Writing Blogs as a Team

One way I work with clients is by editing their content. They may have fully written blog posts to edit or provide a bullet-point brain dump to craft into an article. The gold is theirs. Some of the value I add is filling in what I don’t know and what they take for granted, finding the perspective of their target audience and overall good writing practices.

A great example is the teamwork I enjoyed with Deanne Kelleher of Kaos Group on her existing blogs. Deanne is a passionate writer who loves sharing her wisdom, tips and information from others she finds useful. Her blogs varied greatly in style and purpose. We developed key guidelines to decide which to keep and how to edit them. But here’s more on how I applied the value mentioned above.

Adding Context

It’s common for experts and professionals to take for granted what they know and assume readers are starting from the same place when they write. Drafts may be missing context or basic knowledge that would help the reader appreciate the post. Or miss out on making a case for the ideas you are presenting. For example, with her expertise in optimizing workflow, Deanne knows that many small things add up to disrupt productivity, including interruptions. A blog she wrote shared great strategies to reduce interruptions. However, many of her prospects only know that they are struggling and don’t necessarily recognize interruptions as a problem. To make a case for its importance, we added an intro citing research on how long it takes to refocus after an interruption, making them a much bigger problem than you’d think. That’s intriguing. 

Another example is posts that share other people’s content; just adding your two cents on why it’s useful is often all the context that’s needed. 

On review, the client will ensure I interpreted things right, the context added is correct and I’m not putting words in their mouths they aren’t comfortable with.

You Aren’t Your Target Audience

In the majority of professions, you aren’t your target audience (TA). Accountants don’t usually market to other accountants. Already being sold on your service and you as the provider makes it tricky to put yourself in the shoes of your ideal client. You might even have very different personality types. Yet finding their perspective helps figure out the TA’s needs, knowledge gaps and motivations, and what would build trust. Chances are, I’m closer to my client’s TA than they are, just not being them. If I’m not, I have broad enough marketing knowledge to figure it out. I adapt my client’s draft to talk to prospects and often add broader appeal. 

As an entrepreneur, Deanne is close to her own target audience. However, when editing her posts I made sure the wording speaks to the TA’s pains and helped build a view of her as an expert and the sense of trust they need to let her see behind the scenes. Deanne shared a lot of client experiences and insight to help me do this.

General Good Writing Practices

Many of the blog post drafts I receive to edit read like streams of consciousness. It is a good way to begin – gets the gold out of your head without being tripped up by grammar and structure – I do it! Though full of good information, they’re difficult to follow. I revise these drafts to add structure, ensure clear points are made and supported, add visual clutter breaks and say what the reader should do with this info where appropriate. I also check for spelling and grammar, of course. I may organize them into a common style: introduce the thesis with three supporting arguments, elaborate on each argument, and write a conclusion that says, “As you can see, I proved my point. Go forth and thrive.” 

Deanne had several blogs with terrific lists of tips or paragraphs of information. I often simply added or expanded an intro with a compelling main point or reasons to care, organized or improved the wording of the points as needed, and added subheads and a conclusion to tie it all together. In the back-and-forth, I make sure to highlight what I feel are major changes to ensure my teammate checks that it’s authentic and correct. If natural and appropriate, we discuss how to add specific and relevant offers of help stemming from their sales process and client experience.

Translating Your Genius

Client drafts may need heavy editing, some a light touch here and there. Sometimes, very complicated ideas are made into a series. At the very least, it’s always good to have a fresh eye to review spelling and grammar and confirm that a promise was delivered. The ultimate goal is to frame your insights and knowledge to appeal to your target audience, make it digestible, and build awareness and trust, compelling readers through your sales process. I also wish to honour my client’s voice. But I can’t do it from nothing. Whether gleaned from an interview with my client or supplied drafts, you are the expert at what you do. I’m the translator and objective eye. Together, we make a great team.