A.wordsmith

Writing, branding and public relations are the working tools of A.wordsmith, a boutique communications firm in Portland that builds its clients' reputations and influence. Since 2009 the firm has built content and thought leadership programs for both business-to-business and consumer clients, and it says its aim is to help them move beyond glossy marketing language toward material that is accurate, specific and credible.

Writing services for thought leadership and case studies

The writing team produces articles of thought leadership, client case studies and further content, with a director of writing services overseeing the work. The firm's own description of its approach is that it makes complex subjects compelling, so that readers take in a clear argument rather than being told what to think, and it keeps the work in a voice that a client's audience will trust.

Public relations aimed at the right outlets

Public relations work covers positioning and outreach to the media, with campaigns built around the outlets and influencers a client's field depends on. The firm says it designs programs that make a point, rather than producing one-off announcements, and it links PR with the content the client already publishes.

Branding and positioning

Branding work sets out how an organization should present itself, through positioning, messaging and visual identity. The firm presents this as a way of making an organization stand apart from its competitors and of giving its employees, partners and clients a consistent account of what it does.

Communications strategy across audiences

Communications strategy plans how a client builds ties with its own staff, its partners, its customers and reporters, and how that work supports sales with higher-value customers. The firm describes this as a single plan rather than a set of separate projects, so that content, PR and branding each reinforce the others.

Social media and the team behind the work

Social media work is run by a strategist who handles that channel on the team, and the firm's wider group of communications professionals includes a vice president who heads strategy and a director of writing services. The firm says it works with organizations that are trying to make their communities healthier, happier and more inclusive, and it describes its own team as curious, direct and committed to clients over the long term.

What the firm does not sell

The firm says it does not sell products. Its stated offer is trust, authentic relationships and coverage and content that can only come from working closely with the companies it represents. Its office is in Portland, and it takes on communications work for organizations that want a partner for the full cycle, from early thinking about a message through to sharing it widely.