The questionnaire
As afreelance writer, you’ll want to make sure you have as much information aspossible from a client before you start working on an order for them. You can’tread their mind, so understanding what they want is an important step. Thewriting process will be much easier for you if they provide you with resourcesand information. The best way to get answers is to ask questions. By givingthem a detailed questionnaire to fill out, you’ll have some material to get youstarted, and knowledge to create a great piece for them.
Aneffective questionnaire should have about 10 open ended questions that theclient must answer in order to work with you. Making it a requirement that theyfill out the questionnaire before you get started will preventmisunderstandings and confusion in the future.
Askthe questions in a way that gives the client an opportunity to explainthemselves or their company to you in complete answers. To do this, avoidmaking most of the questions ones that can be answered with “yes” or “no.” Questions you’ll want to ask should be aboutthe client or their organization and what they want your work to include andaccomplish. It’s also a good idea to find out what they’ll be using your workfor, whether it’s a blog or for a website. This will give you an idea of thewriting style they're looking for and the tone you should use.
Aquestion you may want to ask the client is if they have a website of their ownor examples of other websites they like. This will give you resources outsidethe questionnaire to conduct your own research. Seeing these examples will alsogive you an idea of what the client likes or doesn’t like in a written piece,which can serve as a guide to you, the writer.
Ifyou’re writing a public relations type article for a client, you may want toask about their background, their work, and accomplishments. It’s alsoessential to get the most details that you can to write a press release for aclient. This work will need to include specific details that you cannotimprovise. You’ll possibly need information about an event, such as timesmlocations of a function, an organization’s contact info and their mission.
Fora blog, a freelance writer will want to ask what the blog is about and whattopics the client wants discussed.
Hereare some examples of questions you can consider including in a questionnaire:
- What services do you need?
- What is your timeline forthis project?
- What would you like toaccomplish with this project?
- Do you have an existingwebsite?
- Do you want me to include anykeywords in the piece?
- What sets you apart from thecompetition?
- Who is your target audience?
- Do you have an example ofsimilar content?
- Do you have any topics ortitles in mind?
- Are there any other details Ishould know about?
Remember,you can customize your questions based on the client and the work you are doingfor them. Asking specific questions will make the writing process easier onyou.
