A day in the life of…Becky, Content Strategist and Senior Copywriter at Torpedo

Content Strategist and Senior Copywriter Becky spills the beans on her varied role and messy Miro boards…

What’s your role at Torpedo, and how long have you been here?

I’ve been at Torpedo for over four years now. In that time, I’m pleased to say my role has evolved with my skillset. I joined as a copywriter and now my title is ‘Content Strategist and Senior Copywriter’. My job is a hybrid role which spans the Strategy and Creative teams. 

What exactly does your role entail? Can you run us through what you might get up to  today, for example?

My role definitely keeps me busy and I work on such an eclectic mix of projects. I love working on the business-as-usual copy jobs, like writing blogs for Booking.com’s Partner Hub. But equally, I really savour the challenge of establishing the right positioning and go-to-market strategy for innovative tech products. The recent launch of Autodesk Workshop XR is a great example of this. For this project, I was involved before the product was even finalised – working collaboratively with the Autodesk team to develop a compelling value proposition for an AEC target audience. I shaped the brand narrative and defined a messaging matrix which then informed the website content. The beauty of my hybrid role is I can see a project right through to ‘go live’. For this particular project, I developed the content strategy and the final website copy. Of course, this isn’t always possible but when a product has so many details to get right, it certainly helps to be involved at every step.  

Naturally, there are all sorts of other projects in the pipeline that I can’t talk about in any great detail yet, but I can say that today I’ve split my time between LinkedIn (‘the B2B Google’), Miro, Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint. I’ve been conducting some competitor research for a social media strategy proposal. This has involved getting my head into a specialist sector and niche subject to identify key content themes. I’ve looked at engagement levels and reviewed the types of content that are being shared. And of course, I’ve also been writing this blog!  

What tools, resources or people do you depend on to get your job done?

Microsoft Word and Google Docs are my staples. But I do love to hang out in a messy Miro board too. I use these to pull together my research and initial thoughts on a brief. Then I try to find some order by creating messaging frameworks and content plans. As AI becomes more established and effective, I’ve also started to explore how this can streamline my projects. So, sometimes I’ll head to ChatGPT for some thought starters on a topic, and I do like to get analytical with headlines at times, using HeadlineStudio to rate my WIPs.  

People-wise, most days I’ll be chatting to one or two of the designers or video editors about creative assets. I’ll be relying on Client Services to brief me in on new jobs and for general project support. To share learnings and keep up to date on what other projects that are going through the business, the Copy team also has a catchup at the end of every day.  

What do you love most about your job at Torpedo? – What’s the highlight of your day?

That one is simple. Firstly, the people. They’re friendly, supportive, and so easy to collaborate with. Secondly, the variety of projects. There’s never a dull day. I love hopping between briefs and that’s exactly what I do. In the morning, I could be offering actionable tips to accommodation providers about how to get their holiday rentals ‘guest-ready’. By the afternoon, I’m analysing job listing data to identify market trends – and shaping the narrative of a report based on my findings.  

And what do you find most challenging?

Having enough hours in the day to get everything done! 

Is there a particular project that you’re really proud of?

Yes! I’d say I’m proud of all the projects I work on for one reason or another. But there is one standout project from recent months. It has been many months in the making and has been a real team effort. The case study should be up on our website soon but, in short, it’s a series of e-learning courses for Booking.com Partners. I worked with four experts in sustainability to create video scripts, course slides, partner case studies, quizzes, and more. The outcome is four courses guiding accommodation providers towards more sustainable practices. Not only did we have a great working relationship with the clients, but I hope the project will lead to positive change – at a global scale. What more could I want from a project?! 

What did you see yourself doing when you were a kid? 

I don’t think I had a grand plan. Maybe a vet. Classic. But turns out there’s all sorts of training required to do that. Plus, I don’t think I’d have made it past my first fatality. So, probably for the best that I am where I am! 

If you weren’t a content strategist and senior copywriter, what do you think you’d be?

I’d like to think it wouldn’t be worlds apart from what I do. Something creative still. Something more active perhaps…? I reckon I’d most likely be a children’s author. I’m such a big kid. And obviously I love stringing sentences together. I actually already write picture books in my spare time. So, maybe one day… The other obvious choice would be working at an animal rescue centre as a dog trainer.  

What made you choose this career path? How did you get to where you are today?

I actually planned it more than most people who end up in this industry, I think. I decided early on that I wanted to create TV ads. It looked like fun. So, I chose Psychology, Art, English Language and ICT as my A-Levels and then went on to study Creative Advertising at university. I took the traditional Ad Creative route and partnered up with an Art Director. We started our career together in London, working at Leo Burnett, making TV ads. But as the world became more digital, so did my projects. And to avoid boring you with my whole life story, that’s the abridged version of my career in the advertising industry so far…  

When your OOO is on, what are you likely to be doing?

Most likely, you’ll find me by the sea – with my husband and dog. If I’ve got a glass of red wine or a cup of tea in hand, even better.

What’s your favourite memory of working at Torpedo to date?

There are a few. Mostly the Torpedo socials like the Ultra Challenges. They’ve always been really great. But workwise, heading to Amsterdam for the content workshop for Booking.com’s e-learning project has definitely been a highlight too.  

What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever been given?   

So, I take my job pretty seriously. I work hard and I care about delivering the best work for our clients. But like most people, I can get a bit caught up in it all and I do get stressed. When that happens, I remind myself of what one of my first ever Creative Directors said to me, “Remember, it’s only advertising…” It’s not a life-or-death situation! Oh, and when refining content, I always come back to the design principle, KISS, “Keep it simple, stupid.”