Diana Cacy Hawkins: Freelance writer and copywriter

Once we have decided to work together and all the preliminary requirements are taken care of, I gather all the information together. This involves as much as I can get from you about your company, your product or service, and your competitors. I do require a lot of items from you to ensure the best salescopy possible. Then I do my own additional research.

I study all the material, make notes of all the key facts. At this point I will make a list of all the features and benefits of your product or service, and often the product or service's Unique Selling Proposition shows up during this stage.

I design an outline of how the information will appear in the copy. For longer pieces, I like to either physically cut out the headlines and text sections and rearrange them into the most effective order to build the copy from - or use notecards. Sometimes, I'll use a software program to do this also.

The copy platform comes next. Sometimes this will be a short note describing the package. Other times the copy platform has more detail.

At this point, I contact you to go over the copy platform.

Once the copy platform is approved, I will write the project. The first copy is then emailed to you. (This is the guaranteed deadline that we agree upon during the project set up.)

You provide comments back to me on the copy.

Two revision passes that do not change the scope of the project are included in the agreed price.

I will usually ask you to email me a PDF or fax me the package in layout form before the actual printing. This allows me to verify that the copy is presented as effectively as it can be and to provide another proofreading to you. However, you are responsible for final checking of all copy, design, and production elements.

I give my corrections and comments to you.

For further insight on how I work, see my article "About Copywriters".

How Diana Cacy Handles Your Copywriting Projects