Bad feedback is as good as no feedback
“It’s just not landing with them.”
That was the feedback from my client.
So, that’s what I had to work with to fix the copy. I had to make it “land” with them. But where to start?
How do you take vague feedback and apply it?
In this case, I just started over. If the copy wasn’t “landing,” I would go in a completely different direction and hope it got closer to the mark.
Guess what? It didn’t.
Which wasn’t exactly surprising given it wasn’t constructive feedback. It wasn’t even particularly helpful feedback.
But it was pretty typical feedback. It’s the kind of feedback most people offer when you ask them for their thoughts on something.
When you’re working with a copywriter and hoping for the best results to attract clients, increase conversions, and ignite sales, trust me—you need to be more specific.
Want better feedback? Give better feedback.
Of course, it’s helpful to know something isn’t working.
**PRO TIP**: the earlier you can identify something isn’t working, as in the outline or first draft, the better.
But why isn’t it working?
- Is the voice wrong?
- Are the word choices ones your brand would never use?
- Will the content fail to resonate with your audience?
- Do you think it targets the wrong audience?
- Is it less clear, clever, or concise than you’d hoped?
When you’re able to say exactly why something isn’t working for you, you aren’t expected to tell your copywriter how to fix it. You simply make it possible for us to provide a solution.
For instance, if you think I’ve missed your brand voice, I can refer back to my word bank for you, or your brand voice guidelines and pick out the correct verbiage and tone for the context.
If you tell me it’s lacking pizzaz, you give me the chance to explain why I chose to go with clear over clever and open the conversation to discuss how you’d like to see it balanced.
Remember your goals.
A final word of caution when it comes to providing feedback to your copywriters: it’s not actually about you.
You’re the client. You’re paying for the copy. That’s not in question. But remember the goal of that copy. It’s not for you to enjoy.
The goal of working with a copywriter is to build your audience, attract attention from your ideal clients, drive traffic, increase conversions, delight your customers, and so on.
Whatever your goal—and I strongly suggest you revisit your content brief if you feel the issue is that your copywriter missed the mark on that goal—always keep in mind who the copy is really for and give your feedback accordingly.
What’s harder than giving your copywriter feedback? Giving yourself feedback.
If you need help writing sales copy that converts, let’s talk.
