Frequently asked questions
How can I help my copywriter to do a great job for me?
- Start off by clarifying in your own mind what you want and what you need the text to achieve for you.
- Complete TextOnTime's 'project briefing document'. This has been specially designed to help make it easy for you to identify any critical elements/key messages you want to communicate.
- Keep a project file with all the relevant background information and supply this to your allocated copywriter.
- Provide phone/mobile numbers and email addresses for any useful contacts or experts so that, if necessary, your copywriter can liaise with them to obtain additional information.
- Be contactable yourself. Our copywriters are the best, but even they cannot produce exceptional work in isolation. In many cases a quick 'yes' or 'no' answer will suffice in enabling your copywriter to continue on the right tracks.
- It's best to be brutally honest with your copywriter. Explain any concerns you have and any politics you need to negotiate around.
- Set your own deadline and give your copywriter a specific date for a first draft. Ensure this gives you enough time to consider the work they have supplied to you and request any necessary amendments.
Can you send someone to interview me and gather the relevant material?
No problem. It will be more costly as we will incur travel expenses and a proportion of travel time when we cannot physically be writing for you (or another company), but it's perfectly feasible.
Do many people use ghostwriters?
A vast number. Very few business leaders, chief executives or chairmen pen their own articles, research and script their own blog posts or produce their own white papers. Sometimes it's because they don't have time, and sometimes it's because their talents lie elsewhere. In any case, they remain the authors, the inspiration is theirs - even if they pay someone else to get it into print.
If I have an article or white paper ghostwritten, whose name appears on the front?
Yours, and only yours. Our job is to help you to put your messages across and achieve your business objectives. You are the author, and your name is the only one that will appear anywhere on the article, document, blog, or whatever we have written on your behalf. What's more, your confidentiality is guaranteed by contract.
Can you work to our corporate style guide?
Yes. At TextOnTime all our writers are adept in writing to the different corporate style guides of our clients. In the case of a ghost-written article, we would usually write to the style guidelines of the relevant media title. In some instances a client doesn't have a corporate style guide, in which case we can revert to TextOnTime's own editorial style guide (a copy of which is available on request).
How do I know you won't steal my idea and use it yourselves?
We won't. We have plenty of ideas of our own. If you are genuinely concerned, however, you can send us a non-disclosure agreement to sign.
How can you write for someone you have only just made contact with and barely know?
Once you become our client, we make it our business to find out as much as possible about your company, what you do and what you stand for. Of course, through our sectoral expertise we would hope to have a broad understanding in the first place. If you're an individual, we take the time to talk about your goals and personal style. It's incredibly important for your copywriter to know what is important for you and what your objectives are so they can embody this in their writing. We have a simple process that we work through with each new client to ensure we develop this understanding.
How can you create a speech that sounds like I or my chairman wrote it?
By scripting a series of questions, which we ask the speaker to respond honestly and thoughtfully, we are able to inject the necessary personal touches and individual viewpoints into the speech. Your edits and comments on the draft are also crucial to make sure our words sound like your words.
Can you produce the powerpoint presentation to accompany the speech?
Yes, no problem. Of course, we may need you to supply further material such as graphs and photography, to help bring the presentation to life.
Why is it important to use a professional SEO copywriter to develop and maintain my website content?
When writing copy for a website a careful balancing act between creativity, communication of key messages and placement of key words for search engine optimisation needs to be maintained. When we write copy for websites we bear in mind not only what you are trying to communicate, but the key words that your customers or stakeholders might use in search engines that would drive them to your site.
I want to cover a controversial subject - how can I be sure that I won't get into legal difficulties?
TextOnTime is unable to offer advice on legal matters. In such cases we would recommend that you consult a solicitor.
How much do you charge?
Speechwriting = £85 per hour or £650 per day
Copywriting and ghost writing = £75 per hour or £550 per day
Writing for the web = £65 per hour or £500 per day
Will you negotiate on these hourly/daily rates?
Unfortunately not. We pride ourselves in being as competitive as possible whilst providing the very best service. Our fees are calculated to reflect our level of experience and to cover our overheads, which include media monitoring for our specialist business sectors, as well as our premises and technology. If you have a specific budget you need to work within, let us know. Even if you have minimal funds available, we will work with you to ensure that your money is carefully spent to achieve the maximum return possible.
What if I don't like what you've written?
The truthful answer is that there is always a small element of risk that you might not. It's the same principle as going into a restaurant and asking 'what if I don't like the food I order?' But by the same principle, we want to keep you as our client, so we will do everything we can to ensure your satisfaction. Our goal is to make sure you are happy with the end result - and we won't stop until you are.