From strategic to creative, I offer a variety of products and services for my clients. Below is a breakdown of how I can help you and products I do not offer.
What DO I offer?
STRATEGIC WRITING PROJECTS
Blogs & Articles
These projects/products are in high demand and provide endless SEO opportunities for a my clients. Although some clients seem to consider these one and the same, there are actually fundamental differences between these two assignments. Blogs (originally known as Web Logs); these assignments are written with a personal, informal voice and typically in first person. It is usually a manner of storytelling and/or capturing and sharing information in a variety of ways. Blogs are also reoccurring content which has a dedicated space on the Internet where readers can be alerted of new content and inspired to return regularly. Articles; are almost always written with a formal voice and are structured, well-researched, sourced and formatted with a reverse pyramid layout of information. Articles, which are presented more so as bonafide journalism, are typically written in third person.
Web Content
This is content for a Web site on any page but typically landing or home pages. Some clients get confused with this assignment as a “one and done” product. However, this is actually a revolving product which is consistently in need of revision and addition every couple months to keep my clients’ Web content fresh and to keep search engines capturing new use of keywords from your Web site’s SEO efforts. Not only do I offer content for start-up Web sites, but I also offer rates to revise and add to content on sites already existing.
Cornerstone/Evergreen Content
This type of assignment is used with a longer format which offers more in the manner of sales-driven copy, without being sales content. It is more likely these types of products have an article structure but its designed to share a large amount of information into manageable portions so readers are led from being a browser to a buyer. This content is usually developed in long-form (upwords of 2000 words) and designed to live on a Web site much longer and provide reoccurring value. Readers learn more from this content, peppered with call-to-actions throughout the piece as well as internal and external hyperlinks.
Reporting and Sports Writing
I offer clients from media outlets in need of breaking news coverage, features, live event coverage, reporting on trending topics, investigative journalism, enterprise pieces, etc. This service with a freelance agreement is a good way for outlets to save overhead costs on a salary and benefits for full-time reporters and/or to help supplement coverage while searching for their next staff writer. My stories are always accurate, well-structured for journalism, researched and written in AP style.
eBooks and Large Downloadable Content
These products are extremely valuable content for a variety of supplemental marketing strategies, social network marketing, cross-promotion ability, and largely help build clients’ email marketing lists. For most clients who already have a series of blogs on their Web sites, I have the ability to restructure this content to compile an eBook. Large downloadable content can be a client’s carrot dangle for generating new and return readers and potentially customers.
Press Releases
Press releases are similar to articles. They are written with a formal voice, structure and provide some basic research and in-house sourcing. However, press releases are specifically designed to be submitted to media outlets to entice its editorial staff to either publish the article as is, or use it as the foundation of a larger assignment with their own staff of journalists. The purpose is to generate publicity for my clients to build their media attention. Again, this is usually not a “one and done” service but rather used as a reoccurring service to keep my clients needs in the media cycle as often as possible.
CREATIVE WRITING PROJECTS
Fiction and Non-Fiction
This is most commonly referring to writing short stories, novellas and full-length novels, auto-biographies, historical books, biographies and essay collections. I either help my clients help coach them through their creative process and with revisions to get their project into a final draft, or I write their story for them matching their voice and vision as an uncredited ghostwriter. However, with these projects, I offer the actual writing and editing of the project while my clients conduct the research involved with my guidance, unless the project is an auto-biography. Coming from a journalistic background, I do perform fact-checking for auto-biographical projects.
Guides
These products refer to full length books which are instructional in nature; how-to guides, cookbooks, life and career coaching, motivational books, supplemental academics, etc. Again, my clients perform the research involved with my guidance while I am responsible for the writing and editing of the written material, enterprise copy and arranging images/photos for the project.
Stageplays
I have been writing stageplays since the turn of the century and have a wide selection of my own works. I offer writing services to script your project myself, or to coach you through my proprietary process of developing a play so the writing of it flows quickly and easily. I also offer editing services to make your stageplay truly come to life and help capture a reader/audience.
Screenplays and Teleplays
Having written several full and short screenplays, some of which have been self-produced or optioned, I again offer the same services for writing for large and small screens in the appropriate industry standard formats as I do for stageplays.
Radio and podcast copy
While I tend to steer away from sales copy, I do however write creative radio copy for shows and advertising. Also having produced a successful podcast for four years, I have a special way of formatting the copy for these types of projects which makes performing episodes easy and dynamic.
CONTENT SERVICES
Proof-Reading and Editing
If a client has a project written but needs help with revisions and editing, or simply needs a new set of eyes to read over the text for grammar and spelling errors, I am here to help for a small fee.
What I do NOT offer?
Business Reports and White Papers
While I am capable of providing these products, my passion for researching and sharing subject matter and connecting with readers remain best in other formats. However, I do provide some information found in these products which I deliver through other content.
Business Plans and Financial Reports
These products can take a lot of time, and while I do not mind helping anyone with the text portion of these formats, I rarely find clients who are wanting to pay the additional time it takes to perform deep market and financial research of their businesses.
Grants
For similar reasons for not offering writing business plans, I tend to stay away from writing grant proposals. Usually a client is looking to use grants as a revenue stream, and the costs involved in research time tends to outweigh and negate the purpose of the project.
Technical Manuals
These are books, eBooks or large downloadable content of a high technical subject; motor vehicle repair, computer networking, medical books. While I do offer writing services for small and large guides, I tend to steer from these technical projects. Again, this is because the time it takes for deep research required on these projects drives the cost up. This usually means my clients take a lot of time to recoup their investment on getting the book written, which negates the purpose of my involvement.
Benn Farrell, Freelance writing projects and services 