Project Description
Client: The Calming Minds Project // Jess Cook Design
Project: Website copywriting for a new website
When: Summer 2024
Website: www.thecalmingmindsproject.com
The Calming Minds Project (CMP) is a six-year venture created by a team of academics from the University of Exeter to explore what makes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) effective in reducing worry, rumination, and overthinking in adults. With Wellcome Trust funding, the CMP team needed a website to attract volunteers who could provide feedback to improve key CBT techniques and mental health outcomes.
Website copywriting project background
The project began in 2022 when the CMP applied for funding through the Wellcome Trust. Looking to investigate how CBT for repetitive negative thinking (RNT) works and test novel treatment strategies, the six-year volunteer project could lead to new and improved treatments to help people access more effective ways to manage and prevent overthinking, worry, and rumination from getting out of control. As a result, this would mean better treatment and prevention of depression and anxiety. The new website would be aimed at adult volunteers who could get involved with initial studies to test different strategies and exercises for reducing worry, rumination, and overthinking.
Web copy requirement in full
Branding, graphic, and website design expert Jess Cook contacted me to provide copywriting for the project. As we’ve collaborated on a couple of projects before, it was good to have the chance to work with her again alongside the CMP team from the University. With all-new website copywriting needed for every page across the new site, the copy requirement came down to the following core pages:
– Main Home page
– Take part (plus FAQs)
– Lived Experience Advisory Panel (for people with lived experience of RNT who will guide and shape the project in the future)
Alongside these core pages, we added more background information pages, including:
– About the project
– About the team
– Find support (mental health support resources)
– Publications (showcasing several research papers from the CMP team)
– Who we work with (the CMP collaboration between world-leading institutions and academics)
– News
I started by writing the home page for the team’s approval of copy style, tone, and content. SEO was a low priority for the CMP as they planned to create awareness of the site via the University and social media campaigns. Once they approved the Home page copy, I worked on the remaining pages in the same style. Once complete, I shared the pages with the CMP team who came together to give feedback and comments on each.
Copywriting challenges
During the feedback process, I met some challenges along the way. As a team of academics, some were keen to present the copy in a more formal way. However, after explaining that the target audience is members of the public over 18 – which is a large demographic – the copy has to be easy to read and understand by everyone, particularly when the subject matter may be more technical or difficult to follow.
There was also pushback where they thought some of the copy had too much irrelevant detail. While there’s always a case for brevity in website copywriting, having background info about the funding, the team, and the project itself gives people the information if they choose to read it.
All of these issues were completely viable points of view, so there was no ill-feeling or clashes over this. However, I worried some of the team were reading the content as if they were the user, which they weren’t. This mindset is more common than you might think. So, with explanations and reasoning, while taking into account their edits/amendments, I used my professional judgement to keep the copy more human and keep in some of what had been earmarked for deletion.
Final amendments and going live
Whatever copy I’m working on, receiving feedback with minimal changes is always good. Despite the pushback in some areas (see above) and some amends to some of the factual content, the CMP team were happy with the copy overall and how it read.
Once all pages were complete and approved, the copy went back to Jess so she could populate the new site design. With the illustrations and site page layout designs getting approval from the CMP, Jess could create the stylish website you can visit now, launched in September 2024.
The whole team here are super impressed with the work and copywriting Graeme provided, which, given a previous lack of knowledge on the subject is made more impressive. It’s been a real pleasure to work with Graeme and DropCapCopy on this, and I would highly recommend.
Martin Howard, Research Project Manager – The Calming Minds Project
Website copywriting from DropCapCopy
When you need informative website copywriting that covers difficult or technical subjects to make them utterly readable and understandable without dumbing down, contact me or email me at write@dropcapcopy.com today.
