Client & content writer | A collaborative effort

The nuanced syncing of a client’s vision with a content writer’s craft will always result in engaging & compelling content & a client’s marketing objectives being achieved. It is a win-win scenario.

Whether you're a freelance writer or a content specialist at an agency, the relationship with a client is a tricky one. Being tasked with building their brand awareness using your craft means translating their voice into your words. As a wordsmith, this is serious business; a client's online reputation is literally at your fingertips. Weighty stuff.

The collaborative working dynamic between client and content writer is one that is nuanced and fraught with complexity.

It's the blurry world of ghost writing and mind reading and you need to tread carefully to prove yourself worthy of such a mission.

Here's the rub: most clients do not care that content writers have a fragile ego, that they bleed words onto a page or have stayed up half the night rewriting a sentence in their mind over and over till it lands just right.

But that is exactly what will make you a worthy and valued content writer and will build a working relationship that will reap rewards; for both parties.

The client’s vision

Each client has a specific message and brand ethos they want to convey in a way that will attract and convert their ideal customer. That is their marketing goal. The fact that this involves creative storytelling within a unique and complicated digital framework is your job, not theirs. But, at the back of their minds they believe they know what this will look, smell and sound like, even if they cannot clearly articulate that to you.

A client's brief needs to morph into the eloquent focus of the content writer. And the more you can prove that you not only understand a client's brand vision, but are also invested in it, the more they will trust you and let you do what you do best: create online literary magic in the form of blogs, ad copy, e-mailers, press releases, newsletters, and organic social media posts.

The content writer’s job

Step #1 - A meeting of minds

Before a word is written, a content writer needs to land on the same page as the client.

This pre-writing skill of immersing yourself in their world, listening between the words and hearing not only what they are saying, but what they aren’t saying, is key.

• Listen carefully - The brand, product or service you are tasked to write about is your client’s baby, brainchild and vision. They are (very) protective of it and emotionally attached to it. Listen to their backstory and carefully note their goals and marketing strategy. The two are inextricably linked. Disconnecting any product from the context that birthed it will leave your writing flat, clinical and one-dimensional. Connecting with the client’s vision and brand so that you can write exciting and relevant content for them means taking the time to listen.
  

• Ask (lots of) questions - You are an intrinsic cog in a client’s marketing machine and you cannot write with confidence about what you don’t know. Asking questions is a powerful weapon in producing winning content and nurturing a relationship with your client(s).
  

• Invite feedback - Keeping your client in the loop throughout the process and inviting input and suggestions will allow the lines of communication to remain open and a trusted partnership to develop. Don’t hold your content too close; you will need to be flexible and adaptable. The more a client trusts you, the more freedom and creative licence they are likely to give you; allowing you to do what you love to do; using your words to tell a story and take the readers on a journey. This will also build into brand loyalty from the customer.

Step #2 - Whose story?

The realisation that this is not your story, it is your client’s story, is a reality check and challenge for any writer. That is why step #1 is so important, because if you can catch their passion and become part of their vision, this hurdle is much easier to overcome. (The fact that you will not get a byline is something you will have to learn to live with). It is worth heeding master wordsmith, Stephen King’s advice, that you must be ready to kill your ‘darlings’ in the review and editing process because they may not be your client’s ‘darlings.’

Step #3 - Find your voice

Even though you have to adopt your client's brand voice, each writer still has their own writing voice and that will naturally weave its way through every piece of content; bringing heart and personality to the end product. It also makes you a much better writer and is what will make the targeted audience persona and potential customer pause and connect with your words.

This beautiful syncing of a client’s vision and a content writer’s voice is something to behold and a job well done.

Telling a client’s brand story with integrity and clarity - in a way that engages and delights readers - is what will make a product or service stand out from its online competition, transforming readers into customers.

That is their bottom line.

That is your job.

Yes, your content may be the ‘wind’ beneath a client’s ‘wings,’ but you get to write as a day job, hone your skills and share the magic of words. (Thank your lucky stars).

Step #4 - Respect the boundaries

No matter how loud your muse, you have to restrain it. You cannot go rogue. Your creative licence and freedom are bound by the client’s brief and strategic objectives. Your mandate is to ‘colour within their lines’ and present that in a persuasive, informative and compelling way; delivering concise and highly readable prose or copy for each client.

This is all about growing a client's brand exposure. As a content writer, you are tasked with not only using your craft to represent the client’s brand, service or product with clarity and authenticity, but also putting yourself in the shoes of the reader: the client’s all-important audience and potential customer. Your end goal is to masterfully and artistically create content that meets its primary marketing objective. Do not lose sight of this.

Your client’s vision has to become your 'muse' so that they will trust you and let you do what you are good at, otherwise they are likely to micromanage you. (Any creative writer's worst nightmare).

‘When a client insists on too much control and doesn’t offer enough trust – results can be damaging for both the writer and the client.’ [Mickey David]

Clarifying, negotiating and respecting these creative boundaries will hopefully make the road forward less rocky and less frustrating. And then there are those clients who will give you lots of creative freedom and let you colour a little outside the lines. Enjoy that.

At the end of the day, the reality is that although the motivations of client and content writer may be slightly different, the goal will always remain the same - excellent content with a competitive edge - and that makes everyone a winner.

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