It can be frustrating working with an outside writer sometimes. The writer doesn’t know you, so you have to spend time telling him  (or her) everything from the start about the company, the product, the market, the customers, and so on. Then the writer still doesn’t truly get it. He (or she) comes back with brochure copy that is okay . . . but not quite right.

Try this. A rap session for the writer.

Definition: Rap session is an informal discussion held especially by a group of people with similar concerns.

Instead of sending the writer off with a list of people in your organization from whom to collect input individually, get everyone in the same room to talk to the writer at once. The room will begin to vibrate as the conversation gets rolling. People will agree, disagree, tell another story, laugh and before you know it the real passion will start to come out. This more free-wheeling approach will help the writer understand your company or product better than one-on-one interviews and will help the writer breathe life and energy into the brochure, article, etc.  This worked really well with a recent client who had been previously disappointed with a brochure (written by another agency).  The group session was lengthy and some people had to come and go, but they all knew each other and they became more and more animated as they talked. I got to see what the other writer didn’t have the opportunity to see. And the client liked the results.