WHO WE ARE
THE WORD CO.
I set up The Word Co. in 1995 to service companies who have small marketing teams or don’t need full-time, in-house communication skills.
Today, the business services a range of on-going clients across a range of industries, with internal and external communications. I also have an occasional one-off client who just needs some extra writing yesterday. Several clients have been with me since the turn of the century (which is really just early the 2000s, but sounds waaaay longer).
Typically I work with businesses whose small marketing team is just the marketing manager and maybe one marketing co-ordinator – this goes for SMEs and corporates. With me on board to do content, writing case studies, blogs, web copy, eDMS, testimonials, press releases, brochures, feature articles and so on, that manager can then concentrate on their role and use the skills their business wants from them: marketing strategy and implementation.
Interestingly, most of the SMEs I work with are, or were, family owned. I love their values of strong work ethic, celebrating wins, understanding the entire team is responsible for success, believing that every staff member has a contributing role to the company and then valuing that role and contribution.
When I first started out in business, with six years of corporate work under my belt, I took on any client I could. As a result of such lack of discernment, I had some terribly crap clients! I’ve not heard the words “can you do this just as a quick freebie” or “but I won’t need to pay you much/at all because it won’t take someone like you more than 5 minutes”. I always wanted to ask, what is “someone like me”? I’m guessing they didn’t mean someone who loves green smoothies, Aussie red wine, kelpies, agribusiness, spaces, technology, all things French, and researching and interviewing to copywrite a damn good piece? I think they just meant the last one.
So please see I can help you.
You can find out here what drives me. Apart from great writing, of course.
What our clients are saying about us:
It is with great pleasure that I provide this testimonial for Sam Schelling of The Word Co.
I consider myself to be able to write pretty good business letters. But that’s the problem – they’re business letters. What I needed were some templates for clients and prospective franchisees that would create excitement, as well as get across the main business points required.
Sam really knows her stuff and can turn something pretty boring for some (bookkeeping) into something exciting – she met the brief perfectly and delivered exactly what I needed!
Sam is always helpful with suggestions and quick with turnaround times – I tend to leave things to the last minute so really appreciate Sam getting things back to me so promptly!
Aside from the great work output, Sam is always very friendly and helpful on the phone – even when I forget the time difference between Queensland and Victoria and call outside of business hours!
Thanks Sam, I don’t know what I’d do without you!
I would have no hesitation in recommending Sam to meet your writing needs.
The Australian Federation of Medical Women wanted to put together a booklet, as a report on a 12-month project. We worked with Samantha on this.
Sam is enthusiastic and reliable, delivering excellent results on time. She kept me informed throughout the process, had great ideas and showed superb initiative.
Her top qualities are that she’s personable, good value and has high integrity.
I would have no hesitation in hiring her again and highly recommend her services.
Samantha (or “Sam” to me) has always delivered outstanding content — even when we have had really tight deadlines.
She is adept at presenting complex concepts in easy-to-read, digestible articles that engage the readers across both online and print media.
And I can definitely vouch for her attention to detail, having been caught out on commas and hyphens!
Sam is a people’s person and an exceptional professional. It’s always a pleasure working with her.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Sam Schelling of The Word Co. since 2002. We determined that we needed to significantly raise our profile within the Australian coding and labelling industry. The firm needed a consistent, energetic and professional message across all targeted business media. The Word Co. delivered that outcome!
Sam was able to deeply understand our complex business and the markets it served. We then developed key communication themes and messages together, and she integrated those messages in to all of our market facing communications; whether trade press, advertising, direct mail or website.
What we appreciated about working with Sam was that she would take the initiative to develop communications with very little input from ourselves. She developed strong — and respected — relationships within the media in our industry, which meant our message was often picked up by the industry press.
Above all else, working with Sam Schelling is a real pleasure. She’s professional, fun and engaging!
Gallagher contracts the services of Sam Schelling at The Word Co. for our local area marketing testimonials and product update editorials.
Sam is tasked with contacting our customers and interviewing them directly about our products and services. In doing so, Sam’s friendly but professional approach means that our customers are put at ease and come through with some insightful — and often surprising — editorial.
Sam can take a brief and, in turn, submit a piece that is not only very easy to read, but also very easy to get published. I highly value Sam’s skills, and would not hesitate in recommending her services.
I’m no longer a young man. After a working career spanning almost half-a-century I have worked with many experts, consultants and service providers. Some were pretty average. You’ve met them: they promise the world but deliver short.
But on occasions, I have worked with some pretty cluey and dedicated people. Samantha Schelling, who runs The Word Co., is one such person.
My expertise is in charity fundraising. With 600,000 community organisations within Australia, all competing for donors, volunteers and event attendance, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. The same is true when it comes to copywriters. I can tell you that Sam stands out, and that is why I have used her for the truly “special” tasks that needed to be done.
