Eleanor Bryan Ph.D

About Eleanor

Let’s be honest: most About pages are insufferably dull. A parade of credentials, a smattering of corporate jargon, perhaps a carefully curated photograph of someone looking pensively at a laptop. Yawn.

Here’s what you actually need to know: I’m Eleanor, and I’m absurdly good at what I do.

Not in a braggy, look-at-my-shiny-awards kind of way (though I have those too). I mean good in the way that matters. I understand that language isn’t just a tool for communication; it’s alchemy.

The right words in the right order can transform the mundane into the magnetic, the overlooked into the irresistible.

The Academic Bit (Because Credentials Matter)

You may have noticed those three little letters that follow my name. They’re there to quietly inform you that I’m part of a very elite club of smarty pants that obsess over certain topics for so long that they eventually become experts. My topic of expertise is English. So, as a professional writer, it comes in handy from time to time.

I’ve dedicated the entirety of my adult life to the study of words. I graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in 2015, and I had the honour of presenting the valedictorian speech to an entire cathedral full of fellow book nerds in silly tassel hats. I then went on to get a Distinction in my Master’s Degree. And just when people were starting to say “Ellie, it’s probably about time you left school”, I decided I wanted to be a university lecturer and embarked upon a Ph.D.

I was an associate lecturer in English literature at the University of Lincoln for 3 years, but when I submitted my Ph.D thesis in 2022, I realised that copywriting was my true calling. Yes, I loved the teaching, the books, the students, and the free printing privileges, but I hated marking with a passion.

So, my part-time copywriting side hustle became Arcanum Copy, and the rest is history.

I still teach the odd seminar at the uni on occasion, but most of the time you can find me tapping away at my keyboard at my office in Lincoln.

The Business Bit (Because Results Matter More)

From my base in Lincoln, I work with clients scattered across the globe. I work with entrepreneurs who need their brand voice to sing, businesses whose websites are currently whispering when they should be shouting, and brands whose messages are getting lost in translation.

I write the words you need to get you where you want to be. Whether that means optimising your content so that Google notices you exist, honing your messaging to get you more sales, crafting grant applications that make funders reach for their chequebooks, or editing your manuscript until it gleams, I approach every project with equal parts creativity and strategy.

The Philosophy Bit (Because Everyone Needs One)

We’re drowning in content. Every brand, every business, every person with a social media account is churning out words at a pace that would make Dickens weep. But volume isn’t victory. Standing out requires something rarer: substance wrapped in style, intelligence delivered with personality, expertise that doesn’t bore people into oblivion.

That’s where I come in.

I wear multiple hats – copywriter, editor, SEO strategist, social media consultant, proofreader, workshop facilitator. Some days I’m untangling a PhD thesis; others I’m teaching a start-up founder why their “About Us” page is killing their conversions. The common thread is the stories I spin to help you get where you want to be.

The Human Bit (Because You're Still Reading)

When I’m not obsessing over Oxford commas or debugging someone’s keyword strategy, you’ll find me reading classics, drinking too much coffee (or wine), and occasionally going down rabbit holes about etymology that nobody asked for.

(Did you know “arcanum” means a profound secret or mystery? Of course you did. You’re on this website so you clearly know what you’re about.)

I believe in the power of well-chosen words. I believe that clarity and creativity aren’t enemies. And I believe that your content should reflect the brilliance of what you bring to the world, not just fill space on a webpage.

My Approach

Some copywriters have a niche or a particular set of topics that they feel comfortable writing about. They feel safe there, they understand the field fairly well, and they know they can reliably drum up content that does the job for their customers.

That’s not my style.

I’d be bored out of my mind if I only ever wrote on one topic. And bored people write boring copy.

I am, by nature, a researcher, and half the fun for me is delving into your industry. I’ll research your field, your competitors, and your products. I’ll learn how you operate, how your clients operate, and how your products or services function. I’ll then leverage these insights to ensure the copy I craft engages with your audience, endorses your brand, and helps you stand out from the crowd.

I’ve written for international blue chip companies, and I’ve written for local SMEs. I’ve worked for software developers, digital marketers, universities, plumbers, counsellors, manufacturers, schools, accountants, restaurants… I could go on and on.

There’s no project too big, and there’s no subject too complicated. I thrive on variety, and I love to learn. Drop me a message to see how I can help you.

Ready to Make Your Words Work Harder?

Whether you need someone to polish your prose, ramp up your SEO, write content that actually converts, or teach your team to do it themselves, I’m your person.

Get in touch.