Effective writing can mean so many things, depending on the type of writing you are talking about. But when to comes to client work, effective writing means work that meets a goal and does its job. It’s that simple. And that hard.
There are some steps you can take to ensure you are doing your job effectively. Since they are rather large steps, I’ve split them into two blogs. You’ll get the first five steps in this blog and the second set of five in the next.
[A note: You may notice the title says (client) writing. The reason I put “client” in parenthesis is because these steps apply to many kinds of writing projects, not just client work.]
The first five steps to effective client writing are:
Purpose
You need to know for what purpose the project is being written. It could be to encourage the audience to take action or to teach them a specific skill. The options are wide-ranging and endless. The point is that you need to know what the client wants to achieve with the work so you can write to that need. Without knowing the mission, you cannot plan a strategy.
The purpose should be as specific and detailed as possible. It does not include what the client says needs to happen, but what they hope to achieve with the project. Sometimes those two things are not the same. It is your job as the professional to guide them to the best option, even if it doesn’t match what is in the RFP (Request for Proposal).
Audience
Who are you trying to reach? Are they a technical audience with upper-level knowledge or a lay person? Are they consumers or engineers? Bankers or fashion designers? Adults or children? You cannot begin to write without knowing who will be your audience.
This one question will inform the tone, style, language and pace you use. It will guide you in word choice, length of sentence, approach, structure and every other element in planning your writing.
The problem is when the client wants to reach more than one audience at a time, sometimes even conflicting audiences. It’s tough to reach young people when you also want to reach high level management. Those are conflicting audiences that require different approaches. There are also times when there is an unintended audience involved. For example, if you are planning a social media campaign for one audience, but know that another, less desired audience, will see the work too or will be adversely affected by the campaign, then you need to make accommodations for that.
Figuring out your audience is essential. It’s also critical you plan your piece to accommodate client needs without creating issues for them. This means handling conflicting audience needs delicately and with some creativity. It is possible, but sometimes not how you are being asked to accomplish the task. Don’t be afraid to offer alternatives to your client if your idea will help them achieve their stated purpose.
Structure
What form will your writing take? Is your client asking for web content, an article, speech, script, white paper, press release? The form is an essential part of how this project will proceed. Also how long will it be? Are you talking a half hour speech or a 600 word blog? How you approach and plan those pieces are vastly different. As will your time requirements to complete the project on time. A full-length nonfiction book or manual takes months to complete where PSA copy takes hours.
Throughline
What is the driving force behind the project? Your throughline is how you convert the purpose of your piece into its theme. This theme or throughline is what runs through your writing to provide cohesiveness. Everything needs to support your throughline or purpose. Without that, it’s tough to stay on message and deliver a coherent project. It’s what guides your plot and structure.
Message
What are the key messages you are trying to deliver? The key messages or talking points are what you need to include in the piece. These need to be clear, concise and kept to a minimum depending on the structure and form your project takes. You can include more messages in a longer piece, but they all need to support the throughline. Once you have your key messages, you can plot or outline your content.
Look for the last five steps in the next blog.