For Brafton’s Chelsey Church, it’s all about the three C’s: craft beer, Cleveland and content.
In fact, I clearly remember talking about these three specific things in her interview for the Content Writer position. Needless to say, she left a great first impression, and we hired her right away.
Soon after graduating from Kent State University with a journalism and mass communication degree, Chelsey left her home state of Ohio and came to Boston, finding her place on Brafton’s editorial team in September 2015.
And she’s been a content-creating machine ever since.
“As a Content Writer, I get to do what I love and am passionate about, all day long, which is writing,” Chelsey said. “From telemedicine technology distributors and hospital marketers, to luxury real estate brokers and fitness and wellness companies, I can say I write for a wide range of industries.”
While she believes she’s strongest when writing on lifestyle topics, she’s been able to pick up the healthcare jargon through research and consistency. It’s now become second nature to her.
Read on to find out about Chelsey’s insights into what it takes to be a marketing writer and which craft beers she recommends.
Creative content craftswoman
It wasn’t until she was in high school that Chelsey realized she wanted to be a writer. Before that, her career aspiration was to be an artist, thanks to her favorite show as a child, “Pappyland.”
She knew she wanted to write when she began taking creative writing classes as a teenager.
“I think I wrote poetry for my boyfriend at the time and he thought it was the greatest thing in the world,” she said. “Cheesy, I know, but this was around the same time I needed to start thinking about college and realized I wanted to end up doing something I loved, was good at, and made others happy.”
Although her concentration in college was in magazine journalism, when she took the Content Writer role at Brafton, she discovered she could apply her more traditional writing skills to the fast-evolving world of content marketing.
It’s this constantly changing landscape that Chelsey believes writers need to always be prepared for.
“Clients are more educated about content marketing and are therefore more precise about what they want,” she said. “When all of these changes occur, you have to restructure the way you work through the day, which can be challenging. That’s why I’m all about organization.”
Besides exceptional organizational skills, Chelsey said those who want to succeed in the industry also need to be timely and open-minded, with a thick skin.
Even though I’m not in the office anymore, I can still feel everyone’s collaborative efforts and willingness to get stuff done, and it keeps me going.
“If you don’t have these skills, you’ll end up in the corner rocking in the fetal position on a daily basis,” she joked. “Well, not really, but you’ll be more stressed out than the average person should be.”
But it’s not all tight deadlines and strict organization. Chelsey loves when she’s able to write about topics she’s passionate about, especially food and fitness. She often uses her spare time to either whip up a new recipe in the kitchen or head to the gym, and when she has the chance, she’s able to create great content around these interests.
Another favorite part of her job is her co-workers. When she was in the Boston office, she enjoyed celebrating with her colleagues at the end of Brafton editorial’s monthly deadlines. And despite being a remote writer now, she still feels that sense of camaraderie.
“Even though I’m not in the office anymore, I can still feel everyone’s collaborative efforts and willingness to get stuff done, and it keeps me going,” she said.
Cheers to Chelsey
Hailing from Cleveland, Chelsey made Boston her home for a bit, but she has since moved on to work remotely from Syracuse, New York. Even though she doesn’t miss the often-miserable commute on the T (Boston’s infamous transportation system) and the small apartment she and her husband shared, she does miss coming into the office every day and interacting with her fellow writers.
“I now only have to walk five steps from my bedroom to my home office, so the commute is much better,” she said. “But I’m not too fond of the limited human interaction in the workplace. I’m such a people person, so most days I have to take a break, grab the laptop and head to the nearest coffee shop. Even if I don’t talk to anyone, just being surrounded by other individuals working helps.”
As a Content Writer, I get to do what I love and am passionate about, all day long, which is writing.
To keep the alliteration in her life going, Chelsey is also an aficionado of craft beer. Her favorite is the Great Lakes Chillwave Double IPA, not only for its deliciousness, but also because it shares Cleveland roots with her. When she lived in Boston, she went on the Harpoon Brewery tour at least five times, and she enjoys the brand’s Leviathan Imperial IPA.
She’s even got a dedicated blog/vlog about craft beer in the works.
Whether she’s discovering her favorite new beer, or creating compelling content for her clients, everything’s coming up roses – and C’s – for Chelsey Church.
