Hello and welcome

Sarah here, brand voice copywriter and professional editor.

When people rekindle their reason for being in business because their words are crafted with care, insight, and intent, my heart soars.

The digital doors to Polish & Punch ‘opened’ late in 2019 when a serendipitous encounter with another (successful) local copywriter brought to light a revelation: what I most wanted to focus on in marketing (and was mostly doing anyway) was the words.

In the years before that chance meeting, I had veered into marketing off the back of a successful sales career, completed three qualifications, and off I trotted into client, corporate, and agency world.

Never able to settle anywhere, I became frustrated by agency ruckus, open-plan offices, and the hustle culture of digital marketing. So I took my flair for words with a leap of faith into copywriting, despite the taunting ghouls in my head telling me I’d never make it.

Luckily I made that leap, because since I quashed the ghoulies and upped-the-ante on my writing and brand voice skills, I’m able to bring a rather useful mix of expertise and experience to writing for your business. It’s a harmonious combination that helps you define, align and position your brand among the oceans of ordinary others.

And it’s a damn handy blend that people in business now see is vital to strengthening their standing online.

Welcome to Polish & Punch.

Everything I do is specially crafted for you

Book a discovery call

How brand voice and copywriting became my thing

My love of branding started in my twenties when I began studies in graphic design. Even before that as a young girl I always loved styling calligraphic letters, handmaking gift cards, writing and styling promotional chalkboards, and I even designed a logo for a popular hairdresser in the high street which he used for many years on his salon frontage.

I dabbled in design, dressmaking, dancing, and other artistic pursuits until I came ‘home’ to writing. I was always the one put to task on the wording of things in the various job roles I had because of my knack for writing with relevance to each business’s needs.

Since then I’ve trained with the best there is and bring my love and knowledge of branding to every client project.

Process heralds strategy and creativity

The Polish & Punch methodology incorporates benchmark principles modelled from a lengthy history in sales and marketing, customer service, workplace training, consulting, 1:1 mentoring, and brand voice strategy.

Having learnt from top experts and educational institutions across the globe, I take my clients from confusion to clarity on how to be heard in a noisy market (and, as a side bonus, this often results in revitalising their reason for doing what they do).

A glimpse behind the copywriting curtains

Born in the ruggedly beautiful west of Australia, where the air is pure, the sun shines long and the ocean shimmers aquamarine, I’m a beachy-keen, nature-loving advocate for holistic health who greets every day before dawn. Yes, I’m that ridiculously chirpy person with zero qualms about starting my day in the promising blackness of early morn.

While I love to travel, I'm a sucker for creature comforts and relish time to unwind at home. I'm often found in the kitchen whipping up a healthy storm for family and friends, which I don't get many objections to! It satiates my spirit knowing my loved ones are being nourished while their taste buds dance with delight.

FAQ

The short (unpopular) answer is “it depends”—but hear me out.

I assume you’re here because you want professionally written copy, which to me indicates you have a business and brand you care about.

When a writer truly grasps the soul of a brand, what flows through in the copy has the capacity to sell to the people you most want to deal with AND alter the dynamics and culture of the business. It can be that powerful. If you don’t have a voice guide, we can talk about the elements you’ll need for that kind of shift to occur.

If you simply want to strengthen your existing copy without restructuring or too much concern for voice, then YES! I can, and I’ll need to see your copy first so we can agree on what needs to be done.

As much as I’d like to set clear costs for the guides, most businesses need a tailored quote because they've defined varying degrees of their brand elements. A 'light touch' guide starts at AUD $2000 as a starting point.

Or, you might like to consider a Voicefinder session. It's a great introduction to finding your brand voice, giving you enough detail to be useful in its early evolutionary stages.

For a standard 5-page site incorporating on-page SEO, it takes up to 4 weeks including our kick-off session, research, writing, and two revisions. It also depends on how far ahead I'm booked, so you might need to allow a couple of weeks' lead time for commencement.

For larger sites, it depends on:

How many pages you want written
Whether you’re investing in keywords and SEO
Whether I’m conducting ‘voice-of-the-customer’ (VOC) research with your clients
If some voice and tone work is needed prior

Only if you’re a business with heart, a mission, and a desire to do business with people who fuel your fire.

People want to deal with brands that feel right for them, and having a voice and personality that your ideal customers relate to is the key to letting them know you’re the ones to hire.

How you express your voice and personality will influence the kinds of people you serve, your workplace culture, and ultimately your ability to flourish.

Brand voice refers to all the components needed to create a holistic, consistent communication plan. It’s an extension of your personality, values, the language you use, your purpose, messaging, and your particular take on things (among other elements depending on how much detail you want your voice to have).

Tone of voice is in the ‘how’ you say things, your attitude, how it differs from channel to channel or situation, whether your cadence is slow or fast, how you might adapt your tone for different messaging, and to which audience.

There’s a lot more to both that you won’t find on a Google search (or ChatGPT), and if you’d like me to expand more on brand voice in general, schedule a 15-minute discovery call with me, I'm always happy to help or point you in the right direction.

Structural edits

Involves analysing and reworking your copy's overall flow and placement so it’s impactful and relevant to your audience.

Line edits

Ensures consistency in voice and tone while reviewing sentence structure and readability. I’ll cut any surplus waffle and add muscle where it’s due. 💪🏼

Copy edits

Includes tidying any punctuation, grammar, spelling, and formatting oversights to a polished and publishable standard.

*Any combination of these may be required and proofreading is included in all.

Voice archetypes give a brand’s voice subliminal reference to common or typical human qualities. The psychology of archetypes is steeped in age-old mythological history, and they anchor your voice in a way that the audiences you want to engage will connect with. This occurs as a subconscious inkling or feeling of familiarity, and if that feeling resonates, they’ll more likely trust you and be open to what you have to offer.

In a Voicefinder session, your primary archetype becomes apparent, and after the session, I continue with some analysis to clarify it further. An overview is included in your post-session summary.

Absolutely. I’ll ask to see your existing brand work first, and, whether you've defined these elements or not, we’ll talk about them in the session. All the parts overlap and influence your voice—tones, archetypes, personality, values.

As you go through the process you’ll be hit with insights and realisations that only build upon what’s already there. The additional nuances that arise during the process can be delightfully surprising.