FAQ

How much do you charge?

For all content and copywriting services we charge €60 an hour or €480 a day. I’m not the cheapest, but I’m certainly not the most expensive.

As a client, you might consider the value to your business of finding an additional customer, or increasing sales by a certain percentage.

For B2B lead generation and content strategy I can work with almost any budget starting with free, friendly advice.

You’ll always have access to a live timesheet. Whether we work by the project or by the hour, this includes a breakdown of the days and minutes with active links to our live project folder.

My writing charges are set around the median point of those recommended by the Professional Copywriters Network. They’ve done an excellent job of explaining what’s involved in the research, planning and writing of great copy.

My budget is really tight, can you help?

If your budget doesn’t stretch to €480 per day then I’m probably not the right fit. I understand that new ventures often have limited funds, but I don’t offer discounts. If your budget is tight, then I can offer copywriting, proofreading, SEO and technical auditing at the hourly rate.

That said, if your project is of great value to the planet and you have zero budget then I may be able to work for free. We dedicate two hours per week to the projects that I believe in.

This dedicated time is normally booked up well in advance, but please do send me a message if you think we’d be interested.

What is the project brief?

The project brief is a shared, editable document that helps me to understand your business. It’s a point of reference for both of us and forms a fundamental part of every successful project.

If you have a well developed business plan and clear strategic goals, then the project brief will be simple to complete. However, if you’re at the beginning of your journey, you’ll need to put in some time to answer the questions effectively.

I provide up to 45 minutes of consultancy here free of charge. I want you to succeed, whether we end up working together or not.

What about payment?

I normally ask for a 50% deposit before we start work. When the project is complete and you’re happy with the final draft, I’ll send you an invoice with seven (7) days to pay. For more involved projects, we’ll negotiate a staggered payment plan based around the project milestones.

We accept payment by bank transfer.

There’s more information about payment on the Terms & Conditions page.

How long will my copy take?

When is your deadline? As long it’s not this morning, We’ll have your copy ready for then. If you don’t currently have a deadline then we’ll provide you with a clear date for completion, along with regular updates on progress.

What if I’m not happy?

Writing is a dynamic process and in most cases I offer three amendments until you’re happy with your draft. We’ll work together to fine tune your copy for maximum impact.

Do you provide free samples?

I don’t provide free samples. Our work is built around methodical research and a deep understanding of your business. We can’t work at my best without context, and even small samples take time to execute to a high standard. Apologies.

Which industries do you write for?

I work with all planet conscious partners who share my vision for a better world. My portfolio should give you a good idea of the clients I’ve worked with before.

What technical SEO services do you provide?

There are two elements to my technical work. I want your website to be visible and usable. I’ll always run a full technical audit of the site, regardless of the brief, to see where it may be underperforming.

There could be several problems or none.

However, if your site is not correctly optimised for search engines (SEO) then it won’t be visible and your business may as well be offline.

If your site is visible, is it useable?

I employ the theories of Design Thinking to support your technical team in creating a fluid, satisfying user experience (UX). Good Information Architecture (IA) is of core concern, and a good design should be invisible. Can your buyers easily find what they want? Is your site turning people on or off?

Good IA means using the right words in the right place and systematically removing the linguistic or psychological barriers created by poor information design.

If you’ve ever been on a website that uses annoying language or makes you want to set fire to the internet, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

What is Tone of Voice exactly and why do I need it?

If you want to differentiate your business then you need some Tone of Voice guidelines.

Tone of Voice (TOV) is about crafting a consistent verbal identity for your business. This voice should be speaking through every pixel and page of your brand and it should be speaking to very specific customer personas.

Your TOV is important for two reasons:

Firstly, it’s carefully constructed to appeal to your target audience. Marketing a cheap, cheerful lager will require a different voice to a fine cognac. Tone of Voice is about analysing exactly how your ideal customers speak, and then ensuring that you speak to them in that same voice.

For example, young audiences might appreciate a punchier, more informal style and conservative business people, yoga lovers, football fans, artists, academics, engineers et al. will all respond better if they feel that your business understands them.

Secondly, your Tone of Voice document will work as a reference for your whole marketing and design team. If everyone uses the same TOV document, then everybody will be writing directly for your customers and not guessing/ improvising/ or worse.

Your visual branding will be consistent across your platforms. You wouldn’t want several logos or low resolution images on display as they’ll undermine your credibility.

Your text deserves the same high standards, and a solid Tone of Voice document is a necessary part of your branding tool kit.

What content services do you provide?

We produce all kinds of instructive and inspiring words. Content marketing is all about building brand authority and driving customers in your direction through emotionally engaging stories and useful information.

This is achieved in a variety of ways, but often it’s built around blog writing, video scripting, podcasting, interviews, “How-to” articles, story-telling and eBook publishing.

We analyse your customer avatars and strategic goals to create content that matters to both you, your customers and ultimately the planet.

Google loves fresh, varied, useful content, so a solid content strategy should form a key part of your marketing plan.

What copywriting services do you provide?

If content writing is about SERP and engagement, then copywriting is about persuasion. Persuasive communication is a science that uses academic research from consumer psychology to propel the human mind to action.

Good copy is tight, clear and compelling and should be fine tuned for your customer persona.

We cover all types of marketing copy. Specifically, I write website copy, product descriptions, video scripts, brochures, press releases and white papers.

Who owns the copyright to the work?

You do. Upon completion of the project, you’ll assume the copyright and are free to credit yourself as the author. However, under our terms of agreement, We do ask your permission to use samples of my work within my own marketing materials.

Can you take on projects at short notice?

Yes. Ideally I like to have a week to research, plan and complete your project. However, if you’re in a corner and we have the capacity, we’ll make it work.

How many people work at Musical Copy?

Two. Katy and Nath. But I (Nath Portlock), write most of the client copy and manage the workload day to day.

For our full terms of service please go here.