FAQ: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS If you've read everything else on this website and still have a question, this is the section that will hopefully answer it for you. And if your question still lingers after reading the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), please email me and I'll reply personally plus post it to this section.
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© Copyright 2007. AD-RITR Creative Services/Brenda Kruse. All rights reserved.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS:

WHAT IS COPYWRITING EXACTLY?

CopyWRITING is the writing of copy, as in advertising copy.
Essentially, I come up with the concept for an ad and
write the words (headlines, body copy, tagline). This
goes for print ads but I also write radio scripts, videos,
brochures, websites, and other marketing collateral.

IS IT THE SAME AS COPYRIGHTING?

No, not at all. CopyRIGHTS are legal protection for a creative
work like a term, song or other written or graphic item. If
you need legal advice on this, please contact a lawyer who
specializes in patent or trademark law. You can also learn
more about it from the government here.

CAN YOU DO GRAPHIC DESIGN?

Yes and no. I personally do very limited design work because
I prefer to specialize in the writing side of the business. However,
I do have graphic design training and most of the software needed.
Still, I outsource major design work to fellow freelance graphic
design professionals. So if you need something done, chances
are I can help you get it done even if I may not personally be the
one playing around in Photoshop or Illustrator.

DID YOU GROW UP ON A FARM?

Yes I sure did! My roots are in Northwest Iowa on the beautiful
black soil of O'Brien County where my parents still farm today.
I left the farm for college and have since lived closer to cities for the
sake of my career but will always have a close connection to the rural lifestyle.

WHAT IF I NEED YOU TO TRAVEL SOMEWHERE?

No problem! I enjoy traveling and can easily drive or fly wherever
you need me to be. Whether you want me to attend a trade show,
see the product in person, or just be there for an important meeting,
I can do that. I just need enough notice to plan it into my schedule
and rearrange my workload with other clients. I can make my own
travel arrangements or you can do it for me. I can fly out of Waterloo,
Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Minneapolis or Chicago. Although I've been
to Fargo, North Dakota in February, I'd prefer Hawaii or another tropical place
in the dead of winter!

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET AN ESTIMATE FROM YOU?

When you initiate contact with a proposed project, you need to provide me
with the parameters necessary for me to gauge how much time I'll need to
invest in the job. I want to know what type of project is it (print, radio, etc),
what is being advertised (product, service, place, etc), who the target audience
is (consumers, retailers, dealers, etc), how much material or educational
background I'll be able to get, and what deadline you have in mind. With
that information, I can estimate the time it would take me to complete it.
This document must be signed and approved before any work will start.
Without adequate information up front, all work will be done on a per-hour
basis until a realistic estimate can be created and approved. AD-RITR ensures
that final invoices will be within 10% of the original estimate unless the
project specifications change.

HOW DO YOU HANDLE BILLING?

Generally, I can be pretty flexible to adapt to your standard procedures
or accepted practices. If a project is likely to take more than month from
start to finish, I prefer to work on a progress billing system. Depending on
the total estimate, I can break it into thirds or halves that are due at major
points in the timeline. The balance plus any end-of-job expenses is due
upon final completion of the project. Like my estimates, my invoices can
be in electronic (PDF) format, faxed or mailed.

WHAT ARE YOUR RATES OR FEES?

Unlike some freelancers or ad agencies, there are not different rates for
different types of work. All my copywriting/creative time is billed at $85/hour.
That's about 30% less than competitive copywriters of the same quality and
experience level. When necessary, time spent for travel, training, education
or other administrative efforts (i.e. meetings, seminars or conferences) can be
arranged for $50/hour or a flat daily fee if approved in advance.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER EXPENSES?

Each job's actual expenses for phone, fax, FedEx, copies, mileage, etc) plus
an overall 15% industry-standard markup will be billed in the final invoice.
Detailed receipts will be submitted with the invoice.

DO YOU HAVE A KILL/STALL POLICY?

Yes, as this is a necessary protection for the viability of my business. The client
is obligated to pay for all work completed to date should the job be terminated,
canceled, rejected or not used. In the event of cancellation, or any delay of more
than one month (30 days), AD-RITR will invoice for the greater of either: 1) work
completed up to the date of written notification, including expenses; or 2) the
amount of any advance deposit or progress payments already received. No
refunds of progress payments will be made unless under exceptional circumstances
at AD-RITR's discretion. All work completed will remain property of AD-RITR, but
will be available if the project is resumed later. In most cases, AD-RITR will submit
a new estimate to re-start a stalled job.

DO YOU HAVE A MINIMUM PROJECT FEE?

Yes and no. Although there are exceptions, I prefer to accept jobs that meet my
minimum criteria of $700. If possible, you can group several similar smaller projects
into one larger package for estimating and billing.

