Town Hall Ad
Tag: Special Interest
Whether you are launching a political campaign, raising awareness for a cause, or promoting an industry or organization, our team can help you get the word out. We’ll reach your potential supporters and spread your message with engaging, intelligent, and well-researched content.
We’re obsessed with accuracy and accustomed to working on projects with extremely tight turnaround times. No micromanaging required. No hand-holding, either. When you work with us, you get a dedicated team of project managers, writers, and editors who can fall into step with your campaign or organization to create content that strengthens your brand and helps you stay in front of potential supporters, donors, and decision-makers.
An Award-Winning Example
A long-standing client in the energy industry asked our team to create an awareness campaign focused on American energy. The campaign, which was titled “Talk Crude,” included speeches and presentations; ghostwritten blogs; a full-length, thoroughly researched book about energy policy; a website; and social media.
The campaign won AMA Houston’s 2016 award for the “Social Responsibility” category – and our accompanying articles, editorials, and op-ed pieces appeared in 41 print and online publications, generated 189 blog hits, and made 48,342 impressions across three leading social sites: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Example Projects
Speeches and Presentations
No matter the topic, the event, or the deadline – and no matter where you are in the process – you can count on The Writers for Hire to step in and work with you to create a clear, engaging speech or PowerPoint presentation.
Ghostwritten Books and Editorial
Whether you want a full-length, thoroughly researched book that outlines your position on an issue or a series of ghostwritten blogs or bylined editorial content, our team of experienced writers and journalists can help.
Social Media
Interact with fans and supporters. Post photos of events. Connect with people and organizations that share your goals. We can create accounts, manage content, schedule social posts, and keep the conversation going on social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more.
Branding and Marketing Collateral
Reach more potential supporters with a carefully researched re-branding campaign. Our experienced team can handle every aspect of your branding and marketing efforts, from campaign concepts to brochures, mailers, print ads, banner ads – and much more.
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Call 713-465-6860
We have decades of cumulative experience writing, editing, and managing projects for education departments, business districts, and state transportation agencies, including social media campaigns, newsletters, press packets, and proposals.
Whatever the project, though, our government and nonprofit clients typically come to us with a few key challenges:
- They need to produce written content that connects to their intended audience – whether that audience is made up of taxpayers, business owners, or other government and nonprofit organizations.
- They don’t have the time to take on a large-scale, writing-intensive project – but they also don’t have time to micromanage an inexperienced, fresh-from-college freelancer.
- They need a second set of eyes to review large amounts of written material and offer line edits or suggestions for improvement.
- They need an experienced project manager to oversee all aspects of a major writing project – from research and organization to writing, editing, and proofreading – and they’re often working under time constraints.
An Experienced, Deadline-Driven Writing Team
When you work with us, you get much more than a freelancer – you get a proactive team of smart, experienced writers ready to produce your content by (or before!) your specified due date. We handle every aspect of your next big project, from planning and project management to writing, editing, and proofreading. We’re obsessed with accuracy, and we’re accustomed to working on projects with extremely tight turnaround times.
Example Projects
What type of work have we done for the government and nonprofit sectors?
Community Newsletter
We held a contract for four consecutive years that included project managing, beat reporting, interviewing, writing, and editing for a newly revitalized Houston-area business district.
Community Relations
We conducted press outreach to promote the award-winning expansion of a light-rail bridge in California.
Social Media
We created a social media package for a Texas education district, including Facebook, blogs, case studies, event reporting, social post scheduling, content management, and collaboration with stakeholders re: editing and approvals.
Websites, Wikipedia, and More
We offered complete website planning and content for a world hunger movement. We crafted the Wikipedia entry for an international charity organization. We wrote commercial scripts for products and donations. And we’ve done so much more!
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or
Call 713-465-6860
Stop Brandjacking: Help with Online Brand & Identity Management
Part of protecting your brand, your business, and even your personal online reputation is making sure that others don’t claim your name or try to impersonate you. So here’s a hint: sign up your name, brand, and business on every social media site – even if you don’t use it, even if you don’t have plans to ever use it.
Here’s the point: Until you claim your user handle and stamp a password on it, anyone can claim your name. Once they have your username, they can do anything with it – like impersonate you, or drag your business in the mud.
It’s actually a really big deal, and it happens to a lot of people.
So to impede those imposters, impersonators, phonies, and frauds from stealing your (or your business’) identity, there’s a handy tool ready to help: KnowEm. KnowEm will check your brand, product, business, or personal name on as many as 300 social media sites – and then help you register your name (before someone else does!).
When you reserve your name on all these sites, you’re making it that much harder for people to jack your brand.
