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As a freelance
writer, you must understand that the client’s expectations
are always going to be high. In case the business owner does
not provide enough background information, it is up to you,
the writer, to ask the right questions and gather sufficient
information so that you can give a unique voice to the content
and create
killer content / copy.
Here are
10 Essential Questions Every Writer Must Ask the Client before
Beginning a Writing Project –
1.
Tell me about your Business / Company -
Who are you? Answers
to this question should help you understand the company and
its functioning and core values. Company specific information
provides valuable insights into the enterprise’s operations.
Some specific queries include - when was the company / business
founded, etc.
2.
Define your Prospective Customers -
Who is your Target Audience?
- The million
dollar question, one that requires a clear and precise answer.
Ask the client to give you a profile of the target market
(age group, gender, location, preferences). Knowing who you
are writing for is essential for producing content that gets
the desired results.
3.
Define your Core Values - What
are your short and long term goals? Every
company or business has a vision of the future. Understanding
their short and long term goals, their core beliefs, values
as well as their mission statement will help you in giving
a distinctive voice to their website and communication channels.
4.
Describe your Products & Services –
What do you sell?
Ask
the client to provide you with a comprehensive description
of the products they sell and the services they offer. Your
job will be to present these services and products in the
best possible light.
5.
What are the Benefits of using your services / products?
– How do you solve
your customers’ problems? What
defines a good product or service is not its features, rather
its benefits. As a copywriter, it is your job to inform the
customers about the advantages they can derive from using
the product or service, in question. Ask your clients to define
how their goods or services can solve the customers' problems
and assist them in improving their lives.
6.
Define your Competitors – Who
are you competing against? Knowing
what you are up against is good practice. Hence, ask clients
to profile their competitors. Once you know who they are,
study their websites to find out more about them and how they
operate.
7.
Tell me about your company’s USP –
How are you different from your Competitors?
Take steps to analyse how your clients score over their competitors.
Understand the business's Unique Selling Proposition and concentrate
on projecting this through your web copy. Give readers clear
reasons why they should buy from your client.
8.
Describe your Strengths - Why
should Customers buy from you or do business with you?
The clients need to
explain the top reasons why prospective customers should use
their services or buy from them.
Some of
the reasons may include – their reliability, dedication towards
delivering on time, their active task force, high-end machinery,
international standards, etc.
9.
Define the Purpose of this content -
What is the objective of developing
this content? Whether
you are writing an article, web content or rewriting existing
copy, it is useful to find out the client's goals for getting
this content developed. The goal may be image building, achieving
higher turnover or giving a fresh perspective to what is already
said. Whatever the reason, knowing it will help you to tailor
the content accordingly.
10.
Please provide me with a detailed Sitemap -
Do you have a word count in mind?
If
you charge for content writing on a per word basis, it is
good practice to discuss the word count per page before beginning
work. Some clients will leave it to you to decide how much
to write per page. However, there may be others who want you
to be extremely succinct. It is best to discuss this beforehand.
To make your freelance
writing career
successful you must start every project the correct way -
ask relevant questions, gain an understanding of the project
and then give it your very best!
Also read - 5
Mistakes Every Writer Must Avoid
Contributing
Author: Team of writers, www.contentwriter.in
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