articles
Turn ideas into publication-ready documents for your colleagues or clients
An email, a newsletter, a proposal, a white paper, a trade magazine piece, an interview with the CEO, something that's been sitting on your desk for a while but hasn't moved beyond the idea stage... whatever you need, I'll turn it from the blank-page state into a comprehensive, professional, readable document.
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If you feel slightly vague about what you need to say, that's absolutely fine. Just set up a call and talk me through your ideas. I'll ask questions. We'll find the key points and draw out the main angle. We'll also think about style and tone of voice. You might like to send me examples of other documents that fit what you're looking for. Quite often I'll chat to your colleagues or clients as well. Send over their details. Leave the rest to me.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Brief
Email me some ideas for your blogs. They don’t have to be highly refined, with all the bells and whistles. It can just be a rough list of topics and titles. A total ideas-dump. I’ll look over the list and turn them into blog angles for your readers.
PHONE CALL
Once you have my list of titles, you can review it and arrange a call-back. I’ll ask you lots of questions about the topic. You’re the expert. My job is to draw out the detail and turn it into language that will connect with your readers. We can cover off several articles during this conversation.
WRITE-UP
I’ll write the articles, with a headline and keywords that sell the blog content and draws your audience into the things you really want them to know. There are no strict rules on length, but there’s a balance between informing and exhausting your audience. I usually recommend 500 to 700 words.
REVIEW
Once they’re ready, I’ll send them over. You can read through and make edits and tweaks if you feel necessary, or ask me to redraft them. We can do this by email. Or I can send you a link to edit on Google Docs.
PUBLISH!
When you’re happy with the pieces, they’re ready to go. You can upload them to your website yourself, or we can do that for you as part of a regular maintenance package.
what's the story?
Coming from a journalism background is helpful for content writing. Journalists are good at cutting through the filler and identifying the key angle, then writing about the subject in a way that draws readers on through the document. Every good piece of writing - from a tiny blog to a white paper - has a story thread that takes the reader on a journey.
Many of the techniques media writers use to generate interest work equally well for business writing. A headline that's strong yet faithful to the content below it. A 'standfirst' sentence that focuses the angle. An opening that leaves you wanting to know more. Well-placed quotes and interviews with experts, perhaps. Images and captions to draw the eye. Paragraph breaks to make the writing more digestible... Put together, it can create something compelling.