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HOW DO WE GET THE BALL ROLLING ON A JOB?

After a project has been estimated and approved, it is considered assigned.
Our first step is to schedule an information exchange between AD-RITR and
the project people at the client. The goal is to ascertain not only scheduling,
budget and job specifications, but also your preferences, target audience and
objectives. Obviously, it's imperative that AD-RITR learn the features and benefits
of the specific product or service. It's best to provide me with extensive information
and direct contact with marketing managers, product engineers, or others directly
responsible for the product's marketing and sales success. While this process can
seem time-consuming at the start, it's a critical step in achieving creative excellence
through on-target strategy. And in the end, this will save you money by eliminating
any "wasted" time spent on the job, as well as leveraging the education gained on
future projects.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

Despite popular misconceptions, good creative work doesn't often come in a flash
of inspiration; usually it only comes after a couple rounds of revision and reworking,

as we both work through the best way to handle the given project per your goals.
I need time to develop several ideas, approaches, and concepts, then work them
through and revise them before submitting the suggested work to you.

All this, plus the need to schedule workflow in an efficient businesslike fashion, means
that I typically ask for about two weeks, depending on the job's complexity, before
turning around the desired creative. Naturally, rush jobs and deadline pressures are
a part of the advertising industry and I will diligently attempt to deliver creative work
within these parameters whenever possible. Ideally we will work together to develop
realistic schedules and delivery dates for each project. Any deviation from that
agreed-upon schedule will likely result in a delayed final delivery deadline so consider
those consequences when allotting appropriate time for each stage in the process.

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH EACH OTHER DURING THE JOB?

Past experience proves the streamlined efficiency of presenting the initial creative
toa project manager and just one or two others. This ensures that we all stay focused
on the task at hand and are not distracted by too many personal opinions and agendas.
Presentation of the work can be done in person face-to-face, over the phone in a
conference call, or it can just be routed to appropriate parties on your end and returned
to me when ready for revisions. Electronic means are by far the easiest for us both!

Feedback should be funneled through a project manager so as to facilitate faster
corrections and revisions in subsequent rounds. I suggest putting comments and input
in writing where possible to ensure proper weight is given to all statements. When
general feedback is given over the phone, I will verify what was said in a written
document to safeguard against misunderstandings.

After reviewing the requested revisions, I can determine a reasonable return of the
project for the next round of review. For the final approval, work should be submitted
to necessary legal and product safety counsel. At this stage, the review should be
limited to fact and detail checking only, reserving stylistic and subjective decisions to
the primary project manager.

I will keep the project's point person informed of progress throughout the entire
process. The goal is to keep your project moving forward quickly, smoothly and
cost-effectively, ensuring results exceed expectations for your complete satisfaction.

HOW MANY ROUNDS OF REVISIONS ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR ESTIMATE?

In general, copywriting projects delivered by AD-RITR include the following steps
for revisions (otherwise known as author's alterations).

• Initial outline or copy platform/creative statement
• New/revised outline (if necessary)
• Complete first draft
• Final draft (with majority of client revisions)
• Minor editing corrections (for the purpose of proofing/tweaking)

WHAT IF WE NEED A MAJOR REWRITE BECAUSE THINGS CHANGED?

When a project reaches the point that a rewrite is requested or required
because the project parameters, positioning or plans changed, I will
revise my original estimate for approval before work can continue.
Upon receiving and reviewing the requested client corrections,
I will notify the project's point person if it appears the project
has reached a major rewrite/redo point.

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IN WHAT FORMAT WILL YOU DELIVER THE COPY/CREATIVE?

In most cases, the copy/creative will be sent electronically via email (with an
attached Word or PDF document where possible) and can be faxed to provide
a hard copy if requested. I can also post the work-in-progress to a special
web page within this site that only you can access.

WILL YOU RETURN ALL THE STUFF I SEND YOU?

Yes, client materials (documents, literature, CDs, etc.) will be
returned as requested upon receipt of payment for the completed project.

WHO OWNS WHAT WITH YOUR CREATIVE?

Upon completion and payment in full for creative work, ownership transfers
to the client, except in the case of illustration/photography, or where otherwise
indicated. However, all preparatory materials (sketches, concepts not utilized,
extra headlines/taglines, etc) remain the legal property of AD-RITR Creative.

WHAT ABOUT PROOFREADING AND ERRORS THAT GET PRODUCED?

This is why I stress the fact that I want to be involved in the entire project
from start to finish so I can check the work each time. While I'll do my best to
duly provide error-free copy and agree to proofread the project throughout the
process, it is the sole responsibility of the client to review all material prior to
production and to attest for its accuracy. I will not be liable for production
charges or legal cases related to any error in copy, edited or not.The client
has final approval and responsibility for accuracy.

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