You can write a great brief… organise the WHAT so I just do the HOW… avoid 25% time cancellation charges… make me an offer I can’t refuse. All these will reduce your copywriting costs and even strengthen the effectiveness of your project / campaign.
Write a great copy brief
Are you a designer? Please make sure you know all the answers to the Copy Brief before we meet, and print out the designs etc. During the briefing, if it’s clear that I need to project-manage the brief with the client or do a lot of research, then the budget will need to allow for extra time.
Are you a client? A good written brief always reduces the time-cost. By contrast, a verbal brief can cause the following problems:
- During a verbal brief it’s harder to detect a client’s blind spots – so the missed details or angles emerge in the client’s reaction to 1st and 2nd draft copy, resulting in more redrafting.
- Without a written brief I have to rely on my own notes and memory to write your copy – less reliable than all 3 together.
- It limits the amount of value I could otherwise add to your project.
Organise the WHAT so I just do the HOW
You can go further than an excellent written brief by organising page-by-page detailed copy content. For a website, for example, this reduces costs by about 30-50%. It’s because the copywriting process is twofold: organising the detail of WHAT the copy is saying, and then focusing on HOW it’s said, crafting it so that it pulls the reader through the messages. The WHAT involves a list of points for each web / print page (or very organised references). Don’t worry about the grammar or spelling – it can be really rough. I just need to know that everything you want to say is there. I’ll transform it into engaging, multi-layered copy.
Avoid 25% time-cancellation charges
If you’ve booked time but your timescales are slipping, please let me know at least 2 working days in advance to avoid a 25% time cancellation fee. This way, I have the chance to adjust my schedule and sell the time to another client. I’m sorry if this sounds draconian but too many clients tend to cancel at the last minute resulting in losses over the course of the year.
Make me an offer I can’t refuse
Offer me stunning payment terms and I’ll reduce my quote.
STANDARD COPY BRIEF
Liz MacWhirter 