Is Your Marketing Project Ready for a Writer?

Looking at your marketing plan, you see a project coming up that you'll want to outsource to a freelance copywriter.

But is that project really ready?

You will save project time and writing costs by checking these factors before you engage a writer to begin work:

• Does it still makes sense to produce this project? The marketing plan was likely developed months ago and the current product status, market conditions, and promotional opportunities may have changed since then.

• How much background and source material exists and will it be up-to-date and useful for the writer? The truism "the better the input, the better the output" applies here. But good source material will also save you money because the writer will need less time for research and interviewing tasks.

• Are the marketing messages clearly defined and agreed upon by all the key players? Using multiple drafts of a brochure or white paper isn't the most constructive or cost-effective way for a product team to hash out the product's vision, target markets, and positioning. (Sound familiar?)

• Have you identified the right subject matter experts and secured their agreement for interviews by the writer?

Sometimes all it takes is a few days and a few calls or emails to make the project truly writer-ready. But that small effort will yield a high payback in terms of a faster project schedule, good drafts, and reduced costs.