In today’s world, the writer runs the show.
Not just any writer, of course. The pennies-a-word scribe may barely scrape by. But the quality professional writer — the writer who demonstrates high value and trust from the moment of first contact all the way through to delivery of the final word — that person writes his own ticket to success.
Quality professional writers command attention online, whether they do it for themselves or for the businesses they represent. Writers influence behavior, help form opinions, and drive people to take action.
Great writers are the modern-day stonemasons of any online presence. Our words form the very foundation of all online content, whether those words become a blog post, a podcast, or a video. Writers rule the online world!
And successful professional writers do things differently.
They don’t stop at writing with authority. That’s just where they start. They also deliver outstanding value even in the most unexpected moments in their interactions with clients.
In today’s post, we’ll cover how successful writers deliver value in all three stages of a project: before, during, and after.
Value Phase #1: Before the first project begins
Writers set the stage for a quality customer experience before they write a single word for a new project. How can you do this in your own work?
Before you begin
- Listen between the lines. Tune in to your client’s underlying frustrations. Take notes on his current situation. Listen closely when you hear your client talk about long-term goals and desired results.
- Be flexible. Take your client’s current needs into account and offer payment solutions like retainers when they make sense.
- Think strategy. Add value to your services by stepping back and seeing the big picture. Solve a strategy problem; don’t just fulfill a word count.
When presenting your proposal
- Be crystal clear when setting expectations. We’re not delivering pizza in 30 minutes or less — clients deserve to understand exactly how long a project will take, what the milestones will be (and when the writer will hit them), and what form the final product will take.
- Offer terms of service that explain how you work. Craft rock-solid proposals that protect your time and energy and spell out exactly what will happen if the project doesn’t proceed as expected. (This happens a lot!)
Some clients may view writing as a nebulous, indefinable service that can’t be pinned down.
But when you set expectations clearly and leave nothing up to chance, your client will feel more confident about signing a contract and starting to work with you.
Specifics make something that is abstract seem more concrete. Use them!
Value Phase #2: Working on and delivering the project
If a project is going to have a quick turnaround, it might be enough to set the deadline and get to work. But if a project is going to stretch beyond a week — especially if it’s a first project for a new client — it’s a good idea to establish some milestones and keep the client updated as you go along.
While you work
- Use your client’s preferred mode of communication to provide updates. How often and where would your client like his updates? Email? Slack? A quick phone call? Find out how he wants to hear from you and keep him abreast of your progress.
- Format for ease of use. During the information-gathering stage, nail down how the copy you write will be used so you can deliver it in a ready-to-use format the client can plug right in. Does the client prefer you deliver the copy formatted with HTML? Does he expect a copy deck? (Read this to learn what a copy deck is.)
- Deliver more. One major sign of quality is when you over-deliver on what you promise. Do extra competitive research. Deliver the project a day early. Make a few extra suggestions about how your client could use your work.
Again, the idea with these tips is to make an abstract service seem more like a tangible product by delivering extra communication and value every step of the way.
Value Phase #3: After the project wraps up
You’re done! You’ve delivered on your promise and (hopefully) gone above and beyond your client’s expectations.
But you’re not done delivering a quality experience.
To wrap up your project with a remarkable bow, put these ideas into practice:
- Have a post-sale follow-up system in place. If you’re delivering web copy, give it a look once it’s published online and send a quick note to your client to let him know it looks great. If you’re delivering print copy, ask for a sample and send feedback once you review it.
- Send a survey (or a few follow-up questions). New clients may have feedback on your process after your first project with them. Ask them for feedback soon after you finish the project and be sure to include some open-ended questions. Try, “What would have made my service easier to use?” or “Anything you’d like to add?”
- Offer related products or services based on the client’s goals. Once you’ve worked with a client, you may see other ways you can help him meet his needs. Don’t expect your client to be familiar with everything you offer: you do clients a favor when you let them know other ways in which you can help.
Build a profitable freelance writing business
Inside our Content Marketer Certification program, we’ve got a lot more for writers.
We designed this program to help writers make the most of their careers — to help them position themselves and their offerings, so that they can build profitable freelance writing businesses.
And we’re opening the program soon. Drop your email address below and you’ll be the first to hear about it.
What are your value phases?
Service providers become successful when they find ways to deliver value during every stage of communication — even the unglamorous ones like estimating the price of a new project or following up after a project wraps.
Look at your client interactions and use the tips here to find new ways to add value.
What have I missed? If you’ve found a way to stand out (and you’re willing to share it), let me know in the comments section.
