I’m not going to be a hypocrite and say I have a detailed plan for every piece of content before writing it because I don’t.
But listening to a podcast interview with a B2B content writer talking about how they plan features and blog posts got me reflecting on my own approach.
And I realised that I don’t use the same method for every piece.
Over the years I’ve got fairly adept at planning in my head or structuring as I go.
But when I started as a features writer on a weekly B2B magazine, I would always write out a plan for each piece.
It made writing a lot easier, particularly in those early days when I was new to the subject matter (commercial property) and new to writing features.
Now I adapt my approach depending on the starting point.
Sometimes I’ll get off a call with a client and already have a pretty good idea of the key points and main angle.
Select the juicy bits
I might free write the first few pars before going back to the transcript to start pulling out the juiciest bits, shaping and ordering them.
If the conversation with the client was a brainstorm around a few thought leader ideas, and the task is to pick out the best and write it up, then I’ll hone in on what felt like the strongest or most developed idea.
Listening to how the client talks about something can be a good indicator of where they have the strongest views or ideas. This is also key for capturing the client’s tone of voice in the piece.
Continue reading “How much do you plan a piece of B2B content before writing?”