So you’re getting the hang of copywriting and finding your feet within the world of content – brilliant! But what happens when you are faced with a project that entails mass-producing content?
When a new large-scaled project arises, it is easy to overcommit yourself to a ridiculous amount of work. Who wouldn’t for the money, right? It’s all well and good, but it can all snowball far too easily. That’s when you get struck with an immediate sense of impending doom!
It doesn’t have to be this way and, although you might wish that you never committed to such a colossal amount, there are ways of dealing with it. In some ways it’s like taming a beast; if you don’t tame it then it spirals out of control. Panicking, however, is not the answer.
Here are our methods for mass-producing content from our experiences here at iThinkMedia:
It doesn’t matter how much work you have committed too. Whether it’s one hundred or a thousand pieces of copy that are a struggle, you need to make sure that you have full control.
Factor in any days that you are not working on the project, whether that’s weekends, bank holidays and the odd afternoon here and there. Taking these days into consideration, calculate how much you need to complete each day. It will allow you to plan your days and prevent any slip-ups from happening.
Top tip #1: Always allow a spare day or two at the end, before submission, so you can thoroughly proof your work.
The likelihood is that you will have to write about something that is completely new to you. Whether it’s cars or computers, pharmaceuticals or transport, you may be forced to research something that is completely alien to you.
Top tip #2: Be selective in what research you use. You know who your audience are, so pretend you are them. What do you need to know? How would you use the information supplied to you?
Most people believe that leaving the difficult copy until the end is the best, most time effective option. It’s really not. There is no reason to prolong the inevitable; you’ve still got to write it at some point, so do it now.
Top tip #3: Take the bull by the horns head on. Face the challenging copy at the beginning of the project: after they are out of the way, you’ll find that you naturally pick up the pace. Not only is this a huge moral boost, but you may even find that you finish early too. BONUS!
Quality is such an important element of copywriting: it could make you or break you. It’s a bit dramatic, but it’s true. If you panic and resort to plagiarism or duplicating your own content, this could be disastrous. We all have moments where our batteries just start depleting and our quality slips. The point is you have to be able to recognise when that happens.
Top tip #4: Make your number one priority the quality, not the money. You will feel much more satisfied knowing that everything is of the highest quality you could possibly achieve.
Relax your trigger finger and don’t be so hasty. Yes, you might have finished all seven hundred pieces of copy, but there is no need to press send just yet…
Make sure you have one last look at your work before you submit it. It’s surprising how often people ignore those red squiggly lines, especially when it’s the first thing any company will notice. They scream typos, incorrect spellings and poor grammar.
Top tip #5: Always give yourself the opportunity for one final proof. Never hand over content that you are not one hundred percent satisfied with. Be professional and you will reap the rewards.
So there you have it, our advice on mass-producing content. As useful as this is, the sensible thing to do would be to not overcommit. But where’s the fun in that?
If you loved this, then why don’t you check out the first in this copywriting series – ‘How to Save your Sanity’.