Copywriter testimonials

'There is only one word to describe this: excellent. Job done!'

Bill Duncan, Director, Secure Virtual Office, Cheltenham

'Thanks again for all your hard work and the great value you give us Al. It's made a big difference having you working on our web copy. As I said before Christmas, we've had a lot of people say good things about the Willison Construction site and it's doing well in Google. You've created some great content and it's always a pleasure working with you. Looking forward to doing more in the future. Steve.'

Steve Willison, Willison Construction, Cheltenham

'We've worked with Al on several client websites over the last 18 months. Based on this, and the delighted reaction of our clients to his writing, we even asked him to create the content for our own new site. Al's fast, creative, good to work with, and has a knack with SEO copy (whether working with our SEO consultant or from a loose keyword brief). I'm torn between telling the world how pleased we are with his work and keeping it a secret in case he gets even busier and isn't available when we need him again...'

Benjamin Ayres, Director, CutPasteCreate, Cheltenham (review on FreeIndex.co.uk)

‘Al Hidden's services have really made a huge difference to the Directory in bringing alive its services offered to the Industry for our exclusive partners. He writes passionately about the services and has also written profiles for and on behalf of our clients for us. That coupled with the assistance of Neil who manages our SEO site promotion proves for a highly successful team behind The Super Yachts Directory.’

Amanda Jenkins, The Super Yachts Directory

‘…I was a paid hack for some forty years, mostly in Fleet Street, and I can tell you, for what it is worth, that your editorial judgement is outstanding in terms of both writing style and make-up. Long may you continue to record Diana’s work [in the NDAA newsletter] in this inventive and professional way. Many congratulations…’

Mr HVF Winstone, FRGS, Bideford, Devon

‘Thank you Al, for your SEO words and content.’

Steven Longstaff, Leisure Happy, Somerset

‘I was just browsing and got to the freelance alliance website. Of all the copy writers on there, you were the only one that caught my eye. If copy writing is all about writing words that sell, why can't any of these people that call themselves copy writers even make up an ad that ‘sells’ their services. All they say is: hello I am so and so and I am a copy writer (?) So what? Yours was different, congratulations.’

Hilde Goorts, Stroud, Gloucestershire

‘Many thanks for your commitment and professionalism in the delivery and production of the [Airbus] guides.’

Phil Kennedy, Airbus Project Manager, Lionbridge (UK) Ltd

‘Al was an absolute joy to work with. Total commitment to the project and professional integrity ensured that we had the utmost confidence when he met (on several occasions) with our client, Emma, at the Willoughby House Hotel. The stories delivered across the site were superb and were perfectly crafted to ensure that Google (et al) will rate the pages of the site in a very positive manner, which is very important to both us, and our client. Would recommend without hesitation.’

Jason Ayers, Director, MA Design Solutions Ltd, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

'Applied Principles Ltd are extremely pleased to have worked with Al on an important business document. We greatly valued his professional input and attitude and look forward to working with him again in the future.'

Wendy Dixey, Office Manager, Applied Principles Ltd, Evesham, Worcestershire

'Hi Al, Neil and I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed working with you over the past few months. Your time, patience and understating in creating a word easy presentation on what we are about as a company was greatly needed and appreciated. We look forward to working with you again and we would not hesitate to recommend your services to other professionals.'

Laura Carey, Personal Assistant to Principal, Neil Gayler & Co, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

'I found Al on the internet and what a find, he has a rare ability to quickly understand your business and transform it into words of understanding. He is flexible and a joy to work with. Just look at our web site at www.glosfume.com

Robert Roberts, Managing Director, Glosfume Limited, Gloucestershire

'I've been on öckerö for 14 days and I would like to send you some photographs. We took your article [Five days on Öckerö] with us and I enjoyed it very much. I read it 3 times, once at home, the second time when we had just arrived and the third time on the way home. We loved the islands!! Hej, hej, Ariane.'

Ariane de Roos, Rotterdam, Netherlands

'Al is a creative person with copy. He can make a difference to your brief that can be felt when you read the finished result. And he cares about his work to the extent that he delivers a consistent standard. When you take the time time to give him an outline, he can deliver what you or your clients are looking for without wasting valuable time on rewrites or rejections. Thank you, Al, for putting the flair into our work.'

Neil Tufano, Owner, Great Position, Gloucester

'The North Devon Animal Ambulance was set up in 2003 and registered in 2004. After a financial struggle for the first two years, with support from local businesses and members of the public, our Charity at last began to make some headway in our aim to improve animal welfare and help the community care for their pets.

