My Process
This is how I work with clients, meet deadlines, and mind my business
I don’t wait for inspiration to strike. I sit down at my desk and work because I have deadlines to meet and results to deliver just like you do. This is my copywriting process from initial “hellos” to revenue-generating copy.
1. Meet & Greet
You stumble across my website or a friend sends you my way and you like what you see. You submit my form, send an email, message me on Drift, or send a message in a bottle — point is, we’re talking now.
Quick Response
I respond to your inquiry within 24 hours with a few probing questions. If I see a potential fit, I schedule a short intro call.
Short Intro Call
We will have a short intro call on the house, usually via my Uberconference. I’ll ask you about your proposed project, timelines, and estimated budget for this project. Of course, you can ask me questions as well.
2. Proposal & Quote
We’ve had a chat, I have a good idea of what I can do to fix your copy problems and get your conversions where they need to be. It’s time to talk business.
Online Proposal
This brief proposal includes:
- Expectations that need to be met by you and me in order for this project to be a success
- Itemized list of what I will deliver
- My earliest available start date as of the day the proposal is written
- Project quote
- A request for you to approve and e-sign the proposal
Quote
Payment in full is required to reserve your start date and make this project a reality. With this payment, I can confidently turn down or postpone other projects that would otherwise take your spot. I send an invoice via Freshbooks and accept credit card payments via Stripe and wire transfers. If you’re overseas and we need to get fancy, I’ve dealt with this before — we’ll make it work.
3. Research & Discovery
You’ve received my diagnosis, proposed treatment, and you said “yes” to my quoted price. We’re in business. Before I write a lick of copy, I take the time to understand your company, products and services, competition, and customers.
Company
I want to know more about how you got to where you are today. Why this business in particular? What’s the background of your founders and key employees?
Products and Services
What problem do you solve and how do you solve it? I’ll dig into your websites, online documents, eBooks, or resources that will help me understand what you do and why it matters. If possible, I’ll use your product or receive a demo.
Competition
Which 2-3 companies are your prospects evaluating while considering your solution? I review their messaging and positioning and find opportunities to make you shine.
Customers
This is the most important part. I need to know what your most satisfied customers value about your solution. I need to uncover the language they use to describe their pain points and your solution. And, whenever possible, data that shows how they interact with your website, landing pages, and emails are a huge help. I have all kinds of tricks to uncover and channel the voice of your customer including surveys, message mining, and customer interviews.
4. Copy & Revisions
I take everything I have learned combing through my research and turn it into copy. I’ll make them feel the pain that is causing them to search for a solution like yours, and then present your solution in a way that compels them to signup and buy. They won’t be able to refuse your offer.
Outlines
I provide a brief outline of any piece of copy before writing the first draft. This outline requires your project lead to approve it or offer revisions. This ensures we don’t go down any rabbit holes together.
Strong First Draft
Sometimes my first draft is my last draft. I expand on the agreed upon outline and present copy that I believe is ready for production. Plus, I include low-fi mockups in Balsamiq and instructions for implementation — no walls of text in a Word doc from me.
Revisions
A round of revisions is included free of charge. Revisions are edits that are made within the timeframe specified in your proposal and don’t deviate from the outline you signed off on.
5. Handoff & Launch
Your design and development team get my final drafts and attached instructions. They will know how I envision the copy’s presentation but are free to inject their designer know-how before it goes live.
Handoff
All light revisions are satisfied and my copywriting work is complete.
Launch
Included in the mockups containing your copy are instructions for the presentation of the copy. Of course, your design and development teams are free to make changes. Once they work their magic, your site (my copy) goes live!
6. Conversion Optimization
Once your new copy is live and seeing real traffic, the most important data comes in — data from actual prospects interacting with your website, landing pages, and emails. Without question, this data will uncover opportunities to make small tweaks that deliver disproportionate returns.
*Want to keep me in your corner, designing conversion optimization tests and making changes that boost conversion rates? Be sure to let me know and we can chat about that.