I just realized that my last 3 blog entry titles were questions. Not a huge surprise because my job as a copywriter is to both ask and answer questions all day – it’s what I do. Here are the top 3 questions that I ask my clients at the beginning of any project.
1. What do you want to accomplish with your website, brochure, blog, direct mail, etc.? Sometimes this answer changes as we explore options.
2. Who is your audience for this particular project? You must know your market before you begin ‘talking’ to them.
3. Have you considered…? I so enjoy looking at what a client currently has going on, listening to their goals and, then, coming up with a new angle or idea.
And, while the questions are important, the listening is paramount. When these questions are answered, I glean personality, tone, critical words and phrases, concepts and data/information.