If you write for a living, that is, if you write articles for clients, you have probably heard of writer's block. I think the topic has been done to death and is just something an author writes when he or she is too tired, too busy, or just not interested in the topic at hand. [Yes, this does happen!] On the other hand, do some of your clients ever have trouble writing? Okay, before you throw up your hands and ask how this could be, think about this: do your clients always know what they want you to write? Am I getting my point across? If so, keep reading. If not, please reread this paragraph.
When a potential client asks us to write for them, we can assume that they always know what they want us to write about. If I don't sound cheeky, I wish this was always the case! To put it simply, you may have a client who wants you to write "X" number of articles that he or she will post on their own website to improve their SEO. Your part of the deal is to write interesting and compelling copy that will bring people to their site.
Well, this only works if your client knows exactly what topics or subjects should be covered, what keywords should be used, and how long each article should be. No, your client won't write the article, but they will lay the groundwork for it. You can't start writing a web content article without knowing some basics, like the topic and which keywords to use. Make sure that your proposal has these building blocks. If it doesn't, you might end up going in a direction that your client didn't want.
If you don't have enough time to keep rewriting every article, you should find out exactly what the client wants from you.
When I get the feeling that a client isn't sure which way they want me to go, I ask them a few questions, such as:
Do you want to talk about a certain subject? If so, what is it, and do you want me to come up with a title for the article, or do you want to do it yourself? Having this information will help you write your topic sentence and the first sentence of your first paragraph.
Next, tell me what words you want me to use. I try to keep my clients to just 2–4 words per article. More keywords mean more articles, so why make your readers confused? Why kill SEO? Do you want me to make 3–4 points in this article I'm writing for you? The body of the article will be all of this information.
Last, what kind of "call to action" do you want? Do you want people to buy something? Read something else? Call the person who works for them? I let the client choose the anchor links, but I try to get the article to exactly where the client wants it.
If you got good answers to all of your questions, you helped your client get over their own case of writer's block. Yes, up to a certain point, every client has an idea of what they want written [but they hire you because they don't know how to write it themselves or are too busy]. If they haven't already, you need to help them answer the questions above so you can write well.
If you don't take the time to make sure your client knows what he or she wants, you'll waste time and miss the chance to move on to the next project.
I don't know about you, but time is important to me, and as writers, we can't waste any. Before you start a project, make sure you know exactly what your client wants. This will save you time and keep your sanity!
