Working with Us

I’ve never used a copywriter before. What can I expect from working with you?

We want our words to deliver the results you’re looking for. So we’ll need to know lots about you, your business and just exactly what it is you want the copy to achieve. Expect loads of questions about your business and your project. Even a few about what your competitors are up to. Once we’ve agreed on the scope of work and dates to deliver it, we’ll send you a first draft for you to check we’re all on the same page. After that, we’ll do two revisions and deliver a final version of the copy to you. You pay our fee and we’re all happy campers!

How long will my job take?

Every job is different. As a rough guide, a single website page of 300-400 words takes around 3 days if we are required to do the research for SEO. If you provide us with keyword information and other content then we can turn it around more quickly. A new 5 page website takes around 10 days. Editing large reports (5,000 words or more) takes around a week. Proofreading depends on the number of pages to proof but a rough target is 20 pages an hour.

Can I make changes to your copy?

We fully expect you to revise and comment on our drafts; you’ll get three goes (if you need that) before we prepare a final draft. We find that after the second round of revisions you’re usually happy with the result.

What does your price include?

We’ll prepare a detailed quote for your job once the scope of work is finalised. This means we can allow for everything from the research phase all the way through to the final proofing stage. We charge a fixed rate for web writing and business writing workshops. Editing and proofreading is charged at an hourly rate but we’ll provide a fixed quote for those once we see what we’re dealing with. Clarity on price suits us both: no nasty surprises!

Do you need a deposit?

Yes please! We need 50% up front before we can start your project. The balance is payable on completion. Our payment terms are seven days.

I’ve got a tight deadline. Do you do rush jobs?

This is a tricky one. We’ll do everything we can to help you out of a tight spot but quality copywriting takes time. So please don’t be offended if we decline your rush job; we may be too busy to squeeze your work in or just think we can’t do the best possible job in your time frame. But try us and let’s see if we can help!

Can you teach me how to improve my writing?

Absolutely. We run group or one-on-one sessions where we show you the basics of good business writing and writing website content. Then we’ll work on areas you find challenging.

English is my second language. Can you help me improve my grammar and punctuation?

Yes. We can work with you to identify specific areas of business writing in English that you find challenging. Then we will customise a guide for you to keep at your desk to check you’ve got those niggly little rules of the English language right!

How can you write for my industry if you haven’t any experience in it?

Good copywriters have to also be good interviewers. Without a clear understanding of who you are, your target and your objectives, copy just fizzles. Our writers are trained journalists skilled in the art of extracting meaningful information and turning that into great copy, online or in print. If you’re still not sure, ask us!

Technical Stuff

What is copy?

Copy refers to written material to be published online or in print. It could be as little as a paragraph or as much as an e-book. When we talk about copy, we’re talking about anything written for your purposes.

What is a copywriter?

A copywriter in the traditional sense would write words for advertising or a promotional purpose. These days, we think a copywriter can describe anyone who writes copy for business purposes. This could be board reports, business proposals, case studies, white papers, emails, brochures, newsletters, video scripts, blogs, web pages, e-books…you get the idea.

What is SEO copywriting?

SEO copywriting refers to copy that is written in a way to attract the attention of the search engines, usually Google. So when web users type in a search request, Google ranks a particular page as likely to be useful to them. An SEO copywriter understands how to use keywords and links in your copy to increase your ranking so web users can find you (hopefully on the first page of Google). SEO copywriting is a very specialised skill and not to be tinkered with…get it wrong and Google will penalise your website!

Does copywriting have anything to do with copyright?

No. Copyright refers to legal ownership of the written material and has nothing to do with the actual writing of it. Just as an aside, you might want to check that you’re getting copyright in any work produced for you.