Reader Comments (20)
To say writers run the show is in my experience not true. In copywriting, the client runs the show. In publishing, the publishers and editors run the show.
It was more of an inspirational piece, Bob. The odds are stacked enough against writers without the self-doubt that is all too common among those who have the talent.
Glad you made that point Bob – article left me thinking “I must be doing something wrong”. I’m all for inspiration (Brian), but I also like it mixed in with a splash of reality.
A clear communication between you and the client helps iron out possible misunderstanding on expectation that would not be possible to meet. That’s why its always necessary to clear when setting expectations. Great tips
Great tips, I found that adding extra value to a client in writing about house plans let to more work. I offered sound SEO advice, topic ideas and so on, and ended up writing for them repeatedly once I proved my value.
Copyblogger has been one of the most inspirational blog in my blogging career. From this blog I have learned many things about blogging. Yet it’s really a great pleasure to read this article and getting the important information.
Thanks a lot Pamela Wilson, for the great article.
Looking at it from the client’s perspective here, I really liked your tip about seeing the strategy and rising above the word count. A good writer is one who understands my goals and delivers a piece that is in tune with that.
Every piece of content fits into a bigger picture. Writers make themselves valuable when they take the time to understand that picture and the create content that fits.
Thanks for the comment, Anne. 🙂
What an inspirational article?
In my career as a freelance writer, one of the ways I over deliver on my promises is by using credible statistics and case studies in my content. Clients love it, and customers cherish it.
Thank you Pamela for these out-of-the box writing ideas.
Great Article..! Thanks for sharing great tips like ‘wrap up your project with a remarkable bow’ it’s can gain value and trust for long term relationships with clients even when followed properly for quick or small projects, as per my thinking.
Very well put. Most witers (and professionals for that matter) do not consider the contact with the cliente after the proyect has finished.
This is a great momento to see what where the results of your work and get some future jobs too
After the project wraps is such a great time to reach out, IMO. Not something we always think about, but doing so helps us to stand out from everyone else!
Writers that are an authority within a niche/industry and that understand the SEO value. For example, writers that understand citing or linking to articles they reference, using images/stats in their writing and making what they write easy to read with short paragraphs and bullet points ect…
Very interesting and valuable article. However, I agree with Bob Bly above. Writers definitely don’t run the show when a PR agency is acting as an intermediary. The writer is trying to please both the editor and the end client, whose agendas are very much at odds. And often the PR person is filtering everything, so the writer doesn’t get to talk to either the editor or the end client. Try to sound authentic as the voice of someone you have never met or talked to or communicated directly with in any way! The one thing the PR person really needs to do BEFORE the writer even gets involved is get the editor’s requirements and the end clients wishes close enough to each other that the writer can bridge the remaining gap. In my experience, that just doesn’t happen these days. In a largely disintermediated, post-print world, PR intermediaries have to find a new role. Otherwise, they just get in the way and prevent everyone–editors, end clients, readers–from being satisfied. Thanks again for this great forum.
Agreed on all of the above Susan. If you follow the link to the “writer runs this show” post referenced above, you’ll see it refers to the fact the writing is the engine behind all marketing. Naturally that writing needs to serve the client(s).
And I know the frustration that comes from not dealing directly with the end client! It’s so hard to do your best work when you have only partial information. That’s why I rarely work through agencies and almost always try to work directly with the client.
Great job on this one! I agree that a good writer can make or break a website. The points you made here are spot on and a good reminder going forward.
The way I stand out is through domain authority. As a content marketer, I write almost exclusively about the electric power industry. On first impression, clients know they don’t have to spend time and money educating me about the competitive landscape before we get down to work. I find that domain authority lends tremendous value to that first phase of the client interaction.
Thanks Pamela for another terrific post. I’ll share this one with my network.
Yes, I agree with what you’ve said so far. There is power im the pen, it can make or mar.
A writer is like someone who holds a key that is capable of unlocking any lock.
Nice write up.
The idea here is to be more than just a rented pen, as I have found to be true in my own freelance career. Many companies, both large and small, are clueless about how to use a piece of writing once it’s done. They have no idea that in many instances having your writer do more than just write can save them time and money. That’s why I market myself as a content strategist who happens to write.
Great potential in writing notwithstanding, many content writers willing to stand on their own gloss over the fact that to be truly professional, they need to work out a strategy for effectively communicating with their client to deliver high service value and ultimately command their price. Your article shows the right path to such writers. Thanks Pamela, for this highly informative post.
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