Cars

I write across JLR’s customer-facing digital platforms – from the vehicle configurator to in-app content and, occasionally, messages that show up in the car.

A particular highlight has been working on Jaguar’s rebrand and the launch of the new all-electric Type 01. My role has involved championing Jaguar’s distinctive tone of voice across customer journeys and marketing campaigns, while also contributing to press releases and content for the new Jaguar App. Having spent years reporting on the car industry, it’s been fascinating to see behind the scenes of one of the biggest automotive launches in recent years.

And I’ve discovered that writing copy for a car manufacturer isn’t as simple as bashing out some words. It means working with stakeholders across the business, understanding what different teams need and bringing a lot of competing feedback together without losing sight of the person at the other end of it. I’ve also led several AI training sessions for colleagues – something I certainly didn’t expect when I joined JLR, but one of the most enjoyable parts of the job.

I joined heycar with a remit to bring the same kind of no-nonsense advice I’d been writing at HonestJohn.co.uk – buying guides, ownership tips and detailed car reviews.

Alongside the editorial work came a steep SEO learning curve, with a strong focus on building high-intent organic traffic in a competitive space without the marketing budgets of our rivals.

My favourite project was heycar e-quipped: 10-minute calls where customers could ask a real person anything about electric vehicles. That person was me. It brought in more leads and sign-ups, and worked so well the format was rolled out across other content. Speaking directly to buyers like that remains one of the highlights of my career.

I also became heycar’s media spokesperson on electric cars, including an appearance on ITV Central News.

Probably the best job a 20-something car enthusiast can have. I wrote first drives and road tests, spending a good portion of my time travelling across Europe in the latest cars, and ran the test car diary, which meant driving something different almost every week.

A standout part of the role was answering reader questions on the infamous Ask HJ – real people asking real questions about cars they were about to spend real money on. No horsepower chat, no 0–60 times. Just “will this fit in my garage?” and “will it actually break down?”

Answering hundreds of those taught me more about what car buyers actually care about than any press launch ever could. The answer, more often than not, was a Honda Jazz.

I joined Motoring Research straight out of university and worked my way up from content assistant to web editor. News, features, launches, road tests, long-term reviews – the full mix, often under serious deadline pressure in a small team that consistently punched above its weight.

Along the way I picked up bylines in Fleet News, MSN Cars, PistonHeads, City AM and Auto Italia, and drove more cars than I can realistically remember.

The real value wasn’t the mileage or the cuttings – it was the deadline discipline and editorial judgement that everything since has been built on.