Jason Law

In my early days as a freelancer, back in July 2023, I managed to land a huge client who wanted me to edit their social media copy, proofreading for grammar and spelling while also editing for tone and readability.

Due to the signing of an NDA, I can’t share who it was, but they’re an NYT-best-selling author with a following of 600k to 700k across Instagram, FaceBook, Twitter/X, and YouTube. Since the launch of their hugely popular trilogy of books, they’ve become a highly sought out public speaker, talking about politics, history, science, and the future. I was a huge fan, so felt blessed to land such a client.

Each week, their team would send me batches of copy along with an accompanying reel for social media. I’d proofread the subtitles, then edit the accompanying post caption or Tweet. I’d tag relevant accounts in the post and research hashtags, before sending the revised copy back to the team for posting.

After five months, the author’s team tried to shift their strategy to reduce costs. They employed me as the copywriter for the account’s posts, putting me in charge of the messaging, instead of having their in-house copywriter write and me edit. Each week, they’d send me briefs with accompanying reels. I had to write captions and Tweets that summarize the message of the reel, sticking closely to the author’s writing style and tone.

Some of the posts I wrote were:

1. Using a book quote in the Tweet
   
   What does identity mean in 2024?
   
   Our ancestors used to define their identities by the groups they belonged to. Their nationality, religious beliefs, or even race – these things were important in 1618 and 1940. Today, how we as individuals respond to global issues is a better indicator of who we are.
   
   Identity is defined by conflicts and dilemmas more than by agreements.
   
2. Captions/post on video about scientific storytellers
   
   A well-told scientific story can have a deep and lasting impact on humanity. But how can we combine great storytelling with scientific rigor?
   
   Good stories can drastically change the public’s view on something. Similarly, science has the power to influence society and politics – but it should be committed to truth. Combining these qualities is crucial. For science to have a deeper impact, we need to have scientific storytellers.
   
   #science #storytelling #politics #society #stories
   
3. Reel about trust in institutions
   
   Institutions are the bedrock of society.
   
   Institutions are not trendy or stylish – and public trust in them has collapsed. But when they can admit to and correct their mistakes, institutions can have a large-scale impact on society. We need to invest in rebuilding that trust.
   

Unfortunately, the position as copywriter lasted a month, as they again shifted their strategy and brought copywriting back in-house to reduce costs. Nonetheless, it was an incredible opportunity as a freelancer to write for one of my favorite authors.

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