About

After an award-winning career as an advertising copywriter, Mike was an early, very early, adopter and advocate of social media. (He was the 11,700th person to spot the potential of and sign up for Twitter in 2006.)

In 2016 he was hired by The DO as Creative Director on the hugely influential Side Projects Report. As if he didn’t have enough on his plate writing that, it was also time, that he trained and certified as a qualified Tiny Habits coach, becoming one of the few officially recognised Tiny Habits coaches in the UK fully accredited and endorsed by BJ Fogg. And the only Creative Director of note in the entire world trained, in both Behaviour Design and the Tiny Habits Method.

Recognised by D&AD for his copywriting skills, Mike has also sat on the prestigious Annual’s Copy Jury. An avid cyclist, bodysurfer and ex-Ironman Triathlon Finisher (just), Mike knows first-hand that Tiny Habits and Baby Steps can take you a long, long way.

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Podcast

Intro: Hi Mike, we have heard so about you from our Headteacher, Mr. Sammels. He says that you wear the best shirts ever and always give a packed and memorable speech. Having a world renowned copy writer and marketing genius at Mayflower is the most amazing thing We won't forget your kindness. We have done our research and can see that you know your stuff when it comes to writing. We can't wait to learn from you. How are you today? So, here goes...

 

Q1: Our first question is going to hit hard - how do you write good copy and what is writing copy all about?

 

Q2: When you were at school did you ever listen to your teachers about how to write? From our research we doubt that you did because you write in a very different way to how we are sometimes taught. Should we listen to our teachers about how to write?

 

Q3: Mike, Mr. Sammels tells me that you like to ride a bike and that you take your phone with you to make notes and organise your thoughts. We also know that you recently injured your knee. Our question is, what did you learn about yourself as you recovered from your knee injury and how does tech help you with ideas while you are exercising?

 

Q4: We know that you love to study advertisements, like those from Nike, Patagonia and Rapha. We have looked at some of these companies and they all make us feel a certain way with their style of messaging. What should we learn from looking at adverts?

 

Q5: We have been working with Graham Fink. He is a buddy of yours and our Headteacher, Mr Sammels. Graham has been teaching us that it is important to Fink Differently. What would you say about this?

 

Q6: David Hieatt makes great jeans (but we can not afford them).  Do you think that you could get us a trip with you to his Ideas Farm and Jeans Factory so that we can learn more about how to create great products and tell a great story?

 

Q7: You have written a Stress Report. It is full of fantastic illustrations and short pieces of writing. Do you think that we could write and create something like this about our school or other schools? 

 

Q8: You are a master of Tiny Habits - could you tell us a little bit about this?

 

Q9: If we want to be a designer, a writer or a media guru like you, what are your top tips for a 10 year old?

 

Q10: You inspire us. Who inspires you?

 

Q11: Some say that to get good at something you should do it everyday. Should we write every day and what tools and equipment should we use to do this? What are your top tips for being the best writer out there?

 

Outro: Well Mike, you did not disappoint us. You are a master of your trade and we can see that your unique style helps you to write the best copy and get those high-value jobs. Thank you so much for being with us today and please do think of us when you write your next blog or year book. We think we are doing stuff that's different in schools. We think it is worth it. We would love to work more with you to change the world of education. And remember, Together we can...

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Teaser Clip