Working Together to Write an Article in 5 Steps

Oct 22

Here at Lyons Creative, we create content for clients in a variety of industries. We often write articles, and while the topic is different for each client, the process is usually the same. Here are some ways you can help us create the right content for your next article.

1. Creating a Detailed Brief

Some of our clients share a brief with details about what should be included in the article. You can help us start off on the right foot by writing a brief that includes:

Key information
Deadlines
Proposed word count
Quotes to integrate into the article
Info about where the call to action will lead
Links to assets with additional info

If the brief is well-organized and contains plenty of detail, we can sometimes get started without a kick-off call. We will either send follow-up questions via email or Slack, or we'll set up a call to ensure we're all on the same page.

If you have questions for us, or aren't sure what to include in the brief, we can have a kick-off call. This is a great way to stay connected and spend some virtual face-to-face time with our cameras turned on. It's all too easy to communicate entirely via email, Slack, and project management tools, and that can lead to us being siloed from each other.

2. Reviewing the Outline

Some of our clients want to see the outline before we move on to writing the article itself. Our outlines generally include detailed descriptions of each section of the article, including:

Statistics to support the article's theme
Quotes from relevant stakeholders or other sources
Info pulled from the brief, kick-off call, or additional assets you've provided

Usually, once we receive your feedback we can proceed without another call. However, some clients like to have another meeting at this stage, especially if the topic is particularly complex.

When you receive the outline, you will want to review the information we've provided and use the Comment function to leave feedback. Helpful feedback includes:

Adding additional info that we should include or requesting additional data points
Asking questions about the info we've provided and making minor tweaks
Suggesting that certain info be moved from one section to another
Requesting that we "blind" data, such as the name of your clients
Including URLs that should be hyperlinked within the article

3. Writing the First Draft

Once we have the go-ahead to get started, we begin writing the article. We stick to the outline, but we also add plenty of additional details. This is the time for us to align with your company's voice and tone, and flesh out the info you shared in the brief.

This is also when we take the quotes we included in the outline and integrate them seamlessly into the article—unless you asked for the quotes to be separate from the rest of the article, such as in a box off to the side.

4. Integrating Feedback

There may be a few rounds of feedback. We'll speak with you about how you prefer we integrate your feedback. For instance, if we're using Google Docs, you will likely leave feedback using Comments. Once we've reviewed your comments, do you want us to use the Suggesting feature so you can easily see what we've changed? Or do you prefer that we make the edits using the Editing tool?

This stage can feel a bit like a game of tag. Once you let us know you've added feedback, then it's our turn to implement it. After we've done that, we tag you in to take a look and give additional feedback on the updated draft. Lather, rinse, repeat.

5. Circling Back

Once we've finished the feedback stage, you can take the final draft and do any necessary design and development before posting it. Then, we can circle back to take stock of what went well and consider if there is anything we can do differently in the future to make the process run even more smoothly.

This is also a good opportunity to discuss additional content we can generate to leverage the article. You can get more bang for your buck by promoting your new article in social media posts, emails, LinkedIn posts, and more. We can create those supplemental pieces for you.

Written by: Em Wooden

Jen Lyons