A journalism-led interview for sole traders and small businesses. I find what makes you genuinely different, and turn it into two practical documents you can use to communicate your business clearly — yourself or with AI.
Most brand exercises start with a form. You fill in boxes about your values and your target audience and your unique selling point. Then someone writes something generic based on what you wrote.
This is different. It starts with a real conversation, shaped by six years of journalism. I ask the questions that move things forward, listen for what’s actually interesting, and follow the threads you don’t notice you’re pulling.
The story behind the business. The reason you do it this way. The client who said the thing that made you realise what you were really offering. The bit you always undersell because you assume people already know.
I find it. I write it down. Then I turn it into something you can use.
Four stages, usually completed within a week.
Usually 15 to 20 minutes. We talk about your business, I answer any questions, and we work out whether it’s a good fit. No pitch, no pressure, no commitment. If it’s not right for you, I’ll say so.
45 to 60 minutes, by video call or in person if you’re near Darlington. I lead the conversation, asking the questions that get past the rehearsed answer and drawing out the things that tend to get left out. You talk. I take care of the rest.
Around four pages. Who you are, what you do, what makes you different, and how you sound. Written clearly, in plain language. Not a fifty-page strategy. Something that’s actually useful.
A companion file built from your Brand Brief. Drop it into ChatGPT, Claude or any AI writing tool before you start writing, and it stops guessing what you sound like. Your tone, your style, what to say and what to avoid.
Around four pages. Clear, specific, and written to be used, not filed away. The kind of document you can hand to a copywriter or a web designer and actually explain yourself.
What it covers
How to use it
A ready-to-use file built directly from your Brand Brief. Give it to any AI writing tool and it stops guessing what you sound like.
What it includes
How to use it
Example prompt excerpt
A real Brand Brief, produced for Heard. itself, using the same process every client goes through.
Founded by Jamie Lawson, a former broadcast journalist. The service exists to solve one problem: most small business owners know what they do, but can’t find the words for it. Heard. finds those words through a proper interview, not a form, not a questionnaire.
The result is two documents: The Heard. Brand Brief, and The Heard. AI Writing Prompt. Together, they give clients the foundation for everything they write.
Jamie spent six years in radio newsrooms where clarity had to be found quickly and delivered without hesitation. He interviewed hundreds of people on politics and local issues, and learned how to listen, find what matters, and turn a long conversation into a short, precise story.
Heard. is that discipline applied to small business. The same skills produce the same result: something specific, honest, and genuinely useful.
Most brand and content services start with a template. Heard. starts with a conversation. That matters because the things that make a business genuinely interesting are rarely the things the owner thinks to write down. They come out in conversation, in the aside, in the story told by way of example.
Heard. is built around the reality of AI. The Brand Brief and AI Writing Prompt aren’t produced despite AI tools. They’re produced because of them. The interview gives AI what it actually needs to write well for you.
Heard. writes the way a good journalist speaks: clearly, without jargon, without exaggeration. Short sentences. Concrete examples over abstract claims. No fake warmth, no manufactured urgency, no buzzwords.
Jamie wrote me a piece that for the first time I felt was authentically my voice. I felt “Heard” and understood by him. I would recommend his work to anyone.
Jen Bellamy
Therapist
There’s no tiered pricing, no add-ons, no hidden costs. The Interview includes everything listed below.
The consultation is always free. No commitment until you’re ready.