About Renee Brincks

I’m Renee Brincks.

Editors and content marketing teams hire me to write friendly, actionable copy about travel + hospitality, sustainability, small businesses, and community builders. Drawing on 15+ years of journalism and communications experience, I tell resonant stories for publishers, companies, associations, and agencies.

Talk with Renee

A few highlights:

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Bylines: BBC Travel, National Geographic, Adventure.com, Sierra, San Francisco Chronicle, Via, United Hemispheres, Late Checkout, Travel Weekly, Alaska Airlines, American Way, Sunset, Where San Francisco, GuestLife Monterey Bay, Endless Vacation, Carmel Magazine, Rodale’s Organic Life, Smart Meetings, and other consumer and trade publications.

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Brand work: Buick, Pebble Beach, Humana, Google, 1440 Multiversity, Monterey-Salinas Transit, Cannery Row, Silversea Cruises, Hornblower Cruises, American Physiological Society, Telc Language Tests, and others, both directly and through agency partnerships.

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Key strengths: I bring a reporter’s research and interviewing skills, a copywriter’s creativity, clear narrative vision, and strategic storytelling expertise to each new project.

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Client relationships: Several of my client partnerships span 15+ years. I regularly work with a range of stakeholders, from CEOs to subject matter experts to solopreneurs.

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Results: My work drives trust and engagement. In fact, my newsletter copy helped one client set click-rate records and top its unique open rate benchmark by 71%.

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Project experience: B2B and B2C articles, profiles, search-optimized blog content, ghostwriting, newsletters, narrative case studies, annual reports, web copy, and more.

A little more about me

An antique orange VW bus in a mountainous setting

A group of people collaborate in a modern, brightly lit office space

I’ve been the Alaska editor for Travel Weekly and a San Francisco editor for Zagat. My articles helped feature projects win Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) awards. I wrote about Volkswagen bus tour owners for the book Bulli Love.

Before launching my freelance business, I managed marketing communications for See Monterey. Before that, I was a Des Moines Register reporter. I earned an M.A. in communication at Australia’s Bond University as a Rotary scholar, and I double-majored in English and Spanish at Central College.

I grew up on a small Iowa farm and lived in Spain, Alaska, and Australia before landing on the California coast. These days, I’m based in San Francisco and spend part of each year working from Iowa’s Driftless Area.

I’ve been the Alaska editor for Travel Weekly and a San Francisco editor for Zagat. My articles helped feature projects win Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) awards. I wrote about Volkswagen bus tour owners for the book Bulli Love.

Before launching my freelance business, I managed marketing communications for See Monterey. Before that, I was a Des Moines Register reporter. I earned an M.A. in communication at Australia’s Bond University as a Rotary scholar, and I double-majored in English and Spanish at Central College.

I grew up on a small Iowa farm and lived in Spain, Alaska, and Australia before landing on the California coast. These days, I’m based in San Francisco and spend part of each year working from Iowa’s Driftless Area.

Contact me to discuss projects for publications, nonprofits, associations, and mission-driven companies.

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View My Writing Samples

Select outlets and clients

Served directly and through agency partnerships

A standout contributor and an absolute pleasure to work with.

“During the five years we worked together, I could always count on Renee for compelling story ideas and engaging, thoroughly reported copy that was on time, hit assigned length, and was damn clean to boot.”

– Eric Moya, former destinations editor, Travel Weekly

Hiring Renee makes large projects easy.

“Recently, I found myself needing a complete re-write for a new website. I knew exactly who to call. I provided Renee with existing web copy, a new site map, and gave direction to shorten the content and change the tone to be more service-focused and friendly. Renee delivered. She re-wrote everything, organizing the content beautifully.”

– Zoë Shoats, director of communications, ReGen Monterey

One of my go-to luxury lifestyle writers.

“In her work for Pebble Beach and GuestLife Monterey Bay magazines, Renee consistently captures the spirit of place and delivers the perfect balance of context and insider knowledge that makes her stories interesting, informative and, best of all, memorable.”

– Steven Biller, editorial director, Palm Springs Life

Her work is impeccable.

“I have had the good fortune to utilize Renee’s writing skills for more than 16 years at Carmel Magazine. Her fine work has appeared in more than 60 issues. Renee is always ahead of deadlines and performs flawlessly at all tasks.”

– Steve Snider, publisher, Carmel Magazine

Excellent research, writing and storytelling skills.

“I can’t say enough about Renee. Besides bringing excellent research, writing and storytelling skills to an assignment, she maintains solid communication with her editor and demonstrates flexibility when the nature of the assignment changes. Thanks for all you do, Renee!”

– Duane Roose, national magazine editor

A skilled and detail-oriented writer.

“I hired Renee to write a highly technical white paper for Samsung. She produced a thoughtfully researched document and managed to distill complex ideas into a paper appropriate for all audiences. She took charge of the project immediately and required minimal guidance. Any organization should be so lucky to work with such a talented and professional writer.”

– Keane Li, writer, editor and media producer

Renee is that rare reporting and writing powerhouse.

“Renee uncovers offbeat characters and under-the-radar stories, communicates clearly (and oh-so-pleasantly), and files squeaky-clean copy promptly. Her descriptions are singular and dazzling, and she makes the creation of thoughtfully structured, well-paced, and absorbing stories appear easy. Renee has repeatedly made my job as an editor almost laughably easy. She’s truly a treasure of a freelancer.”

– Katie O’Reilly, former adventure and lifestyle editor, Sierra Magazine

A talented and highly professional freelance writer.

“Renee consistently delivers high-quality, engaging content that adds real value to our efforts, most recently with our destination marketing projects. She is easy to work with, open to feedback, and adapts quickly to our needs. Her thoughtful, well-researched writing has significantly enhanced our project and outreach efforts.”

– Stacie Jacob, founder and chief strategist, Solterra Strategies