After reading ‘They Ask You Answer’ I felt inspired to put the book’s lesson into practice. So in 2019 I signed up to #Write 52, an initiative where creatives commit to publish original content every week for a year.
With my commitment, I pledged to answer 52 questions that I’ve actually been asked by customers and prospects (rather than your more traditional FAQ that only answers questions you really wish you’d been asked!).
Having now reached the finish line, and because the content seems to be genuinely useful to others, I’m now continuing with the initiative, so if the answer to your question isn’t below…
Content strategy…
- To get to the next level we need a go-to-market strategy, but where do we start?
- I need some initial help for the next leg of expansion
- How would you recommend building an audience quickly?
- How can I increase my pipeline on a limited budget?
- What can I do to ‘sell’ to my LinkedIn connections?
- How do I get more people booking demos?
- How do we ensure all our content is aligned?
- Can you help us with content strategy?
- Can you help us develop tone-of-voice guidance for our brand guidelines?
- Can you help me with marketing strategy?
Blogging…
- We want to start a B2B blog, where do I start?
- What are the main steps involved in the process of building a content strategy for you blog?
- Blogging once a week is the ideal, but is it really that realistic?
- How do you find the time to blog regularly?
- Have you got any B2B blogging tips?
- What should I write about on my blog?
- What’s a good blog length?
- How do I create more inspiring content for my blog?
- Where should I publish my blog?
- How should I measure my blog success?
- Should I update my existing blogs?
- Do you follow any blogs regularly?
- Would you mind taking a look at my blog?
Thought leadership…
- What is thought leadership content?
- Why is thought leadership content important?
- Where does thought leadership content fit into the sales cycle?
- When is thought leadership content most effective?
- What types of thought leadership content should we write?
- What makes a good subject matter expert?
- What does a good white paper look like?
- Have you experience of writing white papers?
- You talk about repurposing white papers, but how does this work in practice?
- Do people really read case studies?
- Should I gate my content?
General…
- Award submissions sound interesting – why would you recommend we use them?
- I’m looking at going for an award. Any tips?
- Have you got any tips for editing content?
- What is ghostwriting?
- Do you do social media?
- How do I apply storytelling technique to business writing?
- Is it better to have team profiles written in the third person, or should they have a more personal tone?
Working together…
- Hiring a copywriter: what does it cost? And how does it work?
- Do you know any copywriters?
- What does your sales process look like?
- Can you send me some samples?
- Why do I need a 3x bigger budget to afford your prices?
- I’m looking to build a long-term relationship. Do you offer flexibility on your terms?
- Can we talk about working with you on a retainer-esque basis?
- Are you happy to work from our offices?
- What happens with a briefing?
- When can I see a first draft?
- Is there any way you can do…?
- What’s your availability?
About me…
- What’s your story?
- What’s your experience in the IT sector?
- How do you find work?
- Does ‘imposter syndrome’ affect you?
- If you could work with anyone, who would it be?
- If you could have any other career, what would it be?
- Which freelancers have supported you the most this year?
- Do you work with friends?
- Give me some book recommendations…
- Where do you get your shoes from?