Copycon Roundup #7 - translating client feedback

Presentation number 7 from #CopyConX was another dynamic duo... Jackie Kingsley and Carla Dobson-Elliott from possibly the best-named agency in the UK... Sticky

Carla and Jackie provided an excellent translation service as they explained "What clients say and what they really mean". Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of nodding, clapping and laughing during their presentation, as well as a few slides I just HAD to take photos of. If the first one doesn't resonate with you, are you even a copywriter?

Feedback is a normal part of the process for any copywriter, and while we'd all like to receive glowing reviews first time around, the reality is that it's nearly impossible to nail a first draft first time around.

Unfortunately, not all clients excel at giving feedback. And some clients insist on ALL the stakeholders putting their 10p worth into the conversation - often in the form of multiple documents, contradictory comments and vague suggestions that make our jobs that much harder.

Luckily, these ladies were full of insightful tips on how to get clients to give good, valuable feedback that both helps our processes and improves their overall content output. I won't share them all, but I will share the one that resonated most with me...

Create rules about receiving feedback
Specify...
- who provides the feedback
- how feedback is given (tracked changes, comments, in one document)
- how many rounds of edits they get
- how long they have to request edits, it's not unheard of for a client to come back to a freelancer MONTHS after submission to request some changes

And finally

"Typos put clients in a bad mood" ... but we do it anyway cos we are human!

Thanks both of you for a really valuable presentation!