Copywriters can work differently, so if we’ve not met or worked together before, here’s a flavour of how I work.
But as Brian (in the Life of Brian) so wisely said, “We’re all different”. Please feel free to ask questions, after all, good copywriting is all about good communication.
1 We meet
If we haven’t met yet, we begin with a meeting
Either in person, on the phone or by video call. This usually takes about 30 minutes and enables us to introduce ourselves and find out what we both do and how we might work together.
If we feel like a good fit, we take a look at your project and review the key components: objective, target audience, media, deadline and budget.
2 Project summary
Based on our conversation, I create a Proposal outlining the project, copywriting input and fees
This will contain a summary of the project and an estimate of my fees, along with my T&C.
If you have any questions or concerns, we can chat things through. If you’re happy with what you see, we can get cracking on your project.
3 The Creative Brief
We agree the brief
A Creative Brief helps to clarify what we’re trying to achieve and how we can best achieve it.
You already have a brief you say? Fantastic! We’ll review it to ensure we’re both clear on what’s required.
No brief? No problem. I can give you a template to fill in, and we can review or complete it together. Experience has taught me that time invested at this stage pays for itself further down the line.
4 Fact finding
I pick your brains
This doesn’t hurt, I promise. But it’s important that I have a clear understanding of what you do, how you do it, what makes your business different to your competition, how you help your clients and why they need you in their life.
What sets you apart and gives your customers a reason to choose you over your competition may not always be what you think. By digging a little deeper, I can uncover gems that make your messaging really hit the mark and deliver results. This is also where I gain a good understanding of your brand tone of voice.
5 I get writing
No surprises
Sometimes in life you don’t want surprises. I get this, so you’ll have full visibility of the copy and opportunity to give feedback and make amendments at every stage.
It’s never a take-it-or-leave-it situation with my copy.
If the copy is short, I’ll usually complete and submit the whole piece for you to review. If it’s longer or more complex, I’ll submit a sample – in both cases I want to make sure you’re happy with the writing style, tone of voice, structure and content. This is your brand’s messaging I’m giving voice to, it needs to sound and feel like it’s coming from you.
6 We share
You see the first draft and share your thoughts and feedback
You check the facts are correct and that you’re happy with the tone of voice, style and structure. It’s helpful to have a conversation at this stage, rather than just emailing, to ensure everything’s clear.
Feedback is usually given in a tracked Word document, but I can work from a marked-up pdf or even a scribbled on print-out, whatever works best for you.
7 Getting it right
I share the updated copy, you slap me on the back and thank me for being a star
OK, you don’t have to go to those lengths, but you do get to see the copy again to make sure you’re happy, and to make any final amendments. This is your brand copy, it’s important to get it right.
9 Sign off & celebrate
The copy is signed off and we all go down the pub*
When you’re happy with the copy, you sign it off. This can be as simple as you sending me an email at the end saying, “This is great, thank you” – or via individually approved documents. With sign off you copy is now ready to go live/to the designer/to print/be posted.
*Going down the pub isn’t obligatory, but if we’re local it’s a pretty good way to celebrate the end of a successful project.