Matthew Stibbe of the Bad Language blog tackles the worthy subject of good copywriters producing bad copy. I loved the topic, and wanted to add a few thoughts. First, he listed ten reasons why bad copy happens to good people.
I won’t reproduce all ten reasons here, but will highlight a pair of his prime culprits:

4. Editing by committee. This is best illustrated by a video nasty: If Microsoft designed the iPod packaging. Remedy: try to get the client to filter all feedback through a single ‘editor’.

5. Death by redlining. I love getting feedback face to face or on the phone. I hate redlined documents. It’s like a theatre director giving line readings to an actor rather than helping them explore the character and give a stronger performance. (Line readings = “when you say this line, raise your right eyebrow”. Yuck!) Remedy: book up feedback calls or meetings when you accept the assignment and explain your working practice.

Good research is the foundation of good copy, but nothing kills the quality of a written project faster than a bad feedback process.

The problem, of course, is that multiple revisions tend to deaden copy, chiseling away all that’s interesting and fresh.

Even worse is feedback from multiple sources.

Multiple inputs means multiple visions, tastes, sensibilities – even multiple goals. The worst case scenario is contradictory feedback, where one set of feedback cancels another.

What’s a writer to do?

Process. It’s About Process.

If you’re working with a single client contact, then you’re halfway there. A contact willing to moderate feedback from multiple sources is even better.

As a writer, how do you make it work?

Develop a simple, step-by-step process for job starts and reviews. Write it down. Make it clear. Make it look nice. And make it e-mailable by creating an Acrobat file.

When you start working with a new client (and many will ask how you prefer to work), give them your sheet.

You’re not being forward – you’re being professional. They’ll probably thank you for the direction.

What’s Your Process?

Everybody works differently, and your process sheet should reflect your individual preferences. Still, as a freelance writer, you’re looking for several things.

  • Ask for a single contact – someone who reconciles the feedback received from multiple sources into a single document or session.
  • Encourage timely feedback. Re-starting cold projects is time consuming and annoying.
  • Recognize when a project’s parameters and goals have changed, and how to feed that information back to your client. As a freelancer, you sell your expertise and time, and need to be paid for extra time when a project morphs into something new.
  • Limit the number of revision iterations you’ll make (without additional charges). I allow one big rewrite (for those instances when I miss the boat entirely) and two sets of minor revisions.
  • Make sure your clients know the time to make changes is the first draft – not when you’re on a deadline and into your seventh set of revisions. Final approval means final approval.

Getting It Right; Easier Than Fixing It.

Your best defense against project drift and multiple revisions is getting it right to begin with.

I often use a creative brief (ad agencies commonly utilize these) to make sure I’ve got the project down cold – and as defense against forgetting the details of deadlines, offers, call to action, etc.

Here’s one creative brief format, and here’s another. Remember, it’s a brief – try to keep it to one page.

Working with clients is at that the core of what a freelancer does, yet we often do a poor job of communicating our expectations and needs to clients, many of whom have no idea what we do.

That’s not good client management.

Do This. Save Time.

Develop a process for feedback, and make sure your clients know it.

And second, use a creative brief so you get it right to begin with.

Source: Bad Language / Why good writers (occasionally) produce bad copy?

[tags]copy, copywriter, writing, clients[/tags]

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