Writer & Content Strategist
Amy Thibodeau
Work Experience
Freelance
Apr 2015 - Current
I help my clients focus on what their customers need and want so we can work together to develop content that's useful, clear and human.
- Improve the experience people have when they're checking out or paying, signing up, setting up a profile, and encountering error messages
- Make legal and technical content easier to understand
- Work on content strategy at the intersection of digital and physical products
Apr 2011 - Apr 2015
As one of the first members of the Facebook content strategy team, I helped establish and grow the team into the powerhouse it is today.
- Planned, wrote, edited, tested and tended to content including: UI copy, product education pages, product names, navigation items and nomenclature
- Planned, edited and wrote for the Facebook design blog and managed the Twitter account
- Developed content and communications strategies for projects from conceptual stage through to optimizing and iterating after launch
- Helped develop content standards and evolved Facebook’s voice
- Collaborated with designers, researchers, product managers, internationalization teams and engineers
- Listed as an inventor on an approved US patent called "Methods and Systems for Optimizing Engagement With A Social Network"
- Managed a the business product content strategy team for part of this time
Contentini
May 2010 - Apr 2011
While traveling around the world for a year, I co-founded Contentini, a boutique content strategy consultancy with an international roster of clients.
- Worked with clients to evolve their brand through their use of language
- Cared for and polished existing content by doing audits, workshops with clients, SEO and rewrites
- Specialized in content for interfaces - the "how" language
- Conceptualized and then managed products from start to finish
- Contributed to the development of the content strategy practice by publishing regularly on contentini.com
- Clients included Blinknow (Nepal), The Powerhouse Museum (Australia) and Exuberance Beauty (Canada)
Box UK
Nov 2008 - May 2010
As the first marketing person at Box UK, I helped establish the company's brand and developed foundational ways of approaching content and branding.
- Planned and managed the development of two new company websites and an online community for clients
- Consulted on the interface content and user experience of the Amaxus Content Management System
- Developed and implemented short and long term marketing strategies
- Wrote and distributed press releases and pitched stories to relevant media and developed the company's social media presence
- Established and managed the company brand
- Worked with a great range of clients including the National Gallery, the BBC, the Royal Navy and Eidos (Tombraider.com)
MacKenzie Art Gallery
Jun 2006 - Oct 2008
I was the sole communications professional at this large regional museum and wore many hats. I single-handedly undertook all communications and PR work for two nationally acclaimed exhibitions: Andy Warhol and Impressionist Masterworks.
- Planned and implemented all communications and public relations material
- Developed online and offline content and promotional strategies for major exhibitions, community and school programs, and special events
- Managed a major overhaul of the brand and website
- Created and implemented a visual and content style guide
Saskatchewan Arts Board
Sep 2001 - Jun 2006
Developed all online and offline marketing and communications material including Annual Reports, stakeholder communications, website, social media presence and arts advocacy campaigns
Education
University of Northern British Columbia
The University of Regina - Luther College Campus
Projects
Write Like a Human
Developed a Medium publication that features tactical advice for people who weren’t hired to write product content but find themselves doing it anyway.
Ignite London
Aug 2009 - Apr 2010
Co-chaired and coordinated the first two Ignite events to happen in London, UK, which both sold-out in minutes. My responsibilities includes establishing the Ignite London website and social media accounts, planning and promoting the events and wrangling speakers ranging from Ben Hammersley of Wired Magazine to Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing and Russell Davies of the Interesting Conference.
Skills
- Content strategy & analysis
- UX and interaction content
- Writing & editing
- Developing voice and tone style guides
- Simplifying the complex
- Building a highly effective team
Content Strategist
Benjamin Noyes
Work Experience
Alibaba Group
Nov 2017 - Apr 2018
Member of the AliExpress international Content Strategy team. Focused on the global market (English language), responsibilities included UX writing, social media management, and internal thought leadership.
- Developed 10-page style guide for UX Writing on AliExpress platform
- Managed tiered strategy for global social channel, which resulted in increased metrics (19% for impressions, 65% for likes, 30% for link clicks, and 25% for engagement rate)
- Expanded video strategy with an emphasis on creating a more trust-oriented culture
- Virtually led a team to publish bi-weekly mailings on Content Strategy trends
Labbrand
Aug 2016 - Sep 2017
Lead for the corporate Content Strategy for Labbrand and its digital sub-brand, MADJOR. Responsibilities included global and local social media oversight, content pipeline management, content social strategy, and corporate touchpoint redesigns.
- Managed content pipeline during global expansion, which resulted in 1.75x greater volume (on average, per month) over a 1.25 year time period
- Initiated a global website revamp as content lead
- Created content for award-winning client projects, including Thomas Cook, SKODA, and Silicon Valley Bank
Labbrand
Sep 2015 - Jun 2016
General marketing specialist stationed at Labbrand's headquarters. Responsibilities included uploading content through the CMS, proofreading content from the CEO, and kick-starting the internal content program.
