It's not enough, to write

Step into any organisation and you’ll find three kinds of people; those who know what they’re doing, those who believe they know what they’re doing, and those who are desperately trying to hide the fact they have no freakin’ idea.

That’s me paraphrasing something a consultant-client once told me. And if your work involves drawing back the curtain of a business and helping to effect any kind of change, you’ll know exactly what he’s talking about.

Once you’ve clicked into that video call, your first order of bus

iness should be to cast your eyes around that Brady Bunch grid of nervously smiling faces and take the temperature of the room.

Who desperately needs you to be the answer?

Who isn’t 100% sold?

Who is hoping they won’t be found out?

Whose work (and ego) are you about to crush under your heel?

Each square holds a person. And each person has both a professional and a personal agenda, along with a matching set of emotional baggage. Your job is to load everyone on the bus and get them to their destination.

When I first started working as a freelance copywriter, I thought I was ‘just the writer’ on a project. Literally the hired hands. And some copywriters prefer to work that way; take orders and execute. Nothing wrong with that.

But they’re not acting as consultants. They’re assuming someone else has the answers. (Just between us, no one – not even a large business with a dedicated marketing team – has all the answers. At the very least they can always use an outsider’s perspective.)

Once you step into more of a consulting role, writing accounts for maybe 50% of your time. The rest is spent running your business (accounting, admin and marketing yourself) and managing the ‘human element’.

All that people stuff is usually called stakeholder management. But, like all such terms, that’s not nearly messy enough to describe what’s required. Sure, strong processes help (and are very reassuring for clients) but mere ‘management’ isn’t enough. A successful project requires more than workflows, meetings and email follow-ups. It requires empathy, compassion and leadership.

Copywriters should have an advantage when it comes to the people stuff. After all, understanding human behaviour is a big part of the job.

But we don’t always see ourselves as leadership material.

At least, I didn’t.

Maybe the term felt too serious or businessy? I mean, most of us copywriters gravitated towards a creative career because ‘suit and tie’ felt more like a straight-jacket.

But that’s a misconception.

Leadership doesn’t have a dress code. It’s not about making people do stuff or produce ‘widgets’. You’re allowed to have emotions and a sense of humour. You don’t need anyone’s permission to assume a leadership role and you get to decide what kind of leader you want to be.

I’ve also realised, if you don’t show up as a leader in your copywriting business, you can’t do great work. Sufficiently adequate so as not to cause undue, adverse comment, perhaps. But not great.

When you blindly execute tasks set by someone else, don’t understand how what you do moves the overall marcomms strategy forward, can’t sell your ideas or (and this one’s the kiss of copy death) can’t gain access to the information you need, you’re at risk of writing copy that won’t help your clients achieve their business goals. And they’ll blame you. Not good for your brand or your business.

So, this leadership thing – what does that look like for a copywriting consultant?

1. Mind your ego (and theirs)

Humility is easily the most important quality of a good leader. Especially as a consultant. You’re an interloper in an established team and no one’s going to give you a backstage pass unless they trust you. If you stomp in, throwing your weight around, you’ll rub everyone up the wrong way. It’s hard to come back from that.

The flipside? Expect respect – you’re an expert in your field. A leader must confidently keep everyone on track and on strategy. And sometimes that requires a smidgeon of tough love.

The secret to walking this line between humility and assertiveness is knowing when and how to use direct (“This is how it is”) and indirect (“Interesting. Can you walk me through that?”) communication tactics. That’s a shifting dynamic, but as long as you avoid punching anyone in the ego, you’ll be sweet.

2. Keep it real

It’s not your job to tell a client what they want to hear. If they’ve approached you to write 10 blog posts and their goal is to boost sales in the short-term (like, yesterday), be upfront and let them know that’s not the best approach to take just now.

Delivering hard truths won’t always feel great at the time, but it’s the right thing to do – even if it does you out of a job. You’re more valuable as someone who gives good advice. And they’re more valuable to you as someone who sees you that way. Word of mouth is a powerful thing and you’d like to earn a reputation as an expert with integrity.

3. Always be prepared

This is where strong processes help. It’s important that, as the consultant, you drive all the meetings. So, take charge of the agenda and have an ideal scenario in mind for how things should go.

Clear communication is important. When setting a meeting, I like to know who’s attending and make sure everyone knows exactly what will be discussed. I’ll also forward any questions ahead of time (e.g., the creative brief). That allows your client to gather all the information (and people) you need, as well as mentally prepare before hopping on the call.

Be sure to do your homework and research your client’s business as much as you can. This will not only give their responses context, but also show you’ve put some effort into getting to know them. Nothing puts people at ease like that “Oh yeah, she gets us” feeling.

All that said, running the meeting goes beyond stubbornly sticking to a framework and agenda. Tune into the emotional vibe – words, body language and silences – and let that inform your approach. Above all, stay flexible and allow conversations to take interesting detours – that’s where they keep the good stuff.

4. Be human

You’re a person. They’re people. Just be human. No one likes a robot.

I’m friendly, enthusiastic, have an irreverent sense of humour and a tendency to fall stupid-in-love with things the more I learn about them – which is great news for anyone selling industrial flooring or speciality tools. I’m also pretty sharp, have a perfectionist streak and take my job very seriously. That’s who I am, so that’s who shows up on the call.

Getting everyone else to follow that lead is easier if you can make them laugh. I like to kick things off with a couple of brand personality questions that are ‘whacky, with a purpose’. They’re fun, put clients in a more creative headspace and have the added benefit of rallying everyone around a common goal.

5. Know when to let something go

Some things are a hard sell. For example, it’s great to talk to directly with a client’s customers, but many businesses are reticent to allow that kind of access.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Go in with “My experience tells me customer interviews give me the best insights, language and the tone of voice when writing your copy.” Go on to explain it may even reveal an angle they haven’t considered or are too close to see.

If they say no, don’t worry. You’ve planted the seed and they may well be more open to the idea down the track. Definitely ask again, but if they still aren’t keen, respect their decision and do the best you can with what you’ve got.

6. Take ownership

You’re going to make the occasional mistake. If there’s any miscommunication, assume you’re responsible and seek clarity. This commands more respect than trying to shift the blame.

Now, like many creatives, I’m a sensitive soul. In our line of work, this is usually a superpower, but I’ll admit I used to get pretty upset about even tiny stuff ups.

Let go in the moment. After the meeting, reflect on what could have gone better and look for the lesson. But don’t waste time bashing yourself over the head with the coulda, shoulda, woulda.

If your goal is to build a copywriting consulting business with a reputation for getting great results for your clients, it’s not enough to write. You have to be able to offer strategic advice and step up to lead.

Worried about a lack of confidence? That’s understandable – we’ve all wrestled with that at some point. The best cure for collywobbles is education – not just on copywriting principles but on the broader marketing function. As they say, knowledge is power. It’s easier to keep that bus en route if you know where it's headed.

And hey, someone’s gotta drive. It may as well be you.

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