About Bill

I was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, in 1974, and educated at Boston Grammar School and the University of Wales, Bangor. I graduated from Bangor in 1996 with a First in English. In 1996-97 I took a PGCE at St. Martins, Lancaster, and then spent a number of years teaching English in secondary schools.

Bill Hilton, freelance copywriter

Since becoming a full-time freelance copywriter, I've worked for over 300 businesses and organisations, ranging from global players (Faurecia, Barclays Capital, Lehman Brothers, Johnson and Johnson) to start ups and microbusinesses.

At the moment I'm back in Bangor, working from home and studying, part-time, for an MA on the work of John Milton and Marchamont Nedham. I currently sit on the University's Employability and Entrepreneurship committee.

My first book, Working for Yourself (with Mike Pywell) was published in September 2007. I've also written and directed two musicals for students - Them and Me and Have You Ever Been To Vegas? - and a radio play, Paradise. I have a number of other fiction and non-fiction projects in the pipeline.

What I do

Copywriting is my core skill, and writing copy for businesses and organisations has been the major part of my work since I became a full-time freelancer in 2004.

I write copy for websites, brochures and ads. I can also help you with business plans, reports, technical documents, speeches and most other forms of business and promotional writing. Additionally, I do bits and pieces of journalism and feature writing. I'm currently an Associate Editor of Business Matters magazine.

I'm a strong believer in copywriting as a collaborative process. When you work with me you can be sure that you'll be consulted at every stage, and that all work will be drafted and redrafted until it's exactly right for your target audience.

Most of my clients are SMEs, although I also work for larger businesses, as well as voluntary and public sector organisations. To get a sense of what I do, take a look at my client list and portfolio.

I'm also in heavy demand for consultancy work. Because I've worked with hundreds of businesses and organisations, large and small, I really understand the principles of corporate communications. I work with several clients to improve the way they talk to their customers and to help them build new connections.

My key areas of specialisation include:

  • Corporate tone of voice. Have you ever had a letter or a phone call from a business or organisation and got the impression that they're just not bothered about you? Too many companies sour relationships unnecessarily simply by adopting the wrong tone and failing to consider how customers and contacts like to be talked to. Get your tone of voice right, on the other hand, and you'll build strong, long-lasting relationships that are a source of long-term profit and benefit.
  • Social media. If you spend your life working on the web, you probably know a great deal about services like Facebook and Stumbleupon. But many organisations and businesses don't. Are you missing out on the tremendous opportunities they offer? Social media can offer huge benefits when it comes to marketing, promotions and customer relations.
  • Strategic marketing and campaign development. Need to get your message out there but not sure how? Spending too much for too little return? Not enough people visiting your website? Not enough visitors buying your products? Very often you can make simple changes to the way you work to achieve dramatic results.

    • Finally, I offer a range of training programmes for individuals and organisations. Visit my training section to find out more.

    Contact me!

    Feel free to get in touch, even if you just want to say hello. My social networking contacts are opposite - I welcome new friends!