Copy & messaging studio for ecomm + FMCG brands
Two brothers obsessed with brands that have their words fully dialled in
Hey! We're Jack and Joe. Two brothers who spend our days writing, reading and sending each other copy we love. (Our Slack thread is 50% "mate, check this brand's copy out!", 20% Lord of the Rings gifs and 30% work stuff.) Which is quite lucky, considering we've spent the last decade-and-a-bit helping brands do their words gooder.
How we’ve helped brands do their words gooder
We know copy isn't the only thing that makes a difference. But it helps. Here's what happened to some of the brands we've worked with once their words were finally doing their brand justice.
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 copwriting. 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 so we could work with the kinds of brands that light us up and spend our days helping them put what makes them awesome into words.
(It’s also a pretty good excuse to hang out every day.)
“An absolute game-changer…
transformational for us as a brand.”
Gooder copy without
adding to your to-do list
We know you've got a lot on. The last thing you need is a copywriting project that needs constant managing, chasing and translating before anything goes live. So we've made working with us as easy as possible on you, your team and your to-do list.
Proper kickoff
We know copy, but you live and breathe your brand. That's why, before we put a finger on our keyboards, we try to learn as much as we can about you, your customers, your category, your goals, what you're trying to achieve... so the final copy feels like it captures everything that makes your brand awesome.
No GDoc nightmares
We'll just say it. Copy in a Google Doc suuuucks. You're reviewing words without any sense of how they'll actually look and it just becomes a massive drain for everyone. That's why we work in Figma with wireframes or your designs so you can review the copy exactly how your customers will see it.
Direct access to us
"Thanks for your message, we'll get back to you in 48 hours". UGH. None of that. You get a shared Slack channel, client portal and direct access to the two people actually doing the work. Which means faster turnaround, better collaboration and no need to chase us up, ever.
Ready for dev & design
There's no “here’s a doc, see you later” here. We hand everything over in Figma (or Klaviyo) with clear notes and annotations so your designer or dev can get it live as soon as. We're always happy to jump on a call with them too so copy, design and dev all work hand-in-hand.
Brothers who write copy.
Not copy bros.
You won't find us posing in front of Lambos or telling you "money never sleeps, dude". We don't have pictures of Don Draper on our walls and we've never used the word "hustle" unironically.
What we actually care about is finding the thing that makes a brand genuinely worth talking about and then making sure every word they publish sounds like it. It's the whole reason we started Do Words Good. We just love good copy.
(Although, full disclosure: Jack did start talking like Kendall Roy after we watched Succession. And it was categorically not "all bangers, all the time".)
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.
ZIGGY &
AUTUMN
Our Chief Barketing Officers, Ziggy and Autumn, are the brains behind Do Woofs Good. They love treats, finding sunspots in our offices and are always on hand for belly rubs.
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
Sales calls suck, don't they?
We hate them. You hate them. Plus, anyone can talk a good game over Zoom. So we do things a bit differently.
Bring us a headline, a product description, or a bit of copy that's always felt slightly off. We'll spend the first half of the call digging into why it's not working, suggest some fixes and then rewrite it together on the call.
Then, if it feels like a good fit, we'll talk about what it looks like to team up and discuss next steps. If not, we'll tell you straight up (and point you in the direction of someone who can help).
Trusted by brands like...
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.)