Hey there 👋 I’m Hannah Ray.
I’m a writer, editor, and producer based in west Cornwall, UK.
I’m a journalist by trade, and work as a writer, editor, producer, and managing editor for international media, brands, creatives, authors, and artists.
I help people tell their stories. Creating brand-defining copy and world-class editorial is my jam.
Photos by Becky Tyrrell, May 2025
What can I do for you?
I write and edit accessible, clear, and confident copy and narratives, designed for tech-smart audiences—so your story can shine brightly in the vast content universe.
I’m a safe pair of hands for interviews, news updates, newsletters, roundups and curated lists, guest editions, memorable captions, headlines, subheadings and franchise series.
I write and edit all types of editorial copy. Anything online with words, basically.
I edit for length, clarity, tone of voice, and flow. I can provide quick turnaround line edits and proof reads.
I can direct, manage, and oversee all editorial content for global audiences on mobile and web.
I can produce and design omni-channel content, including podcast production, which makes your story sing.
What am I super pumped about?
Female-led companies, individuals,and teams wanting to make a difference in the world.
Writers, artists, and creatives wanting to connect with people through the power of story, with a community-lead mindset with a good-natured spirit.
Remote, flexible, part-time and freelance or project-based work is favoured.
Work with me if: You are interested in the power of good storytelling. You are looking to create communities as deep as they are wide, and are in it for the long game.
Look elsewhere if: You seek fast ‘viral’ growth, snackable content, and trending memes.
What else do I have to offer?
I am an empathetic leader: building world-class editorial and community teams who feel inspired to do their best work and reach key company goals.
I have more than 17 years experience in the media and tech industries, working in fast-paced remote entrepreneurial environments with international teams.
I write fiction, short stories, non fiction and poetry and have been short- and longlisted for writing awards.
I work 1:1 with select fine artists and authors to develop their digital offering through storytelling and community.
Services
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An AMA with me on any topic to deliver a strong injection of inspiration, demystification, and clarification on how to move forward. Come with: burning questions, whispered desires, half-baked ideas and a positive attitude. Leave with: bucket full of ideas, examples, some thoughts on where to start and, most importantly, a dose of truth-serum which dispels the confusion and shines a torch on a path for you.
370 GBP per 1hour 1:1
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Plug me into your existing team structure as a freelancer in any of the following work capacities: writer / curator / editor / producer / managing editor / editorial director. I’ve trained and worked with world class teams on multiple timezones from the Guardian to Instagram to Vogue International to Substack. My reporter days armed me with a willingness to turn my hand to any topic and roll my sleeves up to get the work done quickly, efficiently, and to gold standard. I can swallow your tone of voice document whole and make the wheels of the story wheel run smooth.
Here are some areas I can help with:
Writing, curation, copywriting
Editing, copyediting, and editorial management
500 GBP per day or 62.5 GBP per hour, or;
~285 GBP per 1K words (editing) or 400 GBP per 1k words (writing)
Social and mixed media content creation including caption copy, video direction and more – 570 GBP per day
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An advanced session on Instagram, Substack or community building to level up your existing offering. You already know your goals, brand, tone of voice, and have been working hard to tell your story over the last one to two years. We’ll look under the hood, whip through your dashboard and basics then brainstorm new content series and formats to build strong and deep communities. We can also use this session to dig deeper into a single advanced topic such as paid models, podcast tooling, production hacks, pages and sections, naming, community engagement projects, or social channel integrations. Come with: expert knowledge in socials and editorials and openness to try new things. Leave with: New technical knowhow, inspiration and awareness of the wider market, a production roadmap for your next idea.
Contact for quote
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An audit + workshop duo to kick start your online offering or project drawing on my expertise as a world class managing editor and creative producer. Give me a two-week turnaround to peek under the hood of your accounts and dashboards, then come together for a creative coworking session on how we translate the findings to set you back on track towards your big ideas and big dreams. We’ll look at account furniture, tone of voice, branding and about pages, positioning, design, content series, community engagement, and socials approaches. Come away with a strategic plan for a way forward, identified next steps, production needs listed, and a future checkin to see how you’re getting on. Or move onto ‘Team Up’ so I can join the team to implement the plan.
Contact for quote

Resume
Seven resume tidbits
I helped create the editorial strategy and daily output for Substack’s own Substack (the largest read Substack in the world with millions of subscribers) including interviews, weekly roundups, curated lists, features, and longer form trends spotlights. I also started, ran and grew their social media channels and inhouse editorial team.
