COPYWRITING FOR ARCHITECTS
If buildings could talk, I’d be out of a job.
But (luckily for me) your beautiful work can’t speak for itself.
You need copy that sells you and your approach.
Impatient?
Zip to it:
My Services
My Process
Why Me
“Gasp! I must hire the architect who designed this beautiful edifice!”
— No client ever ( at least, if your initials aren’t F.L.W.)
Thanks to Google, tons more potential clients will find your website. But what will they find ON your website?
99% of architecture websites sound the same: “We are an award-winning, multidisciplinary studio with… [insert more generic copy that lacks strategic direction here]”.
Not to mention that:
- If your website is just a project portfolio with minimal copy…
- If your site DOES have copy, but the words just don’t feel right to you…
- If you’d rather go back to Introduction to Revit 101 than hammer out a paragraph on your design approach, client service, and ideal projects…
Then the right clients won’t be able to recognise you even when you’re right in front of them.
To get a steady stream of the work you want, you need words to position your practice in its best light. (And who knows more about great light than architects?)
Writing your own website copy can feel like you’re banging your head against a brick wall.
You’re often “too close” to your own practice, it feels nearly impossible to articulate who you are and what you stand for.
And trying to write copy that truly represents your unique approach can be more confusing than a staircase designed by M.C. Escher.
That’s why I’ve spent years creating and testing the best way to help architects clarify their message and get their website done the right way.
I’ll take the ideas floating around in your head, your barely legible napkin notes and scribbled bullet points and turn them into engaging words. So you can start attracting the high-paying clients and interesting projects you really want.
Like great design, my services are complementary.
Not free — but well worth pairing. Let’s talk about which phase is the right place to start.
Phase 01 .
Brand Messaging Guide
Phase 02 .
Website Copywriting
Phase 03 .
Brand Voice Guide
There’s beauty in the details.
Browse my services below, or just get in touch to chat.
Brand Messaging Guide
For when you need to get clarity on your messaging and positioning so you can attract more aligned clients.
Together, we get clear on who you work with, how you solve their problems, and how you do it differently (aka you X factor).
Think of the brand messaging guide as your “guiding light” — you can refer to it when making business decisions, hiring new talent, or communicating to clients. It will ensure brand messaging consistency, which’ll lead to greater trust and confidence amongst prospective and existing clients.
Unlike generic brand guides, everything in this PDF is actionable. I promise it won’t collect digital dust.
Perfect for you if:
- Your firm looks, feels, and sounds the same as every other architecture firm.
- You know the power of a consistent brand message but don’t know how to identify or clearly communicate it
- You don’t know what you really stand for (… perhaps you’ve lost sight of what it stands for or your firm in moving into a new chapter) and want to move in the right direction
- You want to simplify your marketing efforts (get to your brand messaging strategy right and marketing becomes A LOT easier!)
- You’re establishing a new firm and want to lay a solid brand messaging foundation.
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
- Questionnaire
- In-depth Research & Discovery (includes interviewing past clients)
- 90-min Discovery Workshop
- Brand Messaging Guide:
- Brand promise — your purpose
- Idea client profile — who you’re targeting
- Brand values — your beliefs & what they look like in action
- X factor — the one thing you stand for
- Elevator pitch — summary of your value
- Tone of voice — summary of what you sound like
- 60-min brand messaging strategy presentation & Q&A
- Recording of the presentation
Website Copywriting
For when you want your entire website written — so you can attract & convert the right type of clients.
You need to pull together all your ideas and notes to create a clear, cohesive message — but you don’t have the time or headspace, or perhaps writing is not your strength. Let me take the reins. I’ll craft clear, engaging website copy that makes your firm unforgettable — so you can ditch mediocre projects and get a steady stream of your dream projects. I only take on one website copywriting project at a time so I can give you my full attention… so this means I only have scope for 7 or 8 a year.
Perfect for you if:
- You’re about to refresh your website and have the visuals sorted, but the website messaging is lacking.
- You haven’t updated your website copy in a long time and your message doesn’t align to your firm.
- You know what you want to say… but don’t know how to say it concisely with the right words.
- You want your ideal clients to think, “I only want to work with this practice” the second they land on your site.
- You keep pining over your competitor’s website and wish yours was half as good.
- You want your website to generate ridiculously good leads. (Say goodbye to tyre-kickers and penny-pinchers.)
