Before taking on a writing project with a new client, a phone briefing is scheduled to discuss the type of content needed, content length, the number of interviews required, the amount of research needed, and other project requirements.
Once the scope of work is determined, I'll send a written quote. I typically do not quote an hourly rate; most projects are quoted as a flat fee or priced per word. The rate and delivery time depend on a number of factors such as the type of content, word count, and estimated hours of research.
Once the quote is approved by the client, the client will usually initiate a project via email, and a writer agreement outlining the scope of the work is signed by both parties. While I prefer to use my standard writer agreement, clients may provide an agreement if they have one. Agreements may be signed using an e-signature service (I use Dropbox Sign).
For the first project with a new client, a 50% down payment is required before I begin work. For very large projects, clients may request to make scheduled payments. The invoice for the down payment is sent via FreshBooks once the agreement has been signed by both parties. Once the down payment has been received, I will start working on the project. If the first project goes well, the client may opt for a new agreement with month-based invoicing and no down payment required for each project.
In-depth content such as articles and e-books usually require one or more interviews with a company SME such as a data scientist, product manager, or CTO. The purpose of the interview(s) is to plan the content and obtain information that may be needed to write the content.
For in-depth content such as articles and e-books, I'll provide a general outline for the client to review and provide comments. I then update the outline based on comments from the client. Blog posts typically do not require any phone briefings or an outline. The client may also opt to provide an outline for the content.
Once the client has approved the outline, I'll start writing the content. I'll submit a draft of the content for the client to review and provide comments. I then update the content draft based on comments from the client. Several rounds of revisions are sometimes required.
Once the revisions have been completed and the final draft approved by the client, the project is considered complete. An invoice for the remaining 50% balance is sent upon completion and approval of the final draft or 30 days from the submission date of the first draft.