In 2007 the North Devon Gazette launched an appeal for help with the setting up of a new website for the NDAA and if possible for it’s maintenance by a person with copywriting experience.

We had an immediate response from Al Hidden to assist the Charity offering his services free of charge. We gave him a mass of muddled paperwork with some photographs that he then transformed into a wonderful editorial, intuitively knowing how to tap into the emotions of the public, where to be realistic and how to appeal to peoples’ kind nature to respond with donations.

The website was completed at the end of 2007 and thanks to Al’s journalistic ability has resulted in a professional site with a human touch that is visited by many people and this in return has helped our Charity go from strength to strength and become well-known and well respected throughout the south-west.

We regularly send items about re-homing and details of rescues to Al that in return are transformed into happy, funny, sad and inspiring stories.'

Diana Lewis, Founder Member & Ambulance Driver, The North Devon Animal Ambulance

'Having worked with Al Hidden before, we were eager to secure his services again when developing our new Inward Investment site. We wished to portray the professionalism of service that we offer local businesses and New Investors, but also the personal element. From the first meeting where we discussed what our needs were and the task, Al fully understood our requirements. This was important due to the short deadline in getting the copy to the website developers so not to miss the launch deadline. The content that we were given was superb, it highlighted the personal approach of our service but included all the key information required. Much of the information collected was done so by Al from documents advised by us, allowing us to carry on with our day to day job roles. Al carried out several reviews of the information gathering our opinions at key intervals. Al Hidden's service did not just stop at the copy writing, he offered feedback on the site, and once the content was "live" again offered further input, where alternative wording might be suitable or advised. I cannot fault any area of Al's work, due to his professionalism, communication and first class quality of his work. We look forward to working with Al again in the future.'

Adam Worley, Inward Investment Assistant, Gloucestershire First, Gloucestershire

'The work you did was really great. As usual. '

Rob Arthur, Managing Director, Argus Landfill Limited, Stroud, Gloucestershire

'Just want to say thank you for your passionate work of art and proofreading of my book and press releases, your precious time, energy, patience and thoughtfulness in creating what I would call a work of art (a master piece). I can tell you that, so far, everyone we have sent the press release to has expressed great interest and enthusiasm. Your effort will help to whip up a storm over time, slowly but surely. '

Victor Richards, V Jay Theatre Productions, Leicester, UK

'Dear Al, I write to thank you for the amazing work you produced on my behalf. From not knowing what was required or how to produce it, under your guidance and expertise the website came together in the most professional and straightforward manner imaginable. We look forward to working with you on a continuing basis for all our future copywriting requirements.'

David Mathewson, Principal, St James' Dental, Gloucestershire, UK

'Al is good and does a good job for us.'

Paul Carter, Managing Director, Mosaique Design Consultants & New Media, Gloucestershire, UK

I guess this should go on the Testimonials page. What a wonderful surprise it was when, along with other people who have helped the North Devon Animal Ambulance in 2007, the charity was kind enough to present me with a certificate of excellence for my website and PR copywriting work at their recent Annual General Meeting. Thank you.

The North Devon Animal Ambulance, 2007 AGM

'That looks good, I am happy to sign [the edited and re-written website copy] off and for Andrew to update the Delta site. Thanks again for a super job.'

Julian Roe, Managing Director, Delta Security Limited, Gloucestershire, UK

'Dear Al, it has been a real pleasure working with you on the text for my website. You came up with so many good ideas which I would not have come up with myself, enhancing never detracting from the message I wanted to convey. You have treated me as a partner, rather than a project and I look forward to working with you again in the future. Many thanks.' "

Barry Jackson B.Sc. Human Development Consultant, Gloucestershire, UK

'Al Hidden is a word-smith, and a very good one at that. I have worked with Al on a number of projects, and each time he is so diligent and hard-working that everyone else on the team has to catch up! I recommend Al Hidden to any business in need of a professional copywriter.'

Andrew Cope, Managing Director, Evergreen Computing Limited, Gloucestershire, UK

'After one brief meeting Al understands all our needs and is only a quick phone call away for new ideas, very quick, efficient and always comes up with first class goods, what a pleasure to deal with him.'

Geoff Pass, General Manager, Safety Testing Limited, Gloucestershire, UK

'Al's time with us coincided with an increased amount of marketing and technical copywriting that was particularly well-suited to his abilities. For six years, he made an important contribution to our work, both in-house and for clients. In particular, it says a lot about his writing and personality that, after working on-site for Airbus UK, Al was repeatedly asked back for other projects. Other clients, including Hyder plc, Hydro International and Tongue Tied also asked specifically for Al on follow-up work. We were sorry to say goodbye when he left to broaden his PR writing experience in 2004. We enjoyed working with Al and, based on his work for us, I have no hesitation in recommending his copywriting ability.'