I was Instagram’s first international hire, and built its first team of international community managers and editors in six markets.
I created and launched @vogue on Instagram as a community-first account, growing the channel organically from 0 to 500,000 followers in its 1st year, achieving highest engagement rate for Vogue on IG.
I spoke at leading industry conferences, events and gave media interviews for Digiday, VidCon, Worldwide Association of Women Journalists & Writers, GEN Summit, Digital Innovators Summit, The Photographer’s Gallery, and Marguerite Salon.
Outside of working in-house for companies like the Guardian, Vogue and Instagram, I created and produced short-form story content for Netflix, Akram Khan Company, Tate, and Airbnb.
I cowrote an ebook called Connected: The power of modern community with two other community experts in 2013. Tell Their Stories, was conceived as its follow-up and delivered as a signature workshop then newsletter and launched in 2021.
My short story, Being Lavender Blue was one of ten prize winners for the Teens of Tomorrow young adult anthology from Odd Voice Out Press, published in 2021. My poetry has been published in small online magazines and journals, my memoir writings for charities and I have two new book projects coming out in 2026.
Experience
Managing Editor
November 2023–May 2025
Storytelling Lead
Substack Inc
February 2022–May 2025
Director Brand & Community
Beams
Jan 2020–August 2021
Consultant
Nexflix UK Brand Editorial
Nov 2019–Jan 2020
Head of Social Strategy & Storytelling
Vogue International, Condé Nast
Jan 2017–Nov 2019
Community Creative Producer
Instagram
October 2013–October 2016
Community Coordinator
Guardian News & Media
Jan 2010–October 2013
Education
PgDip Newspaper Journalism
Cardiff School of Journalism
2008–2009
BA English Lit & Philosophy
Bristol University
2005–2008
Skills + languages
Editorial + journalism
Storytelling + narrative
Leadership + team building
Strategic vision
Wordsmith + copywriting
Social media insight
English
Portuguese
Spanish (intermediate)
What coworkers said about me
“I invoke Hannah’s name regularly and reverently and I would recommend her to anyone. Her principles are still the bedrock of how we do launches for Vogue internationally, and still fit seamlessly with our Conde Nast global approach. Her community building skills and ethos fit seamlessly with brand building, tone of voice: and it was a central component of the work she did with Vogue.
She really is my hero!”
“Hannah is strategic, analytical and creative. She is extremely effective at getting projects off the ground and seeing them to completion.”
“I’ve never felt so supported by any other manager before. She gets the best out of teams and encourages healthy minds, habits and attitudes.”
“A thoughtful, analytical and empathetic leader. Her expertise on community and storytelling is unmatched. She always comes to the table with creative strategies. She takes time to listen to XFN needs and knows how to navigate ambiguous environments.”
“A talent to watch. Her journalism skills mixed with affable nature and ability to build networks across diverse groups were an editorial success.”
What clients say about my work
“It’s been a joy working with Hannah this year. She has peeled back the layers of our brand, allowing us to identify our core raison d’être. She’s extremely skilled at turning nebulous ideas into succinct statements, which become a powerful toolkit for any brand. The Verbal Brand Identity document Hannah created for Unfabled continues to receive compliments from anyone we share it with (from FTSE 100 companies to world-leading brand experts), and I’m super excited to keep working together in 2022.”
— Hannah Samano, CEO and founder of Unfabled, UK.
“Our session with Hannah was short of revolutionary - so enlightening and liberating, leaving us with a fresh new perspective and understanding of how to approach Instagram, how to have fun with it and how to engage with our audience with a new depth which we now feel sure will help our Instagram community to grow and flourish in the right way.”
— — Selina Barker, founder of Project Love, UK.
“Hannah made me feel confident and excited about my social media account! She helped me discover what made my lifestyle so unique and how to share it with the world. It was always so great catching up with her during our meetings, as she is brilliant at strategizing for the future, yet so calm and down to earth. I would highly recommend Hannah!”
— Arielle Hixon, reporter and anchor, NYC.
“I love working with Hannah, she is very quick, very sharp, reliable and very understanding! Hannah is a great help on my road! Thank you❤️”
— Jane Puylagarde, artist based in Paris and Formentera

Say hey! ✌️
If you have an idea for a project or would like to get in touch to discuss working together, please send me an email and let's start talking...
i: @hannahray