Writing System and Procedures:
1. CONTACT AND COMMUNICATION POLICIES
As we work together, it’s important our communication is easy and fast. During our project, I am available Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 am through 5:30 pm Pacific time. The best ways to reach me are by email at info@HolisticWorldCopy.com.
2. DISCUSSING THE PROJECT AND THE DISCOVERY QUESTIONNAIRE
To get started on a project, I will send you a Discovery Questionnaire. This will help both of us clearly define the scope of the project and ensure maximum results.
I will send you the Discovery Questionnaire as a Word attachment in an email. Please return it to me as quickly as possible. Most clients respond within 1 to 3 business days.
After I receive the Discovery Questionnaire, I review and study your responses, plus any other applicable research needed. From here, I will outline a short Project Roadmap. This will save you time and help communicate my understanding of the project. It will also be the basis for your Launch Call.
Three (3) to 10 days after I receive the Discovery Questionnaire answers, we will have our 20-minute Launch Call. During this call, we will discuss the Project Roadmap. I will also listen to any additional directions and insights you have on the project.
Following that call, I will draft and send you an Agreement. If your legal team has an Agreement, we can use that.
3. INVESTMENT AND GETTING STARTED
The Agreement will contain all the specifics on what I will deliver, including the project deadlines. It will also list your investment for the project and terms of payment. Note: I require 50% of the project total to begin. Most of my clients prefer to pay by bank wire (transfer) or overnight payment. A check is okay.
Once both of us has signed the Agreement, I will begin working on your copy as agreed.
4. RESEARCH
My research process is comprehensive. I begin with a complete review of your website and any other materials you send me. From here, I will research the market, including your competitors. In some cases, I will ask to speak to your customer service team, past clients/customers, and different department heads.
As needed, I will reach out to you for additional details, product samples, and other resources.
Research is one of my specialties and you can be confident that I will quickly and effectively understand your product or service, your voice, and your customers’ core emotional purchase drivers.
5. COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION
As we work on the project together, communication is critical. Some of my clients are very busy and prefer to hand off the project to me and review the first draft, with little communication in between. Others like dealing with me almost daily and being involved in just about every step of the way.
What works best for you? Please email me and let me know how often you’d like to communicate and the best way to reach out to you (email, phone, text, etc.)
I prefer that you assign me a single point of contact on your team. I will communicate directly with that person and he or she will deal with your other team members as needed to obtain information and approvals.
6. REVIEW OF FIRST DRAFT
Typically, you’ll receive the first draft in 5 – 20 business days, depending on the project size and scope.
When you receive the first draft, please review it carefully. Have your team members review it too. The most important thing at this stage is making sure the tone, message, and offer are right. (We will fine tune during the 2nd draft … and the 3rd draft, as needed.)
7. REVISIONS
After you review the initial draft, it’s likely you’ll want some things changed. Please note those changes—either in Word, or if you prefer, in the comment feature inside Google Docs. You can also suggest changes using the Edit Mode feature, which I’ll turn on when I share it with you.
I will review all your suggested comments within 24 hours of you submitting them to me. I will make my adjustments within 2 to 4 business days, depending on the breadth and complexity of your suggested changes. I recognize that these are your customers we’re writing to and I will defer to you as much as possible.
There will be cases where my clients make suggestions that I know will not work and will hurt profits. In those cases, you can expect me to be direct in my feedback. When clients insist on changes that I feel will not work, I’ll recommend a simple A/B split test. This way the market will vote.
8. ADDITIONAL REVIEWS
After the first round of changes, some additional fine-tuning may be needed. You can be confident that I’ll gladly work with you until you are delighted with the copy. In most cases, my clients find that one review volley is enough. When more are needed, it’s usually just one or two changes and the process goes quickly. Usually, we can get to a final copy within 1 to 3 business days.
9. FINAL APPROVAL
Once all revisions have been completed, I will submit a final draft to you. At this point, you approve the copy by sending me an email stating that everything is ready for distribution.
Once I receive the final approval from you, I will invoice you for the remaining 50% of the project investment. The invoice is due upon receipt. I will make every effort to be prompt in responding to your requests and assume that, as a professional, you will do the same with my invoices.
In most cases, the final copy is sent to a graphic designer for formatting. I’ve worked closely with my graphic designer on several projects. Need the services of a designer? I’d be more than happy to have my designer do the design work for you. This will work to your advantage. I’d give her direction and handle communications with her, relieving you of that part of the project.
A sample of a sales letter with graphic design that we worked together on is included in my info kit.
If we work with your designer, I encourage you to send me a PDF of the final version. I will double check that any graphical elements added by your design team enhance the copy and make it more effective.
If I see something that’s distracting and may hurt your response rates, I’ll be direct in letting you know. If requested, I’m happy to work with your design team to make any changes needed to make the end version as effective as possible.
10. TRANSITION TO NEW PROJECTS
Once the project is done, I like to provide my clients with a complimentary follow-up consultation. We spend a few minutes on the phone and discuss what went well and where improvements can be made.
We review the Discovery Questionnaire and discuss additional ways to uncover new profits. Where appropriate, we map out a new project to ensure that you continue to have excellent copy that meets your goals and grows your business.