9 steps to writing great content
What do bread dough, squeaky pigs, snack gremlins and Frodo have to do with writing? Everything. Nothing. Take a journey with me to find out more about my writing process for copy, content and everything in between.
Discover
We’ve agreed to do a job together! Aces. The first thing I do is find out everything possible. As an ex-journo and ex-retail manager, I’m used to asking LOTS of questions and doing my own research. I have notepads on every surface. I’ll take time to find out what customers want, what problems they have and how the project will speak to them and solve their woes. B2B, B2C: call it whatever you want. Because at the end of the day, all comms is just people talking to people.
Join the dots
Armed with reams of notes and roughly a billion tabs open, I spend time working out how everything relates to everything else. I look for links, hooks, and stories to tie everything together. I get really excited when I can find an easier way to explain something complicated, because it means more people will understand it, making the project accessible and more likely to succeed. And that’s a satisfying thing.
Make it rough
I open a new Google doc and empty my brain onto it. This is why you’ll never see a very first rough draft from any writer: because they aren’t presentable. A scramble of fleeting thoughts, core ideas, word banks and highlighted sections. Lots of highlighted parts. Once it looks like a crime detective’s evidence board with red strings connecting everything, I close my laptop and walk away. Right when it’s getting good. And there’s an important reason why.
Incubate
This is when I do my best to forget about it and focus on real life for a while. I either chill out with a video game, go for a run, catch up on a box set or scroll through random stuff on Instagram. It’s okay, everyone does it. Good rest, good exercise, and a good run around with a squeaky toy pig and a delighted dog usually do the trick. If it’s possible, I prefer to sleep on it and come back to it the next day with a fresh brain.
Make it clear
I tidy up all my rough ideas and get them into a logical order. There’s often some more joining-up of the dots and introducing new ideas at this stage. Some things get killed off and others get moved into a ‘don’t delete, might be useful’ holding area. At this point, I’ve sometimes got the key parts nailed like headlines and CTAs but nothing is concrete yet.
Incubate again
You know how bread dough has to prove? It’s like that. Copy, content - any kind of words need to sit and quietly rest. I resist the urge to faff about with it, but by this stage even the dog is sick of playing and wants a snooze. I usually do the same.
Make it sing
This is when I take the tidied up version and, like Our Lady Britney says, make it Work Bitch. The loose ideas are solidified or ditched, loose ends are tied up and the layout makes sense and flows. By this stage it’s looking fancy, sounding good and is almost there. Two stages to go.
Get a snack
Never underestimate how much fuel your brain needs to be creative. When the 4pm gremlins turn up, I give them something sugary and top up my blood to caffeine ratio. I’d love to say I have something wholesome like matcha or chai, but it’s usually instant coffee or builder’s tea in a blue and white polka dot mug I got from Woolworths in 2005. It’s survived a whopping 9 house moves, so it’s basically a magical talisman at this point. Give it a wave if you see it on a video call.
Final polish
This is when I make it *werk*. Before then, it just *worked*. There is a clear distinction here that I will not be elaborating on. I do a few different proof reads - one for typos, one for flow, one for sense, and one where I read it out loud to see where the overly wordy bits can get fixed, rephrased or deleted. Then, and only then, is it ready.
It goes to the client for a first review. If I did good, it gets signed off with no amends. If something’s not quite right, I’ll get to the bottom of what’s not working and make sure it’s going to fully hit the brief. I always include two rounds of amends but I’m proud to say they rarely get used. A mixture of good briefing and good techniques have got me to a happy stage of usually only needing one, or none. None is jackpot territory.
And that’s it! The 9 processes to writing great content. What does your process look like? Is it different? Similar? What’s the best gremlin-fighting snack? Let me know.