Last week I told the story of what happens when you hire a writer without a content strategy. Here’s another story about a writer who misunderstood the content strategy. Among other things, content strategies often include descriptions of appropriate voice, tone, core messaging, and sometimes even have a sample page of content (I recommend all those things). These are some of the things your writers and editors need to shape the content that will help share your brand story most effectively.
Last week it was time to pass along a completed content strategy to a writer. She understood the goals of the company, the immediate objectives of the content to be written, the voice, etc, and was pretty excited to get started. The next day, she had a sample page written for review, to ensure we were communicating. We were not.
This was such a big disappointment to me, as I’m sure it is for anyone who hires a writer and doesn’t get what they are envisioning. But the truth is, it hardly ever is exactly right the first time. That’s why there’s a sample. That’s why you expect one or two revisions. Still, I had to walk away from the screen and pace a bit before I responded (I highly recommend this, too). What happened? How can I better communicate the content strategy? The writing was good, but it appeared to be in the voice and tone of this writer’s last project: formal, conservative, professional. Ah. Ok. This new project needed casual, friendly, personal.
I added an exercise to the content strategy, and asked the writer to help me complete it. It had two columns: one said “What I’d like to know about you” and the other said “What I’d like you to know about me.” The “you” is the company’s audience. The “me” is the brand story. At the bottom of the two columns, it said: “Apply the Friendly Filter: Would you say these things to a friend or a friend of a friend as the host of a dinner party? If not, revise." That did it. She knew the exercise wasn’t intended to create literal content -- it was to help her get into the shoes of the brand. The next morning, I had a new sample page of content, and we were both very happy.
Shelly Bowen, MFA, is a content writer, content strategist, and founder of Pybop.
For decades, Shelly has written for businesses on complex topics from disease prevention and medical devices to alternative energy and leveraging data. Today, she's hyper-focused on supporting B-B technology businesses. In her spare time, she hikes, kayaks, draws, and works on her T-Bird.
A wide variety of brands rely on Shelly as an essential freelance writer and content strategy resource.
Follow Shelly on Instagram @pybop or connect on LinkedIn. More about Shelly and Pybop.