Andy Keefe, Managing Director, Piper Group plc, a BAE Systems company, South Gloucestershire, UK

'I collaborated with Al on several comprehensive product manuals while he was working with Piper Group plc in Bristol. In each case Al combined Hydro’s draft material, and new content based on our discussions, into clear, engaging documents that formed an essential part of our support for Hydro-International's new overseas licensees. Inevitably, deadlines and budget compliance were critical as we worked to complete the projects for submission. I was impressed by Al's understanding of our technology as well as the creativity and enthusiasm he brought to the writing. In each case the finished documents were well-written and consistent in style and our licensees were delighted. Al's work undoubtedly made an important contribution to our support programme. I would happily work with him again in the future if a suitable opportunity came up.'

Professor Bob Andoh, Director of Innovation, Hydro International plc

'I really enjoyed working with Al on the Freedom Golf Tours brochure. He was quick, reliable and creative, met our production deadlines and kept to the budget. There's no doubt that Al's copy made an important contribution to the effectiveness of the brochure. I look forward to working with him again in the future.'

Christopher Newcombe, Proprietor, Zushi Technical Illustration

'As his line manager, I worked closely with Al during his time with MRA. He's a versatile and passionate copywriter with a useful background in marketing and writing. We were impressed by his portfolio and writing style before he joined us, then worked fast and creatively on projects ranging from PR 'shorts' and features to newsletter copy and aspirational website content for a very demanding luxury builder. Our clients loved the work he did for them. I'd trust Al to write for me anytime.'

Fiona Lund, Director, Michael Rigby Associates (MRA), Gloucestershire, UK

'Al has done several copywriting and editing jobs for Tongue-Tied, both alone and working with Piper Group's in-house graphic designer. Always helpful and proactive, we can trust him to keep to the allocated budgets and he always delivered well-written creative copy on time. You can't ask for more than that. Get him writing for you!'

Karen Owens, Business Manager, Tongue Tied Ltd, Bristol

'Al got us some wonderful coverage when we secured our ISO 9002 quality assurance certification, including ghost writing a piece that appeared in Business South West and then drafting a feature article on the company for Boxboard Containers International. It says something about his work that this leading US-based industry periodical used Al's copy with only the slightest of localisation alterations. As managing director of an SME, competing with much larger international sheet converters, the impact of the piece gave me great satisfaction and certainly helped S H Fiske punch 'above its weight' in the local marketplace.'

Richard Jarratt, Managing Director, S H Fiske Ltd, South Gloucestershire, UK

'We have used Al's services since the beginning of 2006 and have been greatly impressed by the standard of his work. His fresh outlook has allowed our projects to develop as well as bring a consistent approach to their delivery. He provides the complete friendly, polite but firm customer attention that is required from our clients. We always enjoy his time in our offices, and look forward to continue our work with him.'

Adrian Jevans, Gloucestershire Food Vision – Policy Development, Gloucestershire, UK

'Great job, I like it all. It really reads like you are taking the reader on a journey. You are a genius man! It has also given me a better intuitive feel for what the brochure graphics should look like and the image it should reflect.'

Christopher Anderson, Marketing Manager, Michael Brady Limited

'...[Al] managed to capture exactly the flavour of what was needed. His ability to write a clear analogy (sic, with the egg) has provoked great interest in what we are trying to do. The paragraph on working with TPRE was most important to us as it holds the key to several of the 'make the difference' enablers.

'[Al] greeted our request for him to cover our team mobilisation with enthusiasm and vigour. His copy was produced within hours of the event, and, again he captured the key points succinctly.

'Should further journalistic opportunities arise in this team, we would be most pleased to offer them to [Al]...'

Extract from a memorandum kindly sent to me by Mr Peter Maggs, Airbus UK A340-500/600 Operator Deliverables Team (ODT).

'Thank you very much for sending me a copy of your project report. It looks to be a thoroughly sound and useful piece of work. On behalf of the helicopter industry I am very grateful to you.'

[A note about the project, written as part of my City & Guilds studies in technical Authoring and technical Communication, appeared in the January/February 1998 issue of The Rotorhead, the newsletter of the British Helicopter Advisory Board.]

J P W Friedberger, Chief Executive, The British Helicopter Advisory Board (BHAB), 1998