it felt a big thing for me, but I’m so impressed and couldn’t be happier.” - Laurena, Founder of Barton Croft

There is always a little more pressure to create something for an established brand. It’s a delicate balance to keep the core values and tone that have made the existing brand successful, while still allowing the story to evolve as the brand grows.

The creative process, is exactly that, a process. The first draft I wrote focused on a beautiful patch of land from Laurena’s childhood. A place where her extended family would gather every summer, by the river, where they would play, talk and eat in the shade of an old oak tree. Those shared meals, where everyone came together inspired Laurena’s love of cookery and in time lead to her creating pottery and tableware as the setting for sharing food, stories, laughter and love. The field that inspired it all was called Barton Croft.

It was a compelling story, one that really captured my imagination, reminding me of my own childhood days. But it wasn’t quite right, while it told of the inspiration for the brand it was only one chapter and didn’t capture enough of what Barton Croft has become.

Laurena and I talked it through and I asked her more about her love of pottery. Lauren shared her passion, for the feeling of clay on her hands, the idea of creating something beautiful and functional from mud, and then, Laurena described the first time she ever tried to make a pot, and the frustration of seeing that lump of clay fly off the wheel. It was one of those little moments of magic I’m always trying to find, a beautiful detail that suddenly brings everything to life. I immediately knew we had our story.

The best stories are so often rooted in truth, it’s what makes them personal, unique and memorable and elevates a brand into something truly distinctive and special.

“Thank you for all your hard work and effort. I really appreciate that you took the time to listen to my feedback, and really understood the change in direction and made sure the final story was exactly right.” - Laurena

You can find out more about my services here.

Please complete the enquiry form to receive my client pack with full details of my packages, prices & how I can help you with the next chapter of your story.

Client Case Study: Our Lovely Goods

“Oh Georgina, the story you’ve written for us is absolutely beautiful, my gosh I actually felt emotional reading it. You’ve captured us and our brand so perfectly and vividly. It’s just gorgeous. Thank you!”

- Ebi, Our Lovely Goods

Services provided:

• Brand storytelling - DeFINING THe BRAND STORY

• website copy - About Us Page

• TV advert script - Brand Story Used AS VOICE OVER

I knew early on that writing about Our Lovely Goods would be a love story. The founders of the homewares brand, Ebi and Emmanuel are a couple with two gorgeous girls. Their love for each other, for their shared Nigerian heritage and for family life, inspired them to start Our Lovely Goods, creating natural products that celebrate the feeling of home.

‘Home should be a place where you can be completely at ease. Somewhere to shut the door on stresses and pressure from the outside world, where it’s ok to wear pyjamas all day, eat cereal at the kitchen counter and call it dinner and dance to your favourite music, loudly, on repeat.’

I first spoke to Ebi and Emmanuel on a Zoom call during lockdown, Ebi was breastfeeding her newborn daughter while talking about their plans and ambitions. It perfectly captured the essence of their brand, a thriving business with family and home at its heart.

“We love what you’ve written so much. We’ve read it over and over again this weekend. The words create such a warm feeling which is exactly what we wanted.”

- Ebi, Our Lovely Goods

It was focusing on the simple details of everyday life that helped to capture their brand story. 

‘Making a home shouldn’t feel complicated, pressured or expensive. It’s about belonging, sharing, welcoming and laughing often. That’s the wonderful thing about home it’s never perfect. A chipped handmade mug for your daily coffee, a wrinkled linen napkin or a red wine stain on a worn wooden table, it’s the everyday details that bring a home to life.’

Ebi and Emmanual approach everything they do with passion and determination but most of all with a sense of fun. Our Lovely Goods is growing into a thriving brand, stocked in Anthropolgie and featured in Elle Decoration and 91 Magazine. They make things happen and they do it all with grace, charm, and humour. Every conversation we had it seemed they had a new idea or project and I’ve loved seeing them bring each one to life.

“Thank you so much for helping us write our story, it’s just so beautiful and you were so fantastic to work with.”

- Ebi, Our Lovely Goods

Photography: Brenda Rosete

You can find out more about my services here.

Please complete the enquiry form to receive my client pack with full details of my packages, prices & how I can help you with the next chapter of your story.