My writing story

Every career has a journey — here’s mine: 

  • Journalist, interrupted

    Straight out of college, I moved to Florida and started my career as a journalist working for city magazines. My dream was to right wrongs, shine lights, and help fight corruption. But after a few years, it was clear there wasn’t an appetite for that where I was living. So I quit my day job and worked in sales for a bit. Soon, a friend who worked in the commercial printing business invited me to his enormous warehouse. He showed me practically endless stacks of brochures and other collateral.

    “See all this stuff?” he asked with a smirk. “People write it. They’re called copywriters.”

  • ​The letter

    I took the hint and sent a letter to all of the ad agencies in Orlando (there were 26 at the time) asking if they were interested in hiring a freelance copywriter with a journalism background. It turns out some were — and right away, to my total surprise. It was a medium-size market and they had recognized me from my bylines.

    So I literally had to run to the bookstore to buy everything I could find on “how to be a good copywriter” before my first meeting. I studied hard, worked hard, drove myself hard, and by the time I moved to Atlanta the next year, I had a portfolio I was proud of.

  • ​Next stop: Atlanta

    I didn’t know anyone in this new city so I went to an Atlanta Ad Club networking event. I met a freelance designer there who introduced me to a couple of his direct marketing agency clients. In a matter of weeks, I was sitting at conference tables with those clients’ clients, developing concepts and writing copy to help them grow their businesses. I worked like crazy. My portfolio grew. I was having a blast.

    I worked as a team with that designer for many years (he’s a teacher now) and with other great designers. I still work with one of my first clients from those early days. She was an account executive then and is now a principal at a successful marketing firm.

  • Greater meaning, please

    As fun as it was to write pieces that reached so many people — millions, sometimes — after a while, I wanted my daily work to better reflect my values. So, I began to focus exclusively on nonprofits. Soon after, I began writing for government offices and saw how much more powerful the outcomes are when government agencies, nonprofits, and commercial organizations all work together toward a common goal.

    I began writing for clients involved in cross-sector collaboration, and then fell in love with the next level-up concept — sustainability, for both climate and organizations. I also became GRI-certified.

  • Entrepreneurs

    Being a “creative” and having started my first business at seven years old, I’ve always been drawn to making something from nothing. Whether it’s a piece of writing, a fresh idea, a good mood, a new service, a bigger kitchen, a photograph, a campaign, a project rollout…whatever the “something” is, the creative energy that drives it captivates me.

    Entrepreneurs have that energy for their ideas. And they think big. And it turns out I have a knack for helping them turn their visions into strategic communication frameworks. Today, almost all of the organizations I work with are entrepreneurial, and the rest have an entrepreneurial spirit.

  • Partnership model

    After doing more and more work for two specific clients, I became not only their go-to writer and content strategist but also a trusted advisor who helped drive their communication and marketing decisions. The partnership model is ideal for small- to medium-sized businesses that need consistent, high-quality content development and strategic communications advice from a seasoned professional. 

  • An exciting pivot

    I jumped right into the deep end with AI and now use AI tools to deliver even better, more relevant services for my clients. I’ve built a genuine understanding of LLMs and AI-powered search through coursework and hands-on learning, and I absolutely love working with AI as a thought partner and content reviewer. While I don’t love all the AI slop that brands are publishing, all that mediocrity is raising the bar for truly original, engaging, and useful content.

    I firmly believe B2B brands are better served by creative professionals who embrace the technology and apply it judiciously.

  • No better way to spend the workday

    I’ve completed more successful writing projects than I can count since I sent that first letter to the ad agencies. It can be an intense experience at times, and sometimes my eyes burn from staring at the computer for so long. But it’s hard for me to imagine a more interesting, fulfilling, and fun (yes!) way to spend my work hours. 

    I look forward to tackling the next opportunity — maybe it’s working with you.

 

“Nikki joined our group of green startups one afternoon for a workshop on ‘How To Make Your Website Work For You’, and her sharing of her expertise made this a very successful event. Our entrepreneurs really appreciated learning from an expert who obviously was speaking from much experience “in the trenches” and was able to answer their questions with concrete, practical advice.

Nikki was not just giving us recipes to follow but demonstrated how, and why, the message can be crafted so that our web presence brings results. Many thanks, Nikki!”

Bernie Burgener
Executive Director, Greenhouse Accelerator, Green Chamber of the South

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