The crux of outstanding creative work lies in meticulously crafted editorial copy. Valued for their linguistic brilliance, creative writers are in high demand across various elite industries, as their skill in crafting compelling and effective messages plays a crucial role in the success of advertising campaigns and editorial content.
Branded as a true writer, the UK’s Nish Tej has pioneered numerous successful global campaigns for countless prestigious companies worldwide including Apple, Airbnb, and Soho House & Co, as well as editorials for newspapers such as City A.M. With her diverse talent for balancing creativity with strategy, Tej’s work continues to shape modern culture and establish a benchmark for creative brilliance.
A voracious reader at a young age, Tej found her passion for writing during her studies in English language, literature, and law at the esteemed University of Westminster. Early on in her writing career, in a time before the rise of social media when journalism significantly influenced people's choices, Tej was enlisted to review London restaurants for several PR agencies and newspapers.
“Writing for print magazines and newspapers gave me the best foundation for copywriting, I was using words in a creative way, it gave me freedom and it was liberating,” recalls Tej. “It meant I could work to tight deadlines, never used jargon, and knew how to be a team player.”
Early on in her career Tej, a versatile writer, excelled as a luxury columnist. Leveraging her passion for history and drawing from her extensive journalistic background, Tej partnered with City A.M. in 2017, a renowned British newspaper specializing in business, politics, and finance, to share her knowledge on luxury watches and high-end jewelry in column form.
“I wanted to work with City A.M. because they work with talented journalists who conveyed the news honestly,” Tej explains. “It gave me more confidence with writing as the editors were veterans of journalism.”
Putting her storytelling and marketing talents to good use, Tej catered her articles towards City A.M.’s business readers, more specifically male audiences with a keen interest in business, finance, and the potential investment value of luxury watches.
Tej's varied pieces explored a broad spectrum of subjects, ranging from in-depth editorials on travel watches to the sophistication of dress watches. The columns garnered extensive attention within the magazine, which has a monthly online readership of over 2 million and over 67,000 in print.
Tej has a distinct talent for syncing words that are not only memorable but also adaptable for various platforms and audiences. Her proficiency in conducting thorough research to engage a targeted audience and her ability to speak to the brand's identity with her writing secured Tej a key copywriting role at Airbnb where she quickly made a mark. During her time at Airbnb, Tej became known for crafting punchy taglines to showcase the wide range of accommodation on offer via the multi-billion dollar platform. In fact, her work was key in helping to solidify and spread the popularity of the ‘Dark Mode’ tagline.
“The creative team wanted fresh ideas to promote a new category feature on the Airbnb app,” explains Tej. “I delivered an abundance of taglines that were used, the most noticeable being Dark Mode.”
The Dark Mode tagline, curated by Tej, seamlessly complemented an image of a starry sky above a lit-up house, showcasing Airbnb's camping category. Tej was enlisted by Airbnb's chief designer, Ali McNair, to assist the team who were facing challenges with the Out of Home (OOH) ad campaign. The team needed clear, succinct and witty taglines to grab attention on billboards across the globe, and Tej proved to be the perfect writer for the job.
“Where other writers on the team got frustrated and ran out of options, Nish [Tej] continued to provide copy options and new ideas,” recalls Ali McNair. “Her journalism and hospitality background paired with her love of tech made her the ideal copywriter for this campaign. Add creativity, strategic thinking and emotional intelligence and you’ve got Nish, a truly great copywriter.”
The Dark Mode tagline not only significantly increased company revenue but also sparked the attention of Airbnb's founder Brian Chesky, leading to the installation of the billboard at the global headquarters in San Francisco.
Tej’s success at Airbnb coupled with her prior achievements as a copywriter on the Soho House App, Soho House Skincare line and their 25th anniversary magazine, soon put her in the running for a coveted position at Apple– which to nobody’s surprise, she landed. But it was more than just her skill as a writer that ushered her into a position at the second largest company in the world.
“While my core skills are writing whether it be for copywriter, ux or editorial, I have a strong business acumen, which began from my law degree, as I have grown in my career I am well versed in presenting at c-suite level,” explains Tej. “My contributions to every project are high impact and can be measured by an increase in traffic, acquisition and cultural cachet.”
Recruited as a copywriter for various retail marketing projects, a position she continues to excel in today, Tej’s position is very hush hush– as is the case with most of Apple’s higher up employees who sign NDAs before they are privy to the company’s projects.
Working closely with various arms within the company, such as the Apple TV service and Apple Environmental partners, Tej continues to lend her remarkable tech expertise and innovative advertising skills to create content and represent the brand’s voice to the global Apple audience.
“Apple has created the most transformative products of the modern age, their tools have changed industries and lives forever,” says Tej. “The impact they continue to create in the world with their innovation and technology is mind-blowing. It is a dream come true to be a part of that growth.”
Given the nature of working under NDAs, Tej is unable to disclose many details about the projects she’s involved in, however she expresses that her collaboration with Apple has been a positive experience.
“Apple takes care of their teams and gives their customers the best possible experience,” Tej shares. “Every project I work on is interesting, challenging and still makes me love writing.”
A talented writer who's mastered the artful use of language, Tej’s expertise in brand elevation and has helped her to establish higher industry standards in the fields she works in, and have cemented her as a valuable asset to various global giants like Apple, Airbnb, Soho House and others.
An innovative pioneer who has been recognized for her ability to craft compelling copy for advertising and editorial copy, there is no doubt that we will be seeing a whole lot more from Nish Tej in the future.
“I hope to continue writing and leveraging emerging technologies to tell innovative stories,” admits Tej. “I hope my work will tap into universal human experiences and have a social impact. Words will always matter and it’s a privilege to share them with the world.”
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