There is, maybe, a romanticized ideal of the Writer as a lone genius. This perfect Writer, whoever they may be, has no need for clients or editors, outlines or drafts. Sitting at their desk, or maybe in a coffee shop, they have an idea, spin up the perfect prose, and send it out to be published.
While that may work for some artistic (and probably insufferable) wordsmiths, we have a different approach at Version A. While we do spend a lot of time at our desks, we hardly work alone.
In fact, every piece we deliver is a group effort. We’re proud of that fact, and our writing is much stronger for it.
Team Players
The Version A writing process is collaborative from start to finish. We’re a small, tight-knit team that truly enjoys working together. There’s no competition here, just a drive to encourage each other to produce the best work possible.
When it comes to creating top-quality content, there are a few main roles we play:
- Writer: We’re the ones putting the words on the page (or screen). Our primary task is to take a client’s creative brief and turn it into thoughtful, engaging, and well-researched content. If we have questions or suggestions throughout the initial writing process, we’ll chat with the primary editor for the assignment and get their input. Once we’re happy with our first draft, we’ll send it off for comments.
- Editor: Each project has a primary editor, who reads the draft with a critical eye, making sure it matches the client’s request, messaging, and voice. They double-check sources, suggest line edits, and, if necessary, propose revisions.
- Proofreader: Once the writer and primary editor are happy with the piece, it goes to the proofreader for one final review. With an objective eye, they make sure all of the I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed. They also make sure no detail has been overlooked before we send the final draft off to the client.
As a writer, having a good team of editors and fellow writers is an incredible resource. They’re great for asking questions or helping break through even the toughest writer’s block. They’ll support out-of-the-box ideas (thank you to Diane for gamely reading the blog post I accidentally wrote about the Rock) but also guide you away from terrible ones.
No matter how confident I am in my first draft, I know I can rely on Heather and Diane’s input to make it stronger. Sometimes I’ll feel pretty good about a piece, only to have a heavily marked-up document come back in my queue. Without fail, though, those edits are exactly what I needed. It’s feedback I can use to improve all my writing, and it’s reassuring to work with editors who have your back.
This kind of teamwork not only makes the writing process less lonely – it provides value for clients. By the time a piece makes it to the delivery phase, it’s already passed through three sets of very capable hands. All the client needs to do is approve.
Client Collaboration
While it’s our goal to make the content creation process as seamless as possible for our clients, they’re a part of the Version A team, too. When Diane and Heather meet with a client, they build strong working relationships to produce the best possible results.
These close professional bonds are what make us stand out – and why clients know they can trust us with their messaging. We take the time to get to know our clients and their products so every piece we deliver feels like something they’d write themselves.
The best outcomes happen when everyone works together. Each assignment starts with an idea, whether the client has a theme in mind for a series of blog posts or wants to turn an interview into a customer success story.
There are certainly times when we’ve taken simple headlines or a few bullet points and turned them into fully developed articles. It’s great that our clients have faith in us to run with their vision.
We also love a good creative brief. The more information we have to work with, the quicker the turnaround for a quality piece. If our client has the research and industry knowledge, but doesn’t have the time to write, we’re there to help them over the finish line.
Team Up with Version A
Each project is a collaborative process until everybody is happy with the final product. When we sign with you, we become your partners. Your wins are our wins! If you’re looking for true content marketing collaborators in your editorial process, Version A is on your team.
