So, you’ve already — or you’re about to — sign the contract and get started on your project. Exciting times ahead!
Whether it’s web content, blogs, or something in between, we want to make sure you know exactly what to expect from us throughout the process.
Our goal? To help you feel confident in every step we take together from kickoff call to project delivery.
Your Project Kickoff Call
Once your contract is signed, the first thing we’ll do is ask you to schedule a 30-minute project kickoff meeting with one of our writers.
What is a project kickoff meeting, we hear you ask? It’s basically just another name for a Zoom call to get to know your writer — and give them a chance to get to know you and your project!
During the call, your lead copywriter (aka the team member best suited to your project) will ask some straightforward questions to tease out the details of how you want to present your brand to the world. It’s all about getting to know you, your business, and your brand voice.
Wondering what to expect during this first meeting with your writer? Here’s a quick overview of our typical project kickoff meeting agenda:
- Brand voice: We’ll ask you to describe your brand’s personality and tone. Is it casual? Professional? Somewhere in between? This helps us match our content to your voice.
- Value proposition: Your writer will also explore what makes your brand stand out. From what you offer to why your products or services are so valuable, we’re here to position you in a way that connects with your audience.
- Target audience: Speaking of your audience, we’ll also dig into who your customers are, where they’re located, and how you communicate with them. The idea is to find out what they’re looking for in your brand and deliver it to them on a gold-plated content platter. 🤩
- Competitors: During the call, your writer might also ask who you consider to be your main competitors. This gives you an opportunity to discuss what you like or dislike about how others in your industry present themselves, and how you want to differentiate yourself.
- Brand highlights: Your writer is also likely to ask if there’s anything unique about your business that we should emphasise in the content. From your company history to any quirky facts about you or your products or services, we want to make your brand as memorable as possible!
- Project deliverables: While we try to settle on project scope before assigning one of our project team members to your project, it doesn’t always work out that way. In this case, your writer might inquire about the exact deliverables you’re expecting and fill you in on our typical project timeline, and the project tools and work management
Remember: This call isn’t a quiz! But even if it were — you already know all the answers! It’s an opportunity to share insights to help us create effective content that feels authentic to your brand.
And, if you’d like more time to think about any of the questions we ask, just let us know and then send us an email when you’re ready.
Simple! 😊
Understanding Your Brand Further
After a successful project kickoff meeting, we’ll already have a solid grasp of your brand voice and messaging approach. But we love context, and nobody knows your brand better than you!
So, if you have any existing brand guidelines, copy decks, or marketing materials that showcase your product or service, feel free to share them with us. And of course, if you’re a digital agency that’s already carried out an internal project kickoff meeting, a copy of the recording can be hugely beneficial to your writer!
Tip: These extra resources can also help us understand what exactly your products or services are about, down to the finest detail. Or, if you’re looking for a complete brand refresh, they can give us an idea of how not to write!
Website Projects: The Content-First Approach
When working on a website project, it’s important to have your site map finalised before we begin. This means knowing exactly which pages you need and what purpose they’ll serve.
If you need help structuring your site map, just say the word — we happen to know a thing or two about how an effective website needs to flow.
After that, our process typically starts with your home page. We’ll write this page first and send it over for your review. This is where you’ll have the chance to give us feedback on your website’s tone and direction so far — before we write the rest of the pages.
And, if you’re worried that this will slow the process down, don’t! We generally implement your revisions within two working days, and as soon as the home page has your sign-off, it’ll be full steam ahead with the rest of your website.
What if I don’t have designs ready?
If you don’t have designs or templates for your website yet, don’t worry! Where possible, we tend to follow a content-first approach anyway. This means that we create our own wireframes in Google Docs based on how we think your website should be laid out.
This helps us focus on the user journey and present our content in a way that guides visitors through your site using storytelling techniques and copywriting best practices. The idea is that by the time someone reaches the end of your web page, they’ll feel ready to convert!
Alternatively, if you do already have a web design sewn up — we’ll be happy to simply swap out the lorem ipsum with quality copy. That said, we might throw in a few suggestions along the way regarding sections we think you’re missing, or tips on how to better structure your page from a content or ‘conversion copy’ point of view.
Blog Projects: Planning for Success
Our blogs are known for their human touch and on-page SEO optimisation. So if you’re ready to jump straight in after your kickoff call, then so are we!
But, if you’re commissioning a large batch of blog posts, we may suggest starting with a content calendar or brainstorming session to settle on some topics and titles. A well-planned content calendar can help you maintain consistency and alignment with your marketing goals, and when we’re talking about months worth of content — it might be better to plan in advance!
When writing your blogs, our team will also take SEO best practices and target keywords into account, making sure your blogs not only connect with your audience, but also perform well in search engines. We always do our own on-page SEO research before writing your content, but if you’ve already done some, feel free to send it over! And if you’re targeting specific locations, we can optimise for local SEO, so nobody misses out.
Tip: For those opting for certain content packages, we can also provide analytics monitoring. It’s just a matter of getting us set up with access!
Turnaround Time: What to Expect
Unless your project is particularly large, we typically deliver your content within 7 working days. That said, we’re also well-known for turning projects around even faster when schedules allow!
Bear in mind that not only are we juggling multiple projects at once, your content also goes through several stages before it reaches you.
- Our writers generally start with the content research phase, which can include anything from checking out stats and analytics to reading a few articles on the topic at hand.
- Then, they’ll move onto SEO research, where they’ll take a look at not only which keywords your audience is typing into Google, but also what your competitors are ranking for.
- After that, they’ll move onto writing draft one — the first step in bringing their research and your vision to life!
- After draft one is complete, your writer will typically take a step back from your work and then come back later to edit.
- Once your content has been SEO optimised, they’ll run it through some of our special tools (no, not ChatGPT!) to assess for grammar and readability. Then, they’ll do a final check before passing the project over to our in-house Editor, Mia!
- Mia will go through your content with a fine-tooth comb, not only proofreading and editing the work, but also giving it a fresh set of eyes for clarity, structure, readability, and tone!
- After that, we submit the work to our Project Manager, Riley. Riley’s the one making sure the work gets over to you on time, and who’ll facilitate any edits you might need.
As you can see, there’s a lot involved in turning a project around! So yes, sometimes we need the full 7 working days. 🗓️
Edits and Feedback: We Want It Perfect!
Every project we work on includes two free rounds of edits. This gives you the opportunity to review the content and provide feedback on anything that needs tweaking.
We present your content in a Google Doc, so it’s super easy for you to add comments, highlight sections that work, and flag any areas that don’t hit the mark.
Also, feel free to share the document with your team! Just remember to keep all feedback in the same document to avoid confusion. This helps keep everyone on the same page — literally!
Our Team: Here to Help Every Step of the Way
As a team, we’re all here to make your life easier. We’ll match you with the best-fit copywriter for your project. Whether it’s a playful tone for your quirky brand or a professional voice for your corporate website, our skilled team has you covered.
But on the whole, it’s Riley, our Project Manager, who’ll be your main point of contact. Riley is a dab hand at keeping things organised and making sure your deadlines are met, so if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out at any point in the process!
Ready to book in for one of our project kickoff meetings and start your project? If so, talk wordy to us. 😉
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