My Process

Over time, I’ve developed a repeatable, effective process for doing content marketing projects for my clients. This allows me to deliver great work every time, without leaving anything to chance or letting projects go off the rails.

Every project is a bit different (for example, when I’m brought on board to do content strategy), but here’s a basic overview of my process for a typical content writing project. This should give you a good idea of what working with me will look like.

1. Introductory call

If you’re interested in working with me, and there’s a potential fit, the first step is to set up an introductory call (free of charge) to meet each other.

I’ll ask you about your content marketing needs and challenges, what a potential project might look like, timelines, and your estimated budget for this project. This is also a chance for you to ask me any questions.

2. Proposal

Once we’ve spoken, I’ll know if I’m well-placed to partner with you to produce high-quality content.

If I think I’m a good fit, I’ll put together a proposal for you.

Proposals for both one-off and retainer projects include:

  • What’s required of both you and me for the project to achieve your objectives;

  • A clear, detailed summary of the scope of work and deliverables;

  • My earliest available start date and a timeline;

  • Itemised pricing and payment terms;

  • A request to e-sign the proposal.

A 50% deposit is required to reserve a spot in my calendar. For retainers, the deposit is 50% of the amount due for the first month. With this payment, I can confidently turn down or postpone other projects. I invoice for the deposit via FreshBooks and accept payments via Stripe or bank transfer.

3. Research and briefing

Before I can help you with content writing, editing, or strategy, I’ll first need some key background information about your company and its marketing strategy.

I’ll send you a questionnaire which will ask about:

  • The target customer and their pain points;

  • Your current (content) marketing strategy;

  • Your competitors;

  • Key objectives and success metrics for this project;

  • Brand guidelines.

If you already have a content brief, I can work with that. If not, then don’t worry - I can assist with planning and putting one together. I know the right questions to ask to put together a clear, effective brief.

4. Executing the work

After you’ve filled out the questionnaire, I can get to work.

Below is what my process would typically look like for a writing project (editing or strategy projects would look a bit different).

Outline

I put together an outline before beginning the first draft. This outline provides an opportunity for your project lead to offer any comments or suggestions, ensuring that we’re agreed on the direction of travel before I jump into writing the first draft. This streamlines the process of working together and avoids the need for extensive revisions.

If the project involves doing interviews with internal experts at your company, I’ll ask that we schedule them before I start writing the outline.

First Draft

After we’ve agreed on the outline, I write an engaging, authoritative first draft. My aim here is always to produce something polished enough to be the finished product. Often my first draft requires few - or even zero - edits.

Where helpful, I include formatting suggestions for the designer.

Revisions

Two rounds of revisions are included in my rates. This ensures that the final draft meets your objectives and is nothing short of excellent.

A maximum timeframe for revisions will be included in the proposal, to avoid the project continuing indefinitely.

5. After project completion

Measuring success

After we’ve completed the project, I’ll usually touch base a few weeks later and ask how the project has performed according to any key success metrics. This helps me to understand how strongly content has performed, so I can bring these learnings to bear on future projects I help you or other clients with.

Testimonial and referral request

If your feedback is especially positive, I’ll request a brief testimonial. I’m always very grateful for testimonials, as they show potential clients that I deliver on my promises. Word-of-mouth is powerful, particularly for service businesses like mine.

For the same reason, I’ll ask you to keep me in mind if anyone in your network is looking for freelance content marketing support. Referrals are my biggest source of new business, so this is invaluable for me.

Long-term partnerships

Should our initial project prove successful, I’ll be very open to a long-term collaboration. I really value the deep understanding and close cooperation that develops over time, allowing us to create increasingly impactful content.

Even if your need for freelance content marketing support was temporary or one-off, the door is always open for working together again in the future, and I’ll suggest that we stay in touch.