Below you can find answers to common questions about my business writing services. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, please contact me.
I offer business content writing, copywriting, blogging, press release writing, e-book writing, white paper writing, and other business writing services. I no longer take on most direct response sales copywriting (such as sales letters).
Absolutely. Just fill out my project brief form on my Contact page to tell me more about your project, and I’ll be happy to consider it. Once I know more, I’ll let you know if it’s something I can take on. While I specialize in freelance blogging and PR-oriented copy (press releases, white papers, case studies, web copy, etc.), I have experience in other types of business writing projects as well (such as brochures, email newsletters, and business video or PSA scripts). I can also offer editing and proofreading services if you don’t need entirely new content or copy.
I write web content / blog posts covering business topics. I specialize in topics such as small business, online business, start-ups, public relations, social media, freelancing, and marketing. I will not write content on adult business topics, or subjects related to gambling, hate, or illegal topics, or in any niches that I deem to be inappropriate or a reputational risk for my business. An example of such a company would be an essay writing service provider that helps students cheat by having their essays drafted for them. I also don’t write in niches completely unrelated to business. For example, I won’t write content about fishing for a niche website. But I will write business-oriented copy for companies related to that niche.
If you mean “will you write a bunch of keyword-stuffed articles or spin someone else’s content, violating their copyright with a derivative work?” the answer is “no.” If you mean “will you write high quality content that provides value to readers, attracts organic backlinks and social media shares, and encourages both readers and search engines to see me as an authority in my niche or industry?” then “yes.”
That depends on my schedule and the size of your order. I am often booked several weeks (and sometimes several months) in advance, where I cannot take on new clients immediately. That said, my schedule frequently changes as projects are finished earlier than planned or another client has to push back a scheduled project. So there’s always a chance I can squeeze your project in before my next official opening. Please contact me to learn about my current availability for your project.
Payments are due 100% up front for most one-off project orders, monthly retainers (such as blogging packages), and for every order from a first-time client. For clients I have an established relationship with, orders over $2500 (for a project — not for a total of several smaller projects) may be broken down into a 50% payment up front, and the remaining 50% due on delivery. If you want to order several smaller pieces totaling over $2500 (such as blog posts), you can order in smaller quantities to control how much you’re paying at any one time. Before placing any large orders, like monthly blogging retainers, I recommend hiring me for a single piece to make sure my style fits your needs.
Clients may pay via a PayPal account, or by e-check or credit cards via a PayPal invoice. The only other payment form accepted at this time is a check or money order (must be drafted in U.S. funds). Checks or money orders should be made payable to “Jennifer Mattern” and should be mailed to the address found on your invoice after we’ve agreed upon project terms. Because payments are due up front before the start of a project in most cases, I highly recommend paying via PayPal or credit card to avoid possible postal service delays. E-checks can also take several days to clear, so payments should be made up to a week before the intended start of your project.
All prices advertised on this site include up to two rounds of edits. Any further edit requests will come at an additional charge. Therefore if you have to get approval on copy or content from a large group of people, your best option is to send it around and compile the edits (not sending me one person’s edits, then another’s, then another’s). Once the scope of a project is approved and work has begun, you cannot make an “edit” request to completely change the direction of the project. Doing so will result in you being billed for any work completed thus far, and being billed separately at my normal rates for the new project.
The default rights granted with my content and copywriting rates are first worldwide publication rights for articles appearing in print and exclusive online publication rights for articles appearing on the web. But it does not include the copyright (which cannot be transferred from the author without a written contract to that effect, based on U.S. copyright law).
In the vast majority of cases, first rights or exclusive online rights are all you need, and that’s what my advertised rates cover.
Just to be clear, not transferring my copyrights does not mean I will turn around and re-sell content or copy as it was delivered to you. In fact, I’ll never do this. It wouldn’t be good for me professionally to do that to my clients.
What it does mean is my copyright in my work is protected. That’s essential in my line of work as a specialized professional writer, as copyright covers derivative works. Within a specialty, work for different clients can be similar in nature, and this protects my ability to cover the same topics without fear of similarity being a copyright infringement. (I never use my work for past clients as direct source material for work covering similar topics for new clients.) It also protects my ability to work with other clients in my specialty area, which protects my independent contractor status, which in turn protects my clients.
If you need additional rights, you can request them and I’ll offer a quote. But note it is extremely rare that I’ll take on a content writing or blogging project with full copyright transfers.
Yes. In fact most of the copywriting I do is not bylined work (ex. press releases or copy for your business website). For blogging and other types of articles, we’ll hash this out on a case-by-case basis. There are times where it makes sense for me to ghostwrite your content, such as publishing articles to your business blog or ghostwriting feature articles in your name to be pitched to trade magazines. When writing for niche blogs in my own specialty areas (mostly small business, online business, public relations, marketing, writing, and social media), I do prefer to retain a byline most of the time, though again we’ll work out those details on a case-by-case basis. Ultimately this is your decision. Please note that ghostwriting does not equal copyright transfer. I do not offer full copyright transfers. Please see the previous FAQ for rights information.
Frankly, I charge more because my writing, my subject matter expertise, and my grasp on SEO, PR, and underlying marketing fundamentals are worth it. Over 20 years of experience have taught me how to write effectively both for search engines as well as readers. As a small business owner, professional blogger, and broader web publisher and developer myself, I’m in tune with the needs of my clients and their readers when it comes to business content on the web.
I’ve been paid to write for others since 1999, and I have a formal education not simply in English, but rather in my area of specialty (Public Relations and business). Because my business content writing is based on a combination of my education and my practical experience as a business owner and freelancer, I’m able to produce well-written business content and copy quickly, without having to base it entirely on researching the work of others.
Where other, generalist, content writers often provide rewritten material (a type of copyright violation called a “derivative work” if this is done without the original creator’s permission), or articles simply piecing together information from a few sources on the web, you never have to worry about that when ordering professionally-written business content from me.
Even better, I’m highly qualified to help you plan your PR, marketing, or content strategy so you get more out of any writing I do on your behalf, from a routine company blog to thought leadership publication helping you build your own reputation among colleagues and customers within your industry.
I’ve worked with a wide variety of clients including musicians, authors, athletes, small and online business owners, solopreneurs, webmasters, marketing and SEO firms, nonprofits, and some larger corporate clients. However, my primary focus is working with independent and creative professionals and small online business owners on their business writing needs. You can review my testimonials on my homepage to see what past clients have said about my work.