One project that was very close to both our hearts involved Sam right from the beginning until its ultimate launch. She was part of the “brainstorming group” too.
I think you will agree that Sam’s work speaks for itself. Go on, give her a try!
As a virtual assistant, my forté is making sure that my clients’ presentations and reputations always shine, but when it actually comes to highlighting and showcasing my own capabilities, well, that’s another story!
I approached The Word Co. to write a quarter-page ad for a specific audience. After completing an extensive questionnaire, The Word Co. came back with an article that blew me away. In fact, I still use the same ad which is as good now as it was when it was written. One client made the comment, “You are precisely the type of person I am looking for” — can’t beat that!
I have no hesitation in recommending The Word Co. for any type of project that requires a skilful use of words that stand out in the crowd.
Sam subedits CrazyCow In Print (an international all-breeds dairy magazine), and has also become a volley board for me with some of my creative process.
She is professional, accurate, thorough (without exception) and good for a laugh when the pressure is on.
She is also incredibly quick at knowing where I am headed with a story, and had an astounding grasp of the technical side of our operations early on. She has certainly been an asset to our businesses.
Subediting is a delicate field that adds the necessary polish to publications — yet is often foolishly underestimated.
I could not recommend Sam more highly — just as long as she still has time for us!
Dianna Malcolm, Co-publisherSam is always helpful with suggestions and quick with turnaround times – I tend to leave things to the last minute so really appreciate Sam getting things back to me so promptly!
Aside from the great work output, Sam is always very friendly and helpful on the phone – even when I forget the time difference between Queensland and Victoria and call outside of business hours!
Thanks Sam, I don’t know what I’d do without you!
I would have no hesitation in recommending Sam to meet your writing needs.
I have had the pleasure of dealing with Samantha over the past seven years during which time she has contributed a number of articles on behalf of her clients to magazines I have edited.
I have always found her copy extremely well written and professionally presented. Her research is thorough, her arguments sound, and her attention to detail commendable.
Samantha consistently demonstrates a clear understanding of her subject matter and how to pitch it to the target audience.
Sam Schelling is an absolute pleasure to work with.
She consistently endeavours to meet all deadlines – including particularly tight ones! – and does so with a positive demeanour.
She is exceptionally conscientious with her work, taking due care to independently research the subject matter and to meet the brief.
She takes on feedback in a professional manner and is a talented writer. Recommended.
I have worked with Samantha Schelling at The Word Co. with regard to website content and a newsletter, which we started from scratch.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Sam.
This is not only for the quality of the work produced, but I’ve found her ability to project manage each engagement, seeking input when required, to be of great benefit. This hasenabled me to spend more time in my business, and receive a quality output, on which I have received positive feedback from clients.
Samantha Schelling is MannaCare’s choice when it comes to professional writing.
Over the past 5 years she has completed a variety of writing projects for us, ranging from newsletters to the annual report to website copy.
Sam is gifted with a warm and engaging personality and sense of humour that helps to cultivate an excellent working relationship. This is backed up with substance — being the consistent production of written work of the highest standard on time and to cost.
I would have no hesitation in recommending Sam to meet your writing needs.
SAMANTHA SCHELLING
Marketing Copywriter
I’m Samantha Schelling and I am behind The Word Co. Pty Ltd. I have a small team who works with me, consisting of a graphic designer, a virtual assistant (VA) and a bookkeeper. They’re all specialists in what they do and they work with me just how I work with clients – as needed, from their own offices. Having them on board means I can concentrate on what I love: copywriting.
After completing a degree in Ag Science at Dookie Agricultural College, majoring in Rural Communications, I began my career in the early 1990s as a cadet journo on a country newspaper. However, my first brush with writing was a “book” called Mr Fox’s Carrots, “written” when I was four years old. (The same age at which I apparently announced I was going to buy a vineyard in France. As an adult I’ve written and edited a few books; the vineyard thing however is restricted to imbibing only – so far.. lol!)
Along the way I’ve lived and worked in major metro cities, doing a variety of roles as a journalist and then with a marketing-PR focus after completing a PR qualification. My roles have been as varied as a stint with the Olympic Co-ordination Authority in the lead-up to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, to writing case studies about how the technologies behind barcoding and electric fencing have benefited different types of manufacturing and agricultural businesses. Of course, there’s a heck of a lot in between there. So please see here for what I do.
After years of shifting around, I am grateful to be back regionally where the stars are easily seen, the spaces are wide, and nature, wildlife and livestock are plentiful. Not much beats closing the office door for the day, and taking in your surroundings with a glass of Aussie red, loved ones around you and a kelpie at your feet – or wrapped around you on what’s inevitably a small chair. Well, that’s my idea of heaven, anyway.
