This week’s copywriting question #005 comes from Elle.
Question:
I currently have three clients on retainer who send me multiple writing projects per month, which is amazing! However, I’m getting a little overwhelmed trying to stay on top of everything. They each use different project management systems and different styles of writing, different voices, etc. And there are different people on each team that I work with.
Right now I have a folder for each client in my Documents, but that’s about where my organization stops. All of the files are just sort of dumped in there and scattered, and I’m not sure how to arrange everything. Recently it took me 20 minutes to try to find a file that I should have been able to find within 20 seconds.
How do you stay organized when you’re writing for multiple clients?
Michelle’s Answer:
Great question! Being organized as a copywriter is probably one of the best ways to avoid burnout.
It’s a great idea to have one folder for each client. However, don’t stop there. I would also create lots of subfolders within each client’s folder, and put different types of projects and files into those subfolders, as needed.
Organizing Writing Projects by Type
For example, let’s say one of your clients broadcasts a specific type of article every week (let’s call it an “Educational Article”). Under their main folder, you would create a subfolder called “Educational Articles.” Within that folder, you would name each filename for each article in the same exact way.
For naming purposes, sometimes I put the date, or the title of the article, or the Article type. For example:
Client Name (Folder) / Educational Articles (Subfolder)
Educational Article #001 – How to Keep Your Skin Young
Educational Article #002 – Why You Should Avoid Vaccines at All Costs
Educational Article #003 – Why XYZ Supplement is Slowly Rotting Your Insides
Educational Article #004 – Why Chemical Soap is a Joke
Depending on how many articles you write, you might decide to leave off the “Educational Article” and just put the article number, e.g.:
#001 – How to Keep Your Skin Young
#002 – Why You Should Avoid Vaccines at All Costs
#003 – Why XYZ Supplement is Slowly Rotting Your Insides
#004 – Why Chemical Soap is a Joke
For all of these Educational Articles, you might create separate subfolders for each month — or ONE subfolder for the entire year, depending on how many of these you write. (I break it down by month to ensure I’m writing the exact number of articles per month that my retainer clients are paying for.)
Find an organization structure that works for you.
Organizing Campaigns
If you’re working on a complicated project or a campaign for a client that includes lots of different sources, materials, files, etc., you may want to make a subfolder called XYZ Campaign. Then dump all of the related materials into that subfolder.
As you start to work with clients long term, you’ll find that you’ve written dozens of campaigns. You could move those subfolders into a new subfolder called “DONE – All Campaigns,” so that the old projects aren’t clogging up your main folder. This is what I do. After the year is over, I move all of last year’s completed projects into my “DONE folder.” Because I’ve been writing for certain clients for so many years, now I have a “DONE” folder for each year.
The main thing is to name your subfolders and filenames in a consistent manner, so that can you quickly find whatever you need, and you know where everything is. Make sure they’re hyphenated and formatted exactly the same.
Bonus tip: if you’re using a certain document format for a certain type of writing project, you can “duplicate” a file and rename it to the new project, so that you’re essentially using it as a template.
Creating a “NOTES” Document for Each Client
I would also create a “NOTES” document for each of your clients, where you put important notes about their brand, voice, business, and/or projects, and any other details that you need to remember. I label it as “0 – NOTES” so that it’s at the top, above all of the subfolders. Review this document regularly, until you memorize the details. This is also where I like to save client feedback.
Finally, when you’re working with multiple copywriting clients, it’s important to set good boundaries. Being organized will help you have a good grasp on your materials, and having good boundaries will ensure that you don’t get burned out by all of the materials.
If you get stuck, sit in a meditative state and ask your higher self: “What’s the best way to organize all of these files?” Pay attention to the answer you get.
Do you want to land your first dream copywriting client? If so, inquire about my coaching program for copywriters!
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 