Hire a Writer. Let Go of the Reins.
Posted: March 21, 2010
Working effectively with writers, hired to tell your company story, requires restraint and trust. Too often, great copy provided by a writer is rewritten by company personnel. The result is a less professionally crafted communication that's often self serving and does not accomplish the intended goal.
Working effectively with writers, hired to tell your company story, requires restraint and trust. Too often, great copy provided by a writer is rewritten by company personnel. The result is a less professionally crafted communication that's often self serving and does not accomplish the intended goal.
Making mistakes when working with writers is costly on many levels. Are you getting the most for your money - or throwing the expertise you're paying for out the window?
Richard Turgeon shares important advise with corporate executives who work with outside writers.
THE WRITER: You read the brief (from the client outlining needs) multiple times, did the research, and turned in what you know is copy gold - multiple versions, in fact. After a few hours or days, you get an e-mail from the client with a Word document attached. You open it, and to your horror you see those red slashes copywriters fear more than blood: track marks. Lots of them. This isn’t the copy you submitted anymore; it’s something much worse.
THE CLIENT: At this point, the client reading this might be thinking, “Yeah, but if the copy’s terrible, I need to rewrite it to get the job done.” This is true if you’re not getting what you want. Maybe the writer didn’t get it, or maybe they’re just bad. However, the good ones have the objectivity to write in a way that’s not only strategically on-target but that also resonates with the customer. Like the bad writer who’s too close to their copy, the bad client is too close to their product/service, the too-long laundry list of features/benefits, the established, written-in-stone party line.
Just as it’s a good client’s role to responsibly inform, it’s the good writer’s task to look at the communication problem most objectively, from all angles, and provide consumer-facing communication that’s clear, prioritized, and focused.
Read the full article:
Copywriters Need Feedback, Not Prescriptions
on TalentZoo.com
About the Author
Richard Turgeon is a freelance writer and creative director based in San Francisco. His book, "Indie Rock 101: Running, Recording and Promoting Your Indie Rock Band," is now available in bookstores everywhere. http://richardturgeon.com/