Below you’ll find a list of some of the speaking and media appearances including BBC radio, live online shows and the SXSW Interactive Conference in Austin, Texas.
Speaking subjects include: Humour, funny women, comedy and marketing, how to write eye-catching content, content strategy, content creation, generating content marketing ideas and sales copywriting techniques.
For speaking or interview requests please contact me: amy (@) harrisonamy.com or use the contact form below.
Radio:
Currently I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to be a regular lunch break guest for BBC Sussex and Surrey on the Allison Ferns show. For an hour of the show we get together and discuss the top news stories that have captured the world’s attention.
Latest Shows : September 2014 – October 2014
Show 1:
In this show we look at the things kids get up to with dads (when mums are away), the meaning of dreams, how to make your own sweet treats and the most popular party tricks:
Show 2:
This time round we over what it means to not own a TV, the famous selfies we’ve taken and how your hair parting can shave 7 years off your appearance (do you have the right one?) Also in the news was One Direction and ‘that’ video from Peru, plus the lowdown on what people actually keep in their garages and the foods that can outlive their sell-by-dates.
Show 3: This time we were talking the pros and cons of the Ice Bucket Challenge (and whether or not Allison should accept her challenge).
We also looked at the politest UK crowd that could revolt: John Lewis customers after being denied their free tea and cake privileges.
Also on the list was: the top 10 foods we love to hate, money-saving tips for brides and the dreaded “Retired Hubby Syndrome.”
Online Live Interviews
Top 10 Tips for Using Humour in Marketing with Martin Shervington of Plus Your Business:
Making Marketing Fun with ISOOSI Research Engine
Conferences
SXSW Interactive – March 7th 2014
A Funny Taboo: The Art of LOL for Business Women
Humour in marketing works. The number one reason people engage with a video online is down to humour and the second biggest reason of sharing content across social media is because it is funny.
So why aren’t more women taking this approach?
During the 2013 SXSW Interactive conference I debuted my first ever AmyTV. An online video series providing a light-hearted look at content-writing techniques for businesses. It was a break from my usual style of content marketing in that it used comedy to deliver the tips and to promote what I do as a copywriter and content trainer. And it’s because of this series that I’ll be heading to SXSW again, this time to talk about whether it’s a good idea for women to use humour in their marketing, and if so, how they can get started.
Why this is such an important issue (for smart, funny business women)
Just one of the things I’ve done for AmyTV
Since I started making the videos I found myself being approached by smart, funny business women who loved the idea of doing something similar, but worried about showing a lighter side to their personality. After looking into it further, it shocked me to realise that there are actual studies that exist to prove women can’t, and shouldn’t be funny. So it’s no wonder the women I spoke to were worried that:
- Customers wouldn’t like them
- Customers wouldn’t take them seriously
But my experience has shown me this isn’t the case. Instead, traffic is up, clients have increased and opportunities are appearing that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to access. That’s why I’m swapping the comfort of my home office for the bright lights of Austin to give women the confidence to try some light-hearted marketing, and show them the simple steps they can take to get started.
Find out more about the talk
The talk will be on Friday the 7th of March at 4:15pm in the Austin Convention Center, Ballroom F. You can read more about what I will cover by clicking the below link: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_IAP22458
About SXSW Interactive
South by Southwest (SXSW) is a collection of conferences split into film, music, interactive, education and comedy categories. Around 150,000 will take part in the events going on during the festival. Last year, the SXSW Interactive festival, which focuses on emerging technology and start-up companies, attracted more than 30,000 attendees. More than 3,500 talk proposal were submitted for SXSW Interactive, with 500 making the final program so I am happy and honoured to have the privilege to address this audience.
About AmyTV
Last year I had an idea to create an online TV series to add into the content marketing mix for my business. I wanted to create something that people would actually enjoy watching, as well as being able to learn from it. Something as entertaining as a sketch show and I wondered if I could combine the entertainment value with learning value, while also promoting my services. I was nervous though because the side of my personality that enjoys film and tv I had kept hidden from my previous marketing. I come from a more traditional business background where you’re serious in the boardroom and it’s not really the place for women to make jokes. In the end though I couldn’t ignore my urge to create it and so last year in March I released the first episode of AmyTV while I was in Austin for last year’s SXSW conference. It got a great response and boosted my confidence to produce more episodes.
And a little goes a long way. To date I’ve created around 20 episodes in the last year, each one based on something that I find funny. The idea is simple, if it makes me laugh and my husband laugh and you can learn from it, then I keep it. What’s interesting is that as a freelance copywriter, I haven’t had to go viral to attract clients. My worries about undermining my abilities never came true. Each episode takes around half a day to make and I write, film and edit them myself. In the first episode (which I did you a film production company for) I wear a mask that makes me look like a search engine browser, and I also cover my face in chocolate cake. I did wonder if my target market would take me seriously, but if anything, it’s help me stand out and it’s also attracted more like-minded clients. I had a very fun experience with a large digital marketing agency that would never have approached me had they not seen the videos. The videos have also got attention from New York Times best-selling authors like Chris Brogan, and more importantly, I get great feedback from viewers who say the information really helps because I deliver lessons in a simple way that’s easy to understand, and more importantly, in a way that sticks. Here is episode 3 which focuses on building a customer profile.
About Amy Harrison
I’m a copywriter and content-trainer based in Brighton, UK. I’m originally from Hull in East Yorkshire and have very fond memories of doing improv classes at the Northern Theatre company, which has probably helped my acting in the sketches! With Harrisonamy I specialise in writing sales copy and also in training employees of businesses to write better online content, faster. Since the recession and as the internet becomes faster, bigger and more accessible, companies want employees to know how to write engaging online content. The challenge here is that employees may not have marketing or communication backgrounds, and are more used to academic and business writing, than copywriting. I break down the principles of copywriting and online writing and provide lots of resources and tools to help employees make this transition. To contact me about this talk, you can email me at: amy (@) harrisonamy.com or use the contact form below: