What’s it like to work with a copywriter?
My copywriting process
If you’ve never worked with a copywriter before, I’m sure the idea can be a little nerve-wracking.
What will they need from you? Will they really be able to sound like you? What if you have to spend hours and hours revising their writing?
And if so, you might as well do it yourself, huh?
I get it!
But that’s why any copywriter worth their salt, as they say, will have a tried and tested process in place to make sure that none of that happens.
I believe in making the experience smooth, collaborative and pain free.
And always with a focus on getting results.
So, whether you need website copy, emails, blogs or social media posts, here’s what you can expect when you start working with me.
And here’s how you can be confident I’ll make life easier – not harder – for you.
Step 1: Discovery Call & briefing
While it’s true that you’re bringing me on board to write for you, there are a few steps we need to go through before we get to that.
And this briefing stage is vital in order to understand your business, your goals and audience.
I have a fairly detailed questionnaire that needs to be filled in. When you get in touch I’ll send it over and ask you to make some notes on it. It’s not scary, I promise – you don’t even need to write in full sentences. Just bullet points is fine. You can even send over other relevant documents and links if you think they help to answer the questions. And if you get stuck with any of it you can leave it and we’ll go through it together.
Once you’ve returned the document we’ll jump on a Discovery Call.
There, we’ll take a look through the questionnaire and expand on subjects like your:
- brand voice and tone
- target audience and their pain points
- the scope of the project and deadlines
- any key messages or must-have elements
Getting all these details right is incredibly important to achieving a great result.
Step 2: Quote & agreed timelines
Once I have a full understanding of the project and the required deadlines, I’ll provide a full itemised quote, along with my terms and conditions.
I’ll also be able to give you an idea of timelines and a plan to ensure we are able to meet your deadlines.
In order to begin work, I’ll ask you to pay 50% of the quoted cost up front. With the remainder due on sign off.
Then, we will be ready to get started.
Step 3: Research & strategy
This next step will depend a little on the type of project we’re working on, but once I have a clear understanding of your brief, I’ll start to conduct any necessary research.
The goal here is to make sure I have everything I need to create strategic, high-converting copy that speaks directly to your customers.
This will likely involve:
- analysing your competitors and industry trends
- identifying language patterns and finding out what resonates with your audience
- gathering any relevant data or testimonials
- researching any specific subjects to be covered in articles or white papers
Once I’ve gathered plenty of data, I’ll start to make a detailed plan.
This may include devising a sitemap for your website along with outlines and suggestions for the various pages. It may involve coming up with a detailed approach for a case study, document or blog. And it will likely involve writing chunks of copy to start to explore tone of voice and messaging.
This will all be sent over to you so you have the opportunity to come back with any comments and agree direction before the project begins in earnest.
Step 4: First draft & feedback
You’ll receive the first draft within the timeframes agreed, along with any notes or assumptions made during the course of writing.
If it is a particularly complex project I may suggest we meet to go through the document. Sometimes this can make it easier to understand why I’ve made specific choices about words or elements of the copy.
You’ll then have time to go away and review it yourself. If you’ve not worked with a copywriter previously I’ll be happy to offer advice and guidance about how best to review and feedback on copy. This can feel difficult if it’s not something you’ve done before. But honestly, there’s no need to be nervous.
Good feedback really is crucial at this stage, to make sure that you end up with a result you’re entirely happy with.
Step 5: Revisions & final edits
I typically offer two rounds of revisions to fine-tune the copy, making sure you’re 100% satisfied before finalising and signing off.
Step 6: Delivery & support
Once approved, I’ll provide the final copy in your preferred format.
If needed, I can also offer guidance on implementation, whether that’s website placement or email sequences.
If your copy is to be used online, I will always include any relevant user experience (UX) tips as well as meta data and SEO details, advice and formatting.
I can even load your copy into your website CMS or email software for an additional fee.
And finally, whether I’ve loaded it, you’ve loaded it, or you have a VA or website developer to do it for you, I’ll always do one final proofread once it’s in situ. Just to make doubly sure everything is perfect!
