Check Out Libby Bartley’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Libby Bartley.

Hi Libby, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my career as a copywriter, working with globally-renowned advertising agencies and producing creative for leading CPG companies. With a few years under my belt, I started to venture into strategy and content creation—a career move that empowered me to fuse my storytelling capabilities and create impactful work, specifically for clients in the beauty category.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, I pivoted to freelancing full-time, and that’s when my career really began to take off. I started collaborating with agency partners that entrusted me to name products, lead campaign copy, and contribute my skills in a high-level capacity.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like any fruitful career, mine has seen its share of challenges. In my early to mid-twenties, I was hungry for responsibility but often found my sense of eagerness was met with a request to stay in my lane. Another challenge I struggled to navigate was working under senior talent that didn’t embody the type of writer or creative I wanted to be. It really taught me to have high standards of the people I work with because if you’re not surrounded by creatives who aspire to continuously make the work better, you miss an opportunity to sharpen your skill set.

Freelancing offered a solution to both of these challenges and gave me the agency to be the pilot of my own career. It opened doors for me to work alongside brilliant minds that helped me evolve my creative output and ultimately lead me to bring forth the caliber of work I always knew I had the potential to create.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
In short, I write stories for beauty brands. I’ve always been passionate about working in this category because the products we’re promoting have such a meaningful place in the lives of our customers. Beauty is so personal, and to have the responsibility of producing copy that makes consumers feel seen and valued is a high honor. However, it’s also a category that’s incredibly saturated, so the challenge of writing something that feels ownable to our clients is ever-present. Every time I sit down to create copy, I write through the lens of solving a problem, but in a way that feels personable and on-tone for the brand. This process, coupled with a thoroughly-defined tone of voice, is what makes our clients leaders in the field.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
As a student, an accomplished writer at Teen Vogue told me: “Read what you want your writing to sound like.”

Ever since I’ve made a habit of visiting my local bookstore once a month to stock up on new magazines. Reading Vogue, Allure, Elle, Haper’s Bazaar, and Vanity Fair has always been a source of inspiration for me as a writer. It actually inspired me to start a language journal years ago that I still tend to.

I also learned a lot from reading Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond by Pauline Brown and Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits by Debbie Millman. Should you read them, I recommend doing so with a pen in hand.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.libbybartley.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lib_bart/

Image Credits
Photo credit: Folchi Creative (@folchicreative)