At the moment we have seven websites in development and we are waiting for content from the clients on all of them. I was going to name and shame them here but I figured that might be counter-productive.
Instead, I thought it might be useful to talk about why clients find it so difficult to write content and what we can do to help.
Reasons not to write content
Writing content is the last thing on the client’s list of priorities. Other stuff will get in the way like their own clients, their own suppliers, and the fact that they have to find time to go to sleep at night. All these reasons are completely understandable.
Writing content is one of those jobs that feels okay to put off. It naturally comes after essential tasks like making another cup of tea, catching up on personal email, and rearranging the pencils on your desk.
People generally don’t like sitting down to write something. There’s something very intimidating about the blank page when you start. Yet we know it’s got to get written. So how can we make that process easier?
Good reasons to write content
Remember the reason you decided to have a website in the first place. It’s to promote your business to clients. You shouldn’t think of your website as a necessary evil; it’s an opportunity to make more money. If that’s not an incentive to get the content written, then you’ll never manage it.
Writing notes on your business is a good exercise in itself. It helps you focus on what you’re doing. I’ve often asked clients even basic questions about their business which they’ve been unable to answer. Writing content is a good way of taking stock of your business.
So getting your content written will help you think about your business and help to promote it to others. Those are two good reasons to do it.
Techniques to help write content
Even the most prolific writers have techniques to help them get their words down. Try to remember these points when you’re starting to write your content:
- Brainstorm some ideas by writing down whatever comes into your head. Don’t filter anything and don’t cross anything out once it’s written. This will help get over the sight of a blank page and it’ll generate some good ideas.
- When you’ve got some ideas written down, sit back and pick one that you feel most comfortable with. Follow a similar brainstorming process as before but concentrate on this one subject area. Write down everything connected with the subject – don’t filter and don’t cross out.
- By now, you should have a stack of notes. Think about the subject and decide what the key point is about this subject.
- Now is the time to start crossing out. Cross out everything in your notes that does not support the key point.
- Structure what’s left so that your most important supporting points are first.
- Remember that you don’t need to write too much. People don’t want to read essays, just the essential stuff.
Content writing service
If you’re still struggling or you’d just like to discuss your content, we can help. We can sit down with you and map out the content for your site within a couple of hours.
If necessary, we can write a first draft for your review. You may find that once you have a document in front of you it’s much easier to organise your thoughts.
And we might get to actually finish developing the site.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by FreshFish Design, FreshFish Design. FreshFish Design said: Why am I always waiting for content? http://goo.gl/fb/vBmGz #thanet #fb [...]
I think the main reason is that clients tend to think writing their own copy will be a walk in the park, and an easy way to save some cash. Then when they sit down to do it they realise that simply isn’t true. Even copywriters find their own websites the hardest to write.
But now the client is faced with admitting to themselves and the designer that they can’t do this apparently very easy thing, so they’ll struggle on until they come up with some kind of text, or rope in a family friend who is ‘good at English’.
Meanwhile of course, they’ve lost hours of time that they could have used to add value to their businesses in other ways. The site has been delayed for weeks and is nowhere near as effective as it could have been.
Hi Judy
Thanks for your comments. You’re absolutely right – I think clients do find it difficult to admit they might be struggling to come up with the content, especially when it’s about their own business. It’s harder than it looks.
[...] it simple and relevant to your business, it shouldn’t be too hard. We have some further ideas on how to write content or you can always get in touch [...]
[...] the band had already come up with a substantial brief  (in contrast to many clients). One of the main parts of our job was to organise the content in the brief so that it was [...]