Basic service at KnowEm free, and there are also other paid packages that can help you fill out all the forms and profiles. And here’s a sweet bonus: having profiles on all those sites can help boost your Web presence and any social media programs (current or future) for your brand or business.
Wanted: Paladin. Telepathist. Saint. Writing Skills a Plus.
Do you know the No. 1 reason good writers fail at writing as a profession? Bad customer service. Well, no, that’s not exactly accurate. A lot of writers have customer service skills. But, in the end, they’re only human. And the truth is, to be a great copywriter, you must be superhuman.
The good news is: Anyone can become superhuman. But it does take a lot of work, a lot of dedication, and an ability to swallow that all-too-human emotion: pride.
Here are my top three tips to developing paranormal powers and, along the way, establishing long-lasting, successful relationships with your clientele.
1. Set Expectations. Earn Paladin Status. On your first meeting, do not be afraid to meet your client in your brave white Dodge Charger, brandish your blazing pen, and slash through the fabrications to the simple truth. Seems basic. Yet, you’d be surprised how difficult this can be. The overzealous human copywriter will often want so badly to please a client that they’re likely to promise anything: Want that 100 page document proofed by tomorrow? Sure. Want a guarantee that you’ll be 100 percent satisfied with my work on the first draft? Absolutely. What? You want me to promise you a bestseller? Of course! Wrong.
As a superhuman copywriter, here’s what you say instead: Tell them when you can reasonably have it done – even if it means losing business if you can’t meet their deadline. Tell them that it’s likely that they will have edits on their copy the first time around. It’s normal. Tell them you will write a bestseller – but whether it becomes a bestseller, that’s not something you can promise. No one can.
2. Listen to What Your Client Actually Means. Become Telephathic. You have to remember that most of your clients are going to be of the human variety. And while you are working on your superhuman status, they are probably just going to stay human. So that means that you really need to learn how to listen. That’s your job. Remember. You are the communicator. That’s what they hired you for.
So, as a superhuman copywriter, you have to listen between the lines when your client is writing (or talking) to you. And in order to listen, you have to learn how to ask the right questions to get at the meat of the matter. As a copywriter, you can never ask too many questions (although you can ask stupid questions, but that’s another blog).
So here’s an example:
Human criticism = This paragraph is just not working for me.
Standard human copywriter answer = Why not?
Human response = Well, I just don’t like it. It’s just not good.
Human copywriter answer = Well, I want to make it right, but I’m just not sure I understand what you don’t like about it.
And round and round you go. In the end, the human copywriter leaves completely baffled as to what the client wants, and the client leaves frustrated.
So, here’s how you fix this:
Human criticism = This paragraph is just not working for me.
Superhuman copywriter answer = Ok, not a problem. Is it the information that isn’t working? Or are you not pleased with the way the paragraph sounds?
Then, the client either tells you that the info isn’t right, in which case you ask what specifically he would like included/excluded. Or, he’ll tell you that he doesn’t like the way it sounds, in which case, say:
“Ok, is there anything about the paragraph you would like me to keep?”
If they say no, don’t even try to figure out what’s wrong. Really. Most people just can’t tell you what it is about voice, tone, or flow that isn’t working. Just say…
“Ok, no problem, I’ll rewrite this a couple of different ways and send it back to you.”
Then rewrite it a couple of different ways and send it back. And what I mean by this is start with a blank sheet of paper and write a completely different paragraph. Don’t reference your original. Don’t pull any phrases from it. I don’t care if you loved the first one, and you don’t see what’s wrong with it. It doesn’t matter.
Just clear your head, think of a different angle, and go with it.
“”
3. Do Not Under Any Circumstances Become Defensive. Achieve Sainthood.
Here’s what I tell clients, “I only have one feeling, and you can’t hurt it.”
Here’s what I tell copywriters, “If it doesn’t hurt when a client doesn’t like it, you aren’t doing it right!”
Ok, so there’s a method behind this madness. Clients can’t feel like they are going to hurt your human feelings, because then you’ll never get the truth out of them; and if they aren’t happy – even if they are unhappy with a single word – you need to be the first to know. That’s the only way you’re going to have truly happy clients. Copywriters on the other hand have to love their work or else they aren’t giving it their all.
So, the only solution to this is that all good copywriters must become saints… and telepathists…and paladins.
Oh, yeah, and you have to be a great writer, too.
How to Enhance Your Website’s Credibility
In my last blog, I talked about taking the fluff out of your company’s website – getting rid of phrases like “we’re dedicated to” and “our mission is” and actually saying something about your services.
I’m following that up with more ways that you can build credibility on the web and turn casual visitors into paying customers.
Here are a few pretty easy things you can do to make your website work harder for you: Continue reading “How to Enhance Your Website’s Credibility”