Roz Macaskill

One of the reasons I love working with agencies so much is the pool of resources available to dip into.  Having the perspective of a Strategist or someone to provide you with useful links is incredibly useful when it comes to saving time and creating copy that gets results.

Here are a few websites you might want to share with your freelance copywriter.  I’ve found them all very useful in my work with agencies.

Text Compare

Let’s say your copywriter hasn’t tracked changes on the document, but your designer needs to know what new elements should be added to the design.  The Text Compare website is the perfect tool for the job.  You can paste up to two chunks of text and it will flag up all the differences.

Percentage Increase Calculator

My brain works with words – not numbers.  I despise calculations in any form and this little calculator has helped me figure out percentage increases quickly and easily.  

Character Counter

Your brief may contain a character count limit for certain items of copy.  I’ve found this tool invaluable in making sure I keep to the character count.

Hour Calculator

For a long time, I struggled to figure out how many hours I’d worked.  This little tool means I know exactly how long I’ve worked and it makes scheduling a lot simpler.

LinkedIn Date Getter

Let’s say you want to find out the exact date and time a post was published on LinkedIn.  The platform will say something vague, like 20 months, but this amazing little tool will extract the info you need.  I don’t know who made it in order to credit them, but, if you’re reading this, thank you very much!

Whether your agency frequently hires freelancers or contractors or you’re just contemplating the idea, it can be helpful to find out more about how your chosen freelancer works and what their methods are.

Here’s a little about my copywriting process – from the initial conversation with you to the final sign-off.

Saying hello

You might discover my website and think I’d be a good fit or I might spot one of your posts on LinkedIn asking for freelance support.  Our first conversation will involve me learning more about your agency, the work you usually do and the brief you’re particularly looking for help with.  If we both feel we are good a fit for each other, then we move on to the next step.

The briefing

Most agencies will supply me with a written brief and a video call to go over said brief.  This allows me to ask any questions and go over anything that isn’t clear before diving into the work.

Research

Often the Project Manager or Strategist will have laid out all the information I need in a production deck, but, in some cases, additional research is required.  

The fun bit

The actual writing, of course, is my favourite part.  I especially love briefs that allow me to get creative.  Usually, I will align with the Creative Director and Strategist to make sure the copy is fully compliant with the brief and to get an outside perspective.  Once the internal sign off is completed, the copy then gets handed over to the agency to share with their client.

The edits

Usually, only two rounds of edits are needed.  Because I charge a day rate for agencies, this can often result in saving your overall costs if fewer edits are needed.  Once your client is happy with the edits, the job is done.

Things you might need to know

Because of my location, I can only work remotely.  Most of my agency clients are London-based and don’t find this a problem.  

I love adding new items to my portfolio.  I’ll always discuss it with my clients first, to make sure this is okay, but whether or not I’m able to showcase completed work may have a bearing on whether I take your project on or not.

I’m a sole trader.  This means we might need to arrange my payment via an umbrella company.  This also means I may need to charge more to compensate for the umbrella company’s cut.  In situations like this, I use YunoJuno and absolutely love them – they don’t take a cut and pay on time, so I can heartily recommend them to anyone who needs their services.

Ready to say hello?

If you’re ready to take the first step towards working together, simply send me a message using my contact form or to [email protected].  I always answer enquiries within 24 hours so, if you don’t hear from me by then, please feel free to follow up.

The topics of sustainability and being environmentally-friendly have been on my mind a lot lately.  This might have something to do with the fact that I was a copywriter for the COP26 conference.  Seeing how others are working to make a difference was very inspiring.

I’d be delighted to receive any suggestions on how to make my copywriting business as eco-friendly as possible, but I thought I’d share some details of how I currently do my best for the environment and long-term sustainability.

Going paperless

I have gone almost entirely paperless (although not entirely by choice: the printer won’t print at all and I’ve just learned to live with it!).  I love the ability to sign documents using an e-signature (gone are the days of printing out a document, signing it neatly, smudging the ink, reprinting, signing it neatly, smudging the ink…  You get the idea!)  I’m almost glad the printer doesn’t work – it’s prevented me from printing items that didn’t really need to be printed.  Even if it does get repaired, I’ll be using it minimally. 

Remote working

A huge percentage of my work is done remotely.  This means no travel, no fuel emissions and virtually no carbon footprint.  When I do have to travel, I try to car-share as much as possible, if Covid guidelines permit.

Using renewable energy

The heating system is fuelled by biomass.  Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for this as it was already installed when I moved in – but it’s good to know when I turn the heating on during a chilly autumn morning that it’s using renewable energy.

Have you any suggestions for making a small business as sustainable as possible?  I’d love to hear your thoughts.