In the last blog, I shared the first five steps to effective client writing. Below are the final five steps to providing your clients work that fills their needs:
Benefit
How will the audience benefit from this project? Will they learn something or be motivated to act or change? Will they laugh or cry? Or will they finally understand how to set up their tech? What are the benefits, not only of the project, but of the purpose and throughline? Why does it matter? Why is this project/information important? What is the value of it? You need to understand why this project matters to your client and the audience so you can create a piece that matches that benefit. Not only will this help you structure your project, it will help you find the perfect tone, style and approach for it.
Outline
I hate to say it, but you need to know what you are going to say and when, how you are going back up your statements and what you are going to add to reach your audience. This all points to an outline, plot or architecture: choose the word you want to use. The point is you need to have a plan for your writing and these are the industry standards. Keep in mind that your outline needs to support the throughline.
Logic & Transitions
Within the outline, you need to build in story logic—the way you are going to take the key messages and fulfill the throughline in a way that is clear, concise and logical. It must be a progression even when it is not obviously so. The way you hold the pieces together is through carefully planned transitions. These are things you will need to bring the project. They are rarely, if ever, provided by the client. They are critical to writing that flows.
Evidence
Evidence comes in a few different ways, but the two most common forms are visual and factual:
The first is important when you are including visual information with your words. These projects can take the form of presentations, videos, slide shows, films, streaming content, animation, and other visual forms of media. It also includes printed materials that include still photography or charts. You need to ensure you have the right supporting material to accompany your words. They should complement each other, not duplicate.
The second form falls under fact-checking. You need to have scrupulous research techniques and the ability to verify your sources. This means having more than one reliable source. Understanding what a credible source is and how to use it. Documenting everything as you go. Maintaining those records. It is your job as a writer to make sure all materials, facts and information you are providing is accurate and free of libel. When in doubt, check with the lawyers. They will kill your copy, but they will keep you out of court and your clients out of trouble. It happens. I once did work for a client whose previous writer had developed guidelines on how to keep safe using a certain type of product. Someone died as a result of following those flawed instructions and the client is no longer in business. Keep records and manage your liability.
Presentation or Distribution
How will this work be released, seen or presented? The way the client wants to distribute the material affects its structure and delivery. For example, if you are writing a speech, you need to know how the speech is going to be delivered. Will it be a live speech, streamed or a combination of the two? Is it intended for magazine or book publication? Each answer requires a different delivery method. You also need to provide separate supporting documents for each. If you are writing a script for a video, you need to know whether that video is going to be animated or live action, meant for broadcast or streaming. The delivery method affects how you package the project and how you approach it. For example, if you are doing a script, it matters whether you are writing a shooting script or one from collected footage. Both demand vastly different methods of structure, plotting and preparation. Knowing how your words will make their way to an audience is critical information.