A copy studio for ecomm and FMCG brands
Two brothers helping ambitious
brands do words gooder
We’re Jack and Joe, two brothers (and copywriters) with 25+ years between us working with ecomm & FMCG brands. Other than sharing DNA and a love of Bruce Springsteen, we also share a love of helping scaling brands turn their copy into their unfair advantage.
How we’ve helped brands do their words gooder
We've been doing this a long time, and we still get a buzz when we help brands doing really cool things after making their messaging click into place. Here are a few wins we're particularly proud of.
Client revenue increase after a 4-week messaging, voice and copy sprint.
Number of clients worked with since 2012.
Revenue increase (up from £5.6M) in the year after a messaging & copy overhaul.
Annual revenue growth a 4-week copy & messaging sprint.
We wanted to be the Blues Brothers.
Turns out we’re better at this copy thing.
Truth be told, we’ve been trying to work together since we were kids, but much to our dismay, there wasn’t a huge market for a pre-teen Blues Brothers tribute act where we grew up.
So, we both pursued careers in copywriting. Joe worked as a solo marketer for an ecomm brand before going agency side. Jack went solo for a decade, working with brands all around the world.
But every time we’d hang out, we’d talk about teaming up. So we started Do Words Good to combine the best bits of our experience: the rigour, strategy and momentum of an agency with direct access to two senior writers who treat your brand like it’s their own.
(It’s also a pretty good excuse to hang out every day.)
“An absolute game-changer…
transformational for us as a brand.”
Good copy needs
good processes
Great copy is useless if it dies in a Google Doc 6 months into a project, never even seeing light of day. That’s why we keep every project organised, work in-context, and make things easy to review and sign off.
Early alignment
We start every project by getting absolute clarity on your customer, your brand, your offer, and your goals for the next phase of growth. That way we can write copy that goes beyond “that sounds nice” into helping you scale and grow.
Write copy in situ
Wherever possible, we’ll try and write copy where it’ll live (Figma, Klaviyo, decks). Copy is as much about layout, hierarchy and flow as it is words. Plus, it means you’re not stuck translating a Google Doc into design or trying to imagine how it’ll look.
Direct access to us
No PM game of telephone. We’ll manage the big picture briefs in your client portal and set up a Slack channel for those “hey! Does this caption sound alright?” messages when you’re in a rush to get something live.
Ready for dev & design
No “here’s a Word doc, see you later”. We hand over in Figma where possible, with clear notes. And we’re always happy to jump on with your designer/dev to QA and tweak things so copy, dev and design all work hand-in-hand.
Meet the brothers
behind the studio
We know that choosing an external partner isn’t just about skills or track record or who they’ve worked with before.
That’s only half the picture. The other half is a fit thing. Are we easy to work with? Are we egomaniacs? Do we say “synergies”?
That’s why, whether we’re doing a one-day PDP Punch Up, a sprint, or fractional support, we try to feel in-house fast. We get to know your product, your customers, and how your team works, then shape our process around yours.
Oh, and we’ll never, ever, ever say synergies.
JACK
BARCLAY
Jack’s a messaging & voice strategist who turns messy customer language into sharp positioning and on-brand copy. He’s obsessed with voice of customer data and creating messaging that makes clients feel like: “oh yeah, we’ve finally nailed this”.
Outside work: he’s all about good coffee, weekend hikes, AF beers, and pretending he’s Carmy from The Bear.
JOE
KARAALI-BARCLAY
Joe’s a senior copywriter who got his start as a solo marketer doing everything for an ecomm brand. He loves untangling messy problems, fixing muddled PDPs and tackling “why isn’t this converting?” headaches.
Outside work: he’s all about his Strava stats, craft breweries, Glasto planning, and rewatching Mad Men.
Words we've done gooder for brands like yours
Most brands we work with have built something great. Strong products, solid reviews, good momentum… but their copy and messaging isn’t doing it justice. We help fix that.
How we helped Toast Brewing pin down their brand voice
Learn more
How we helped Beachbum boost sales by over 70%
How a 4-week sprint helped Beachbum to reposition their brand, update their messaging, find their voice and overhaul their entire website.
Learn moreHow we helped Animal rediscover their brand voice
How fractional support helped Animal rediscover their sea-soaked brand voice and roll it out across every touchpoint.
Learn more
How we helped Discord speak their audience's language
Learn more
Talk to us about your brand's project
If you're an ambitious ecommerce of FMCG brand and your copy and messaging isn't doing your product justice, let's talk.
Grab a 30-minute slot on our calendar and we'll get clear on what you're trying to achieve, what's not working and suggest the best next step.
If we're a good fit, we'll follow up with a simple plan, timeline and costs. If not, we'll tell you straight up (and point you in the direction of someone who can help).
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FAQs
Are you actually brothers?
Despite what a few childhood years of wishing otherwise would have you think, we are indeed brothers.
What’s it like to work with you?
We know nobody is going to say “it’s a nightmare” but we pride ourselves on being super chill, getting things done fast, and very no ego.
We’re big on clear decisions, tight feedback loops, and shipping work that’s ready to use — without drama, long delays or 47-comment Google Docs spirals.
Will we work with you directly?
Oh yeah, 100%. No account managers. No “handover call”. No junior team writing your key pages.
You’re working with Jack and Joe, start to finish.
We’re picky about vibe. Are you normal?
Define “normal”. But yes, we’re easy to work with.
We care a lot, we’re straightforward, and we don’t do performative agency theatre. And as people, we’re both pretty normal too.
You’re remote, right?
Yeah, Joe’s based in Hertfordshire (soon to be Norwich) and Jack’s down in Poole.
Most of our clients are spread out anyway, and remote keeps things quicker (and cheaper) for everyone.
Do you ever do in-person sessions?
Sometimes, if it genuinely helps (kickoff workshops, bigger brand voice work, that kind of thing).
But we don’t default to in-person because it can become a time + budget sink. We’d much rather put that energy into the actual work.
How do you get up to speed on a brand quickly?
We do the unsexy-but-effective stuff: customer reviews, competitor scans, past campaigns, on-site behaviour (if you’ve got it), plus a proper chat with your team.
Which one of you is the better writer?
Our lawyers have advised us to say “no comment”. And considering games of FIFA used to end in thrown controllers and getting separated, that’s probably for the best.
What’s on your office radio?
Joe works pretty much exclusively to Howard Shore (particularly the Lord of the Rings soundtrack).
Jack prefers to work like a monk, with noise-cancelling headphones on and white-noise/binaural beats playing. (It’s objectively a bit odd, but it works.)