Tin Can is the Wi-Fi landline that's bringing real, voice-to-voice conversation back to kids during the no-smartphone years. No games, no texts, no doomscrolling—just a cord to twirl and a friend on the other end. We're building the brand for parents who want to give their kids independence and connection without handing them a glowing rectangle of infinite scroll. It's a good mission. It also means somebody has to write "please hold" in a way that's actually delightful—and that somebody could be you.
We're hiring a contract Brand & Product Copywriter to find the words for all of it: the four words on a box that make a kid beg for one, the naming session that turns "the clear one" into something people actually say out loud, the email that gets a parent to hit buy, the FAQ that talks a worried parent off the ledge at 11pm without sounding like a terms-of-service document had a baby.
What you'll doYou’ll be writing for basically every surface we've got—packaging, web, email/lifecycle flows, social captions, and in-app/product copy. You’ll be successful if you can adapt our weird (compliment) tone of voice in unexpected places. These small moments of delight are what makes us great.
You’ll be the champion and coach of the Tin Can voice. Playful, nostalgic, a little irreverent, rarely saccharine. You are the storyteller across every format and every audience (kids and the design-aware adults making the purchase)
You’ll partner closely with brand and product to support campaigns, make processes digestible (and fun) and make everything from website to app copy a moment for the brand that drives results.
Own the copy for the moments that actually move the needle — subscriber flows, promos, seasonal pushes—funny enough to enjoy, sharp enough to convert.
Give and take sharp creative feedback in a fast-moving, founder-led environment.
Continue to establish the guardrails (voice guidelines, tone docs, naming frameworks) so the brand still sounds like itself when there are ten times as many products and zero of us reviewing every line.
6+ years writing copy, with real reps in both brand/campaign work and the less glamorous but very important direct-response/lifecycle stuff
A portfolio that shows real range — you can write something funny and light for a kid, and something clear and reassuring for a parent, sometimes in the same piece
Comfort with product and packaging copy specifically: you know how to make five words on a box do a lot of work and storytelling on web vs email vs social fell platform-natural
Experience writing for a dual-audience brand (parents, the purchaser, kids, the user)
Sharp editorial instincts—you know the difference between "cute" and "clever," and you default to the latter
A track record of writing in an established brand voice without losing your own point of view
Comfort in a startup/founder-led environment: fast iteration, direct feedback, few layers between you and the decision
Experience naming products or brands, or genuine enthusiasm for it
Background in consumer products that hinge on humor
Familiarity with lifecycle/CRM copywriting (email, SMS, app push)
You'd be helping write the voice of a brand trying to give kids something real back — plus you get to put "made a landline cool again" on your resume. If you love the puzzle of "how do I say this so a 7-year-old and their parent both nod along," this is your can.
Skills Required
- 6+ years writing copy, with experience in both brand/campaign work and direct-response/lifecycle copy
- Portfolio demonstrating range writing for kids and reassuring parents
- Comfort with product and packaging copy (concise storytelling on packaging, web, email, social)
- Experience writing for a dual-audience brand (kids users and parent purchasers)
- Sharp editorial instincts and strong sense of tone (prefers clever over cute)
- Proven track record writing within an established brand voice
- Comfort working in a startup, founder-led environment with fast iteration and direct feedback
- Experience naming products or brands or strong enthusiasm for naming
- Background in consumer products that use humor
- Familiarity with lifecycle/CRM copywriting (email, SMS, app push)
What We Do
Tin Can is a screen-free phone for kids that gives them the independence to call friends and family—without giving them a smartphone. Built like a modern landline, Tin Can connects over Wi-Fi and uses a simple mobile app for parents to control who can call in and out. There’s no browser, no app store, no camera, no spam—just voice. It’s a safer, saner way for kids to communicate and gain a bit of freedom without the baggage of adult tech. We believe that real connection doesn’t require a screen. And that childhood is better when it’s full of imagination, not notifications. Tin Can started in one neighborhood in Seattle, where we hand-installed 40 early prototypes and watched them spread by word of mouth. Now, Tin Can is being used by kids in over 30 states—with no marketing, no paid ads, just families telling other families. We’re growing fast, and so is the movement of parents looking for a better way to let their kids be independent, without handing over the internet in their pocket. Our newest Tin Can is fully custom hardware, designed from the ground up to be beautifully simple. It works out of the box, connects through our app, and comes with smart features like emergency calling, quiet hours, and a free Can2Can plan that lets any two Tin Cans call each other with no subscription required. Tin Can is built for the 4–13 age range—when kids are old enough to want a phone, but not quite old enough to manage one. We’re on a mission to bring back the freedom of the old-school landline, updated for today’s families.
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