Erin Lancione
Q What do you do?
“I’m freelance senior copywriter and verbal identity and messaging expert who writes for startups, agencies, and consumer brands.”
I do a little bit of everything—ed cal planning; integrated campaigns that span email, social, growth, web, and display ads; product packaging and PDPs; lifecycle communications; brand manifestos, core messaging, and voice and tone guides; video and OOH; feature articles and other long-form content. Sometimes companies bring me on for a specific project; other times, I work as an embedded part of their creative team. Drop me into the C-Suite and I’ll make a good impression—I’ve both ghostwritten for and collaborated with startup CEOs on brand voice projects.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
If you charted out my path to becoming a copywriter, the first half would look a lot like one of those old dotted-line Family Circus comics meandering and with plenty of side quests—and the second half would look more like a steady hill climb. The short version: right out of college, I worked at Ogilvy PR in DC, then took a job doing tradeshow marketing for a government contractor (absolutely terrible, do not recommend), ran a boutique website design firm with two friends from college, and took several years off to care for my kids while we lived in Brussels and Doha for my husband’s career. By that point, my oldest had started preschool and I was itching to get back into work. When Jeff’s boss at Ogilvy asked if I’d consider freelancing as a copywriter, I jumped at the chance. Writing had always been my favorite part of any job—getting paid specifically to do that felt like a dream. For the past ten years, I’ve freelanced for agencies and worked directly with entrepreneurs, big consumer brands, and startups, and I still pinch myself that I do this for a living. Along the way, I’ve written for Microsoft, eero, L.O.L. Surprise!, GE Lighting, Google, Cisco, and Vacasa, and done email marketing for Starbucks.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
My writing is playful and smart. I’m also intentional about bringing brand voice and a human touch wherever there are words along the customer journey, even places you might not ordinarily find it (like shipping materials, confirmation emails, chatbots, and 404 messages). These are the things that go a long way towards making brands stickier, more cohesive, and just generally obsessable. If you have a startup or growth brand that needs to firm up its voice and tone and core messaging, I’m a great value—you get agency experience without the agency price tag.
Q What are you working on right now?
I’ve been embedded in the in-house creative team of a Palo Alto wellness startup for the past 2.5 years, but I’m always looking for projects on the side to keep things interesting.
Q What’s your style?
My work is playful, joyful, inclusive, and human. I want it to be evident that there are real people behind every brand I work with, not just faceless companies. My goal is for customers to feel a frisson of recognition, surprise, or pleasure anytime they interact with my clients’ brands. This is a through-line of my work for Bewilderment and Yohana.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
I’d love to do more video (like brand videos, brand activations, commercials), OOH, and product packaging. It’d be fun to work with more CPG or beauty brands, too.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Business development—it’s always hard to find new projects and serve current clients at the same time. Especially so after last year’s layoffs, since it feels like everyone’s competing for the same small pool of projects.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Dream scenario? I’d love somebody to help me apply for freelance gigs and cold email brands I’d like to work with.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I’d tell college me that caffeine isn’t a substitute for sleep and that life feels easier when you’re well-rested.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
I really enjoy hearing from authors and more senior creatives about their creative process.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I love helping companies with core messaging, voice and tone, and brand manifestos. Always down to help a company revamp their website (or write it from scratch). Open to longer engagements with clients who need ongoing copy support. I’d love to take on more brand campaigns, packaging, and video work, too.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
One of my all-time favorite clients to work with is Bewilderment, a D2C body care and home fragrance brand based in Ohio. The owner, Brandon, is both prolific and wildly creative, and collaborating with him always feels like play.
Q What is your rate?
For agencies and companies that need ongoing support, I’m available to work on an hourly or retainer basis. Website copy starts at $10,000 for a five-page site. My messaging and voice and tone packages start at $12,000. If you need something else, I’m happy to discuss bespoke projects, too. And I’m willing to discuss a discounted rate for projects that would add new dimension to my portfolio (like product packaging, CPG, short films, or brand videos).
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Drop me a line through my website (and take a lil’ look around first to get a feel for my other work).
Q Who is a creative you admire?
All-around awesome creative person and small business coach:
Brandon Love, Lindsay Carreon and Darrah MacLean are awesome copywriters who I had the privilege of working with at Yohana. Oliver Carreon is just stupid talented. Hire him for your next rebrand. Vicky Montero is an ace Creative Director. Madi Barbier is a delight to collaborate with on design projects big and small. Kelsey Sutherland is not only a talented designer, her video editing skills are so clutch that she can make any influencer or expert sound like a genius, no matter how much they ramble or use filler words.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Read lots, get out in nature, be inspired by my ridiculous kids.
This member profile was originally published in May 2024.