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
- Questionnaire
- In-depth Research & Discovery (includes interviewing past clients)
- 90-min Discovery Workshop
- Brand Messaging Guide
- Website copywriting:
- Homepage tagline
- Homepage scrolling content
- About page
- Services
- Process
- Biographies
- Project descriptions
- Contact page
- Footer
- Navigation bar
- Two rounds of revisions
- Professional proofreading
ADDITIONAL ADD-ONS:
Website Design & Direction
Detailed direction for your designer or developers, including navigation, font sizes, and recommendations for layout.
SEO
Collaboration with an SEO expert — to ensure your copy is optimised for the Google gods.
Brand Voice Guide
For when you need want to sound different from all the other firms out there.
The brand voice guide is a remarkably powerful tool — it’ll help you know what to say, how to say it and how to present it so that it always looks, feels, and sounds like you.
Use the guide yourself or share it with your marketing team, consultants, designers etc. so that everyone can confidently communicate your message, positioning and values with a clear and consistent voice across all your communications — from your website to proposals to social media posts, and award submissions.
Perfect for you if:
- You sound like every other architecture firm (and want to create a unique voice that sounds like “you” and “feels right”)
- You’re clear on your visual identity but haven’t defined your verbal identity
- You want your team to have the tools to make sure your voice is consistent across every communication channel
- You know having a distinctive voice is the key to attracting more aligned clients, but don’t know identify or apply a consistent voice
package includes:
- Questionnaire
- 60-min Discovery Workshop
- Research – analysis of existing marketing material
- Brand voice guide:
- Voice archetypes — defining your voice
- Brand voice pillars — how your brand sounds
- Language & writing guidelines — stylistic choices, grammar, punctuation, etc.
- Tone & style analysis — defining your tone
- Examples of your voice in action
- Additional resources
- Custom Video Walkthrough
- 45-min Q&A video call
Website Audit
For when you need fresh expert eyes on your website messaging, layout, and user experience.
Your gut feeling tells you your website could be improved. My advice: trust your gut. I’ve studied 663 architecture websites, so whether your website is (over)due for a refresh or you’ve just launched a brand-new website, let my expert eyes take an objective look.
I’ll identify potential areas of weakness on your website and give you recommendations on your copy, layout, and user experience. I’ll give you actionable feedback that you (or your designer/developer) can implement quickly and easily.
Perfect for you if:
- You want to add some personality to your website — so you become unforgettable.
- Your website designer wrote placeholder website copy, but it doesn’t truly reflect your practice.
- You keep pining over your competitor’s website and wish yours was half as good.
- You want your website to generate ridiculously good leads. (Say goodbye to carrot-danglers and penny-pinchers.)
package includes:
- Questionnaire
- 45-min Discovery Workshop
- 30-45min page-by-page video walkthrough of your website
- My analysis will focus on:
- Copywriting – how engaging and persuasive is your messaging? (I’ll also include example copy edits.)
- Branding – how does it look and feel?
- Visitor experience – how is the overall navigation and flow? (includes page structure, layout etc.)
- Project portfolio – is the presentation of your projects effective? (includes project storytelling, layout, etc.)
- My analysis will focus on:
- Custom action plan of recommended changes and things to consider, so you know exactly what you need to do to improve your website.
- 45-min post-audit Q&A video call
90-Minute Strategy Session
For when you need quick access to my expertise (without the big investment).
It’s hard to see your firm objectively. (I often run into the same problem with my own business!) Sometimes you need to know if you’re heading in the right direction. During the 90 minutes, you can pick my brain on anything you like. We can discuss bigger-picture things (like what makes your firm different) or the finer details (like what to include on your About page). It’s completely up to you. Whatever we discuss, you’ll walk away from our session with clarity and confidence that you’re moving in the right direction. We’ll map out a clear action plan so you know exactly what you need to do next.
Perfect for you if:
- You need help articulating who you are, what makes your firm different, and your ideal clients.
- You want guidance on your website message.
- You want to work on a specific part of your website (i.e. your about page, homepage etc.)
package includes:
- Questionnaire
- 90-min strategy session via Zoom
- We can discuss things like:
- X Factor: what makes your firm different from any other firm
- Ideal clients: which marketing tactics you need to use to target your ideal clients
- Naming ideas: if you’re starting or thinking about starting your own firm
- Social media strategy: which platforms and what content you should post
- Website messaging: homepage, about page, bio etc.
