I take a lot of photographs. Some of my pictures are quite good. The best ones get hundreds of Instagram likes. I have a good enough smartphone and an aging but serviceable DSLR.
But I’m not a photographer.
Here’s why.
I don’t specialize. I take quite good portraits, landscapes, abstracts and still-lifes. But I don’t excel at any. I haven’t got a niche where I can focus all my attention and acquire the level of expertise to invite paying clients.
I don’t have a network. I have one or two professional followers, the rest are friends and family. Certainly not the hundreds or thousands you need to make your professional mark as a visual storyteller these days.
I don’t have a consistent tone of voice. Look at the work of a professional photographer and you’ll see how they’ve developed a unique style based on composition, lighting and contrast.
I haven’t mastered the technology. I can get by with my old Nikon DSLR and show you the basics of Lightroom. But I don’t have a backpack full of lenses (and I wouldn’t know what to do, even if I did). And let’s not start on lighting rigs.
Don’t ask me about distribution. I’ve got an Instagram account and some Facebook friends. Photo agencies? Galleries? The wall in my favourite hipster café? Nothing.
But I am a copywriter
Expertise: I've been writing about business-to-business technology and now artificial intelligence for more than a decade. Cloud computing? Check. Cybersecurity? That too. Machine learning, internet of things, 5G networks? You get the idea.
Connections: I’m blessed with a fantastic network. From Google and Spotify to the smartest start ups in Europe, I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the biggest and brightest names in tech.
Content: I can learn your brand voice, give it punch and then project your message across any medium, be it social media, white paper, blog post or brochure.
Technology: I’m a geek at heart. Content management systems, data analytics and scheduling tools: I’m at home with each and everyone.
Distribution: How do you maximize your audience reach and search engine potential? You need the human touch to bring copy to life. But on-page and technical SEO skills are equally critical. I’ve got both in my locker.
If you’d like to work with one of the best tech copywriters and content strategists in the business, then get in touch. Photographer? Not so much. But here's my Instagram just in case.
Bonus tip 1: If you do need a good professional photographer, I can recommend Ana Torres (Berlin).
Bonus tip 2: For web design and engineering, that'll be Johannes Schmidt.
I'm grateful to both for their excellent work bringing the new Bright Content website to life this week.
