Last updated: 1 October 2026
 

These Terms & Conditions apply to copywriting and related services provided by Told By Lucy, a sole trader business operated by Lucy Appleyard.
 

By engaging Told By Lucy for services, you agree to these Terms & Conditions.

 

1. About Told By Lucy
 

Told By Lucy provides professional copywriting and related content services to businesses and organisations.
 

Services may include, but are not limited to:

• Website copywriting

• SEO copywriting

• Blog and editorial content

• Social media copy

• Email copy

• Marketing and campaign copy

• Brand copy

• Product and service descriptions

• Proofreading and editing

• Content strategy and development

• Other copywriting or content services agreed between us
   

The exact services provided will be agreed with you before work begins.


 
2. Quotes and proposals
 

Where appropriate, I will provide a written quotation, proposal or description of the work before a project begins.
 

A quote will outline the agreed scope of work and, where relevant, the expected timescale and price.

Unless otherwise stated, quotes are valid for 30 days.
 

A project will only be considered confirmed once the scope of work has been agreed by both parties.


 
3. Payment
 

Payment is not required upfront unless otherwise agreed in writing.
 

Invoices will be issued according to the payment terms agreed for the project or ongoing service.
 

Unless otherwise agreed, invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date.
 

If an invoice remains unpaid after the agreed payment date, I reserve the right to pause work until the outstanding balance has been paid.
 

I also reserve the right to charge interest on overdue payments where permitted by applicable law.


 
4. Changes to the agreed work
 

I understand that copy can evolve during a project.
 

Reasonable amendments and revisions are included as part of the agreed project unless otherwise stated.
 

There is no fixed number of revisions, but revisions should remain within the scope and general nature of the original brief.
 

If requested changes substantially alter the original brief, introduce new requirements or require significant additional work, I may treat the additional work as a new piece of work and agree an additional fee with you before proceeding.


 
5. Client responsibilities
 

To complete work effectively and within the agreed timeframe, I rely on clients providing accurate and timely information.
 

You are responsible for providing any information, materials, brand guidelines, images, access details or other content reasonably required to complete the project.
 

You are also responsible for ensuring that information supplied to me is accurate and that you have the necessary rights or permissions to use any materials you provide.
 

If information, approvals or feedback are delayed, the original delivery date may need to be adjusted.
 

I will not be responsible for delays caused by the late provision of information, feedback, approvals or materials by the client.


 
6. Deadlines and turnaround times
 

I will agree an expected turnaround time with you wherever reasonably possible.
 

Turnaround times are dependent on the scope of the work, my availability and the timely provision of information and feedback from you.
 

If a project is delayed because I am waiting for information, approval or feedback, the original deadline may no longer apply.
 

Where possible, I will communicate any significant changes to the expected delivery date as soon as I become aware of them.


 
7. Accuracy and client approval
 

Copy will be produced based on the information, instructions and materials provided by the client.
 

Unless specifically agreed otherwise, the client remains responsible for checking factual accuracy, technical claims, pricing, legal statements, product information and any other business-specific information before publication.
 

The client is responsible for approving the final copy before it is published or used.


 
8. Copyright and ownership
 

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, copyright in the final copy created specifically for the client will transfer to the client once the relevant invoice has been paid in full.
 

Until payment has been received in full, all intellectual property rights in the work remain with Told By Lucy.
 

Drafts, concepts, unused ideas and working materials remain the intellectual property of Told By Lucy unless otherwise agreed.
 

Told By Lucy retains the right to use writing techniques, knowledge, skills and experience gained through previous projects.


 
9. Portfolio use
 

Unless you ask me not to in writing, I may reference completed work in my portfolio, website and other marketing materials.

This may include identifying the client or business, linking to publicly available work and displaying excerpts of published copy and/or images for the purpose of demonstrating my services.
 

If a project is confidential or you do not want the work used in my portfolio, please let me know before the project is completed.
 

I will respect reasonable requests not to publicly display confidential or unpublished work.


 
10. Confidentiality
 

I will treat confidential information provided to me in connection with your project as confidential and will not knowingly disclose it to third parties except where:

• You have given permission;

• Disclosure is necessary to provide the agreed services;

• Disclosure is required by law; or

• The information is already publicly available.
   

You remain responsible for identifying information that is confidential or commercially sensitive where this is not reasonably apparent.


 
11. Third-party materials and claims
 

I may rely on information supplied by you when creating copy.
 

You are responsible for ensuring that any claims, statistics, testimonials, product information, images, trademarks or other materials supplied by you can legally be used.
 

Where copy includes claims relating to regulated industries, products, services or advertising, the client remains responsible for ensuring that the final published material meets any applicable industry or legal requirements unless specific compliance work has been expressly agreed as part of the project.


 
12. Cancellation
 

For one-off projects, cancellation terms will depend on the stage the project has reached and the work already completed.
 

If you cancel a project after work has begun, you may be responsible for payment for work completed up to the date of cancellation, together with any other reasonable costs already incurred specifically for the project.
 

For ongoing retainers or continuing services:

• Retainers running for less than one year: two weeks' written notice is required to cancel.

• Retainers running for one year or longer: one month's written notice is required to cancel.
   

Either party may terminate an ongoing arrangement immediately where there has been a serious or material breach of the agreed terms.


 
13. If I need to cancel
 

I reserve the right to cancel or decline work where circumstances make it unreasonable or impractical for me to continue.
 

If I need to cancel an agreed project, I will provide as much notice as reasonably possible and will discuss any outstanding work or payments with you.


 
14. Liability
 

I will provide my services with care, knowledge, research and skill.
 

However, I cannot guarantee that copy will achieve a particular commercial result, search-engine ranking, conversion rate, level of traffic, sales figure or other specific business outcome.
 

To the fullest extent permitted by law, I will not be liable for indirect or consequential losses arising from the use of the copy or services provided.
 

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful, including liability for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.



 
15. Website and search-engine performance
 

Where SEO copywriting or website copy is provided, I can create content using established copywriting and SEO principles to promote the best results possible.
 

However, search-engine algorithms, rankings, advertising platforms, audience behaviour and other external factors are outside my control.
 

I therefore cannot guarantee particular search rankings, traffic levels, leads, conversions or revenue.


 
16. Force majeure
 

I will not be responsible for failure or delay in performing my obligations where this is caused by circumstances beyond my reasonable control.
 

This may include serious illness, technical failures, platform outages, natural disasters, government action or other circumstances that could not reasonably have been anticipated or prevented.


 
17. Changes to these Terms
 

I may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time.
 

The version in place when a project is agreed will normally apply to that project unless both parties agree otherwise.


 
18. Governing law
 

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
 

Any disputes arising in connection with these Terms & Conditions will be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, subject to any applicable consumer rights or other mandatory legal provisions.
 


19. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms & Conditions, please contact:

Told By Lucy
Email: lucy.appleyard@outlook.com
Website: toldbylucy.com