- Introduced content curation plan with nearly 80% employee adoption
- Collaborated with CEO on 7 thought leadership pieces cumulatively shared over 4k times
- Assited in creating and gatekeeping English content, including quarterly long-form reportst
Newhuadu Business School
Jun 2014 - Jul 2014
Part of a 28-person internship program in Beijing, China: program was divided into 6 teams, with each team given a group of companies to consult. As team 1, responsibilities included travel to Shenzhen, on-site tours, and secondary market research.
- Attended week-long introduction to business in the Chinese context
- Organized international competency review for the client (Shunde Municipal Government) comprised of primary and secondary market research about standout manufacturing firms
- Participated in managerial interviews in English and Chinese
- Pitched 63-page devlierables to succesfuly complete internship program
University of Richmond Writing Center
Aug 2013 - May 2015
Paid tutor for UR's Writing Center. As a specialist in ESL students and with an interest in cross-cultural rhetoric, responsibilities included meeting with cohorts of students 1:1 and suggesting actionable tips to improve writing.
- Published research paper on contrastive rhetoric in English and Mandarin
- Defined best practices for adapting Chinese academic writing to English academic writing
- Counseled 120 times per semester with consistently positive reviews
Education
University of Richmond
Aug 2011 - May 2015
Double major in Chinese Studies and Business Admin, with a concentration in Marketing. Involved on campus as an Orientation Advisor, Sigma Chi Fraternity Social Chair, and member of the Club Soccer team.
Peking University
Jun 2013 - Aug 2013
Achieved conversational fluency in Mandarin Chinese through a 10-week accelerated study abroad program. Completed Chinese Language CH 400 (401 + 402) and Chinese Cinema as Cultural Translation and Self Representation.
Skills
- Google Analytics
- Microsoft Suite
- Content Management Systems
- On-page SEO
- UX Writing
- Adobe Illustrator
- HTML, CSS, JavaScript
- Social Media Management
Content Strategist
John Moore Williams
Experience
Google Ads
Mar 2020 - Current
As a staff content strategist and team lead, I:
- Co-designed an information architecture and navigation system that unites Google Ads’ 80 distinct apps into a single, cohesive experience, improving navigation efficiency by 1.5%
- Evolved that information architecture by developing a brand architecture that wove a coherent, process-based narrative around the products’ many pillars
- Won a UX Writing Award in H1 2022 for my work on advertiser verification
- Led content design systems work for Ads Standards, the Ads Platform design system, and represent content design in design systems office hours
- Led content governance efforts, including the implementation of terminology and style checks on code at the presubmit stage
- Led our weekly content workshop, a cross-functional space for critique of work at any stage of the process
Webflow
Jul 2015 - Current
At Webflow, I led on all things content, from in-product guidance to marketing copy to our blog. I developed Webflow's voice, tone, and style guides (and built the website that houses them: http://editorial-style.webflow.io/); provide oversight on help center content; and developed guidelines for in-product content.
- Built our blog from near-nothing to over a half million subscribers
- Created and maintain the voice and tone, messaging, and content patterns portions of our brand style guide
- Launched three web-books with 10,000+ pageviews each—and ~5% conversion rate
- Concepted and wrote https://webflow.com/ix2, which was featured in Boing Boing: https://boingboing.net/2017/10/25/the-history-of-the-web-in-20-s.html
- Oversee all our social channels (with 53k followers on Facebook and over 19k on Twitter)
InVision
Oct 2014 - Jun 2015
I defined InVision's voice and tone, shaped the style guide, and brought a lively, human voice to every blog post, email, and landing page the company produced. I also played a key role in transforming the InVision blog into a design industry destination with over 1 million readers, providing guidance on a redesign, managing the editorial calendar, and editing each post for alignment with the brand.
- Increased CTR on large-list emails by an average of 6% over six months
- Improved blog traffic by 243% over 6 months
- Lowered post bounce rate on articles by an average of 20% over 6 months
- Increased product sign-ups by over 25% in one quarter
May 2013 - Oct 2014
After a year overseeing in-product copy, emails, and marketing materials as a content strategist on LinkedIn's Team Money (monetized product group), I transitioned to the Brand & Marketing team, where I served as the lead copywriter for all B2B product marketing materials.
- Wrote the script for the video "Fill in the ___", a key element for the launch of LinkedIn's educational products. You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f16YqkyHqrY
- Revised the LinkedIn Premium upgrade flow, leading to a 68% drop in refund requests and a 3 to 5% increase in lifetime value
- Determined content strategy, tone, and wrote all copy for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, the desktop and mobile app for salespeople
- Wrote the tagline, in-product copy, and marketing materials for LinkedIn Job Seeker, the mobile jobs app
Esurance
Apr 2011 - Apr 2013
Hired on as an SEO content copywriter, I eventually took over most in-product content projects, acted as lead ad copywriter for various sponsorships and partnerships, and coordinated a site content audit that led to significant performance improvements.
- Led most in-product content efforts (including registration and payment flows, the mobile app, and member area)
- Served as lead copywriter for Esurance Mobile, the Coverage Counselor, and a mobile insurance payment flow
- Covered sponsorships of the Golden State Warriors, South by Southwest, and various music festivals
Education
University of California at Berkeley
Skills
- Content strategy
- Content modeling
- Copywriting
- Blogging
- Editing
- User experience
- Wireframing
- Design
- Associated Press Style
- Chicago Manual of Style