Your Guide to Giving Feedback to Your Freelance Copywriter

You’ve received your first draft and now it’s time to start giving feedback to your freelance copywriter… no pressure!

In the same way that writing great copy is an artform, so is giving great feedback – balance great copy with great feedback, and you’re on the path to world domination.

Sometimes your mind can draw a blank and you can often find yourself leaning heavily on phrases like “not sure on this, but I’ll know what’s right when I see it”, or “make this punchier/snappier”, and even, “don’t like this.”

But I’m here to abolish the above phrases and give you some assistance, and hopefully stop myself from putting my fist through my laptop screen in the process every time I read ‘punchier’.

Here’s your guide to giving feedback to your freelance copywriter…

Clarity in feedback keeps client and copywriter on track

Now, I’ve had a lot of clients who only have superficial edits or nothing to add to a first draft (woohoo 💅).

But more often than not, the first draft is called a first draft for a reason – we’ll still need to work together to iron out some details and adapt the copy properly.

Doing that to the best of our ability requires solid feedback, as this informs the direction of a second and/or final draft.

But how do you start giving feedback to your freelance copywriter that works effectively?

Step 1: don’t give feedback as you’re reading the copy

If you don’t know, you don’t bloody know, do you?

Well, this often comes to a head when a client receives a Google Doc full of copy and starts adding comments as they’re reading along.

The problem with this is that your audience isn’t viewing one line of copy and reviewing it at a time… they’re reading most or all of the copy as a cohesive journey.

The best thing to do is to read through the whole document of copy, preferably twice, in one go before adding anything – that way, you’re viewing it in context rather than ‘marking it’.

Step 2: remember – the copy is for your audience, not you

It’s unsurprising.

Plenty of clients pay for the service and then fall into the trap of focusing on how well the copy matches their taste.

The thing is, though, that the copy is written for your audience – your copywriter has likely done meticulous research on their pain points, aspirations, the way they like to talk and be talked to.

And if you go into that document and start reading the copy like it’s written for you, you’re going to be giving feedback to your copywriter that isn’t accurate.

As you’re reading, keep yourself in the shoes of your audience rather than reading it as yourself, as odd as that might sound.

Step 3: be specific, never general

If there’s one thing guaranteed to make your copywriter want to blow their brains out during the editing process, it’s vague, generalisable feedback.

For example, ‘snappy’, ‘punchy’, ‘oomph’ as general feedback isn’t helpful because it doesn’t highlight where the problem areas are, or why they’re problem areas in the first place!

Make sure you’re going through the document and highlighting specific sections that relate to your feedback, rather than simply giving entirely ‘overall’ type of feedback.

Think about it in terms of specifics:

• Is it an issue with tone?

Are you reading it and thinking it doesn’t sound like something you would say, or that your brand would represent? If so, what do you think is central to your brand’s tone of voice? Conversational? Corporate? Informative? Whimsical? If you aren’t sure, why not ask your freelance copywriter where they think your tone should land and why for future reference?

• Is it an issue with formatting?

It might sound basic, but the layout of copy can hugely affect how it’s read. If you’re looking to make a more conversational, engaging read, shorter sentences and bullet points are a great place to start. For informative pieces, longer form is better, broken up with subheadings for ease.

• Is it an issue with the information?

If some of the information on your service or product isn’t correct, have you highlighted the specific/relevant section and included a comment with the correct emails (e.g., this service actually entails of three stages…,).

Step 4: benefit from the service you’ve paid for

It’s not your job to go in and edit the copy (you provide the feedback so I can do that for you!), or to suddenly go 180 on your original brief.

You’re getting 2 full rounds of amends, so use them wisely by making the most of the expertise of your copywriter by giving them appropriate feedback to work their magic.

If you go in and make direct edits, you’re basically p*ssing your money away when we can do it for you.

Plus, every decision we’re making is backed by strategy and research, so leave it in our capable hands – we know what we’re doing, I promise.

Step 5: collaborate when giving feedback to your freelance copywriter

The best results will always happen when you’re viewing working with a freelance copywriter as a collaboration rather than simply ‘you provide the service, I’ll do what I want with it once I get it’.

Without you knowing your wonderful business inside and out and my copywriting skills, we couldn’t create mega copy, could we?

The root of this is simple – you’re not an employer giving an employee a task.

You’re a talented business owner handing over the reigns to a freelance copywriter to put into words what makes your business great and a worthy investment!

If you’re not really sure how to give feedback or what it is specifically that you might not like, then ask… we’re here to make it as easy as possible for you to get copy you love, and working together is the best way to do just that.

Step 6: leave it f*cking be

It’s tempting days, weeks, or even months down the line to start chopping and changing the copy you received.

But after you’ve already gone through the feedback and amends process, it’s not only silly but it’s also nonsensical to go in and change it all on a whim.

There’s no such thing as a random choice of words from a copywriter (or there shouldn’t be, anyway), which means all words are working together for a specific purpose.

If you change anything, even if only a few sections, it can render the whole copy and the investment you made in it useless.

If you do find yourself thinking that something needs to change or that your business has adapted or outgrown the copy since, reach out to your copywriter for some advice or to re-engage their services.

Most of us are more than happy to help or to rejig it for a reasonable fee to suit your new needs… and it’s much better than seeing our work desecrated 😭

You’re ready to give feedback now, I hope…

Fix yourself a beverage and get going! It’s time to start giving feedback to your freelance copywriter that they’ll thank you for later.

And remember… if you feel the urge to say you want something punchier or with more oomph, prepare to be blacklisted FOR LIFE.

If you want some brilliant copy we can collaborate on, you know where to find me – take a look through my services to figure out what you need and then get in touch.