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4 Deadly Freelance Writer Roadblocks

By Michael Stelzner

Do you face roadblocks when working with freelance clients? I know I do!

This can be particularly challenging in the technology market.

Harry Calhoun recently wrote an article on this very topic for Intercom Magazine.

He identified some of common roadblocks to effective marketing writing:

  1. Your client insists on discussing technical specifications.
  2. “The client thinks of all marketing as ‘fluff’ and wants you to stick with product descriptions with a minimum of sell.”
  3. They want to add MORE product information, making your work longer and boring to read.
  4. “Garbage in, garbage out—the client provides a bad or inaccurate source and you are forced to use it or dig up your own information.”

First question: How often does this happen to you?

Second question: How do you respond?

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    This entry was posted on Monday, December 11th, 2006 at 4:49 am and is filed under Freelance Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

    • Great comments and feedback everyone! These really are big problems.
    • Hi Mike,
      Great questions! This does not happen to me as much as it used to because if I have someone that comes to me with that direction, then I tend to try to talk them out of using me if they won't budge on the technical stuff. I'm the "backseat writer" for my clients, and in living up to that self-imposed moniker I really want my clients to get the best out of my work.

      I do suggest as Janice noted in her comments, different ways for them to use some of their more strict tech-jargon marketing collateral and I do at the onset in writing an outline with the client ascertain what we're missing so it's helpful to drive the direction toward getting good content to fill in those spaces.

      With case studies, which I really primarily am doing now and love doing, it is often easier because mine are very story-driven and focused away from just marketing gunk and because they are typically shorter 1000-1200 words you really have to make certain they are not just boring marketing brochures!
    • I just wanted to say how much this blog is helping me. I have a long way to go, if ever, before I write white papers, but there is SO much information here that is useful to every freelance writer. Thank you.
    • My favorite tactic for dealing with engineers who want to include a complete technical dissertation in every marketing document is to give them another outlet. I will suggest that the technical details will be best presented in a technical white paper or other document. This usually satisfies the engineer's need for acknowledgment and expression.

      It's also important to remember that an engineer probably knows that not all of the technical detail will make it into a brochure. Sometimes, they just need to give you a brain dump in order to feel comfortable that they have given you all the input you might need.

      Janice King, Author
      Copywriting That Sells High Tech
      www.writinghightech.com
    • Hey Kristen and Tom;

      There's a reason I selected an image of a big bull standing in the road.

      Yes, that can be a real big issue.

      I think one way to prevent these problems from happening is to set expectations up front. Get an outline approved, remind the client who "they" said the target reader was, ...

      Mike
    • This was always a real problem, especially when dealing with technical or high-tech startups. I can't count the number of times that clients asserted to me that bullet points were all that was necessary to make the sale.

      Frankly, tech specs are great - provided they're so spectacular they provide fodder for a dramatic marketing statement.

      More often, they're simply "me-too" information, where they function largely as a sleep aid for readers.
    • Ugh, this is so exasperating! I'm fortunate in that this doesn't happen too frequently for me, but even once is too often in my opinion! If you hire me to do a job, let me do the job. I generally take the "in my professional opinion from a marketing standpoint, XYZ is the most effective way to approach this. You're the client and you're writing my check, so I'll do whatever you want, but I strongly feel that you'll get the most out of your marketing dollar if you take this route. How would you like me to proceed?" More often than not, they concede. And when they don't, I just don't use that particular project in my portfolio, and I think seriously before accepting another project from the client.

      Kristen
      www.inkthinker.blogspot.com
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