As much as I’d love to be poised and ready right now to write your copy, brain bursting with ideas, that’s never the reality.
Just like a decent builder, experienced copywriters work with many clients and have projects booked in. That said, we’re good at offering as much flexibility as we can.
So, from getting in touch, how long will it be until you receive your copy?
Let me explain the factors that have an impact on the answer, and how I work with my clients.
Factors that affect project timescales
You might have an urgent deadline or time on your hands. Either way, the starting point is to understand what's required. This, in turn, will determine the timeframe.
Nature of the project
An article from rough content will clearly take less time to complete than a full website copy project.
Quality of the brief
Unlike some copywriters, I’m perfectly happy for a business to contact me with an incomplete brief, but it will take a little time to scope out. And you might need to allocate some time to pull information together for me.
Whether customer insight work is required
I help many customers understand their customers better. It adds huge value to copy but does need a little time.
Availability for calls
Your project might involve me carrying out calls with directors or customers. I’m reliant on their availability.
Reviewing draft copy
Having drafted your copy, I wait for your feedback. Some clients are lightning fast whilst others are slower.
Your approval process
If multiple people have to approve the copy, it might take more time. Likewise, if customers must provide approval (for example, of a customer story), the process is often longer.
And finally…my availability!
I have a constant workload and many regular clients. That’s great news for me and should provide you with reassurance. Sometimes, I’ll be able to start your project within a week whilst at other times it might take longer to kick things off. Like the builder analogy, I like to think I’m worth the wait.
How I work with my clients
Every copywriter will have their own way of doing things. So, let me explain how I tend to work with my clients. It’s an incredibly flexible approach, putting your needs at the centre.
From your initial contact, I’ll determine whether I have sufficient information to provide you with a quotation. If not, I’ll suggest we arrange a Zoom or phone call.
You might need some support finetuning your brief. That’s no problem and I’m happy to provide ballpark costs if it’s a little hazy at this point.
From a firm brief, I’ll provide you with a clear project fee.
At the same time, we can discuss your deadlines and my estimate of when your project will be completed. I try and provide realistic timeframes because I’m not a late person – in my business or my personal life.
You can expect the creation of an article to take a minimum of two weeks (from project start to sign off) and a website copy project to take four to six weeks. Of course, many factors can affect this (as I’ve discussed) so please contact me for a real-time chat.
Can you do rush jobs?
It’s inevitable that gaps appear in my schedule. Projects get delayed and I sometimes have quieter weeks. So, if you need something in a hurry, please get in touch. If I can help, I will. If I can’t, I might know someone who can.
Please don’t expect a rush job as standard though. Just like you, we’re only human.