- Put simply, we can discuss ANYTHING you like
- Recording of our conversation
- A customised action plan
“I think you can help me, but I’m not sure yet.”
There’s a surefire way to figure that out.
Kind Words
Nikita listens. From the start she listened to our brief, quickly understood how we operate, and wrote about our work in a manner that is consistent with who we are.
We put passion into our work and enjoy working with others who feel the same way. Nikita is a rare find. We love her genuine excitement and enthusiasm. Nikita is very good at what she does and is easy to work with — it’s as simple as that.
JONATHAN RICHARDS
FOUNDER, RICHARDS STANISICH
Kind Words
Strategy and intention,
before a single word.
You wouldn’t start building without a plan.
Well, neither do I.
Here’s how we’ll work together:
01 .
Digging deep
Research & Discovery
Before I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), I’ll spend time laying the foundations. We’ll have a discovery workshop (so I can understand your practice better), I’ll interview past clients, review existing marketing collateral, study social media/online conversations, and analyse your key competitors.
02 .
Building up
STRATEGISING & WRITING
Fully prepared, it’s time for me to get strategising, writing, wireframing, and editing. Your project has my undivided attention, and I’ll send you short updates to let you know where we’re at (without you even asking me to). Once I’m done, I’ll share the copy along with comments or questions for your feedback.
03 .
Handing over the keys
REVISIONS & DELIVERY
Finally, we’ll go through revisions to ensure everything reads as clear as Philip Johnson’s The Glass House. And one final request: please stay in touch. Feel free to share the results of my work, ideas for future projects, or photos of shadows falling on your building (your partner might not see the beauty, but I do).
Why me?
(Aside from my incredible flexibility)
8 reasons you’ll be glad you chose to work with me:
01 .
I know the ins and outs of the architecture industry.
I have 10+ years in sales, marketing, and communications within the architecture and design industry. I studied 663 architecture websites. (Want to see what I found? See the results here.)
02 .
My years as a sales executive for an architecture magazine equipped me with a secret weapon: I know how to sell creative work (without the sleaze). I know how to persuade prospective clients to hire you with… the right words. In short, I know how to make your practice the ONLY one your ideal clients want to work with.
03 .
Hot yoga. Silent discos. Eating citrus fruits. These are a few ways people relax and unwind. Not me. I enter a Bjarke blackhole (i.e. binge-watch YouTube interviews of Bjarke), devour architecture news, or stalk the r/architecture subreddit. This means I’m across A&D trends, technology, news, and events. My industry knowledge and personal network is something you won’t find in a large generic agency.
04 .
I have a thing for architects.
I think architects are brilliant. You can “see” spaces that don’t even exist. (Talk about superhuman!) I’m dedicating my entire career to helping architects. I’m on a personal mission to make sure your work is valued so you can charge premium fees and get the recognition you deserve.
05 .
You don’t need another document collecting digital dust on your hard drive. Or more generic “marketing advice”. I only deliver personalised strategies that you can *actually* implement and get results from. From the minute you hire me until we’re all finished up — I’ll show up as a member of your team. Someone who is genuinely invested in your success.
06 .
I believe in no empty words. This means every single word I write for you is intentional and grounded in research. I literally call your favourite past clients to get an objective perspective of your practice and to see what language they’re using (so you can get more clients just like them).
07 .
If I think something can be done better, I’ll tell you (in a nice way, of course). I’m a straight shooter and I’ll tell you if you shouldn’t hire me. (But you won’t know until you reach out!)
08 .
I’m flexible.
I’m guessing website copywriting is prioritised on your to-do list somewhere between “get root canal” and “file tax return”. And that’s cool. I get it. But unlike a large copywriting agency, I’m small, nimble, and flexible. (Metaphorically and physically… you saw the image of me doing the splits, right?)
Why 8 reasons?
Because eight is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture AND because I’m a fan of BIG’s “8 House Project”.
Confession time: I have a *slight* crush on Bjarke. Not only because of his boyish charm but because he’s a brilliant communicator, isn’t afraid to take risks, and doesn’t take himself too seriously. Bjarke shows it’s possible to have personality and be professional… at the same time.
If you’re still here…
we should definitely talk
Getting enquiries from time-wasters and Grade A boneheads?
I know why.
I know every single common mistake on an architecture website. A bold claim, I know. But I spent 14 months combing through 663 architecture websites to find the good, the bad, and the best in our industry.
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