Your newsletter, flyer or campaign – coordinated from brief to print.
A members’ newsletter, an event flyer, a fundraising leaflet, a campaign: the same things trip teams up every time – copy that doesn’t quite land, last-minute changes, a designer working from muddled text and no one owning the final proofread. I take care of the process so your publication says the right thing and lands on time.
A good brochure rarely fails on the design,
it fails in the muddle before it.
You know how it is. Three people tweak the wording in three different emails, the proof goes to print with last year’s date still in it, and the event or mailing won’t move, so the pressure mounts at the worst possible moment.
My job is to take that off your plate – one person holding the words, the schedule and the standard, with clear sign-off points along the way so you always know what’s happening and what’s waiting on you. This page sets out exactly how we’d work together, and what to expect on both sides.
TWO WAYS TO WORK
Choose how much you’d like me to carry.
CORE
Polish, proofread and steer through design.
You (or your team) have written the copy and you need a skilled pair of eyes to sharpen it, proofread it, and steer it through to a clean printed piece. You own the words; I make sure they’re right and that nothing slips between draft and print.
FULL
Write it and run it to print-ready.
You give me the key points, the details and any bits you already have – and I write the copy and carry it through to a finished file. For a flyer, leaflet or campaign, this is often the simplest route: you brief me once, and I do the rest.
At this scale, Full is genuinely easy to use – writing a flyer or campaign from a short brief is everyday work, and you stay in control of every decision and every approval. The process below is the same either way; the only difference is who holds the pen.
HOW IT WORKS
The process, step by step.
Each step has a clear purpose, a short list of what I’ll need from you, what you’ll be holding at the end – and a sign-off gate: the moment we both agree something is settled before moving on. Tap a step to open it.
00 Enquiry, fit and quote
To check we’re a good match and agree the shape and price before anyone commits.
We start with a short call, or a clear email exchange. You tell me what the publication is, where it’s going (print, email, or both) and the date it needs to be ready. I’ll tell you honestly whether I’m the right fit and what’s realistic in the time. If we’re a go, you get a clear written quote and a short note covering scope, timeline and confidentiality.
I'LL NEED
What the piece is, where it’ll live, your deadline and roughly how long – pages, panels or word count.
YOU'LL HAVE
A fixed quote and a defined scope.
SIGN-OFF GATE
You approve the quote and scope. Nothing starts until that’s agreed.
01 Discovery and brief
To understand what this publication needs to do, so every word earns its place.
A focused conversation about who it’s for, the one or two things you need it to achieve, the action you want readers to take and the tone. If you have a brand or style guide, it comes in here; if not, I work from what exists and flag anything inconsistent.
I'LL NEED
Your audience and your goal for the piece, any brand or style guide, and a single point of contact.
YOU'LL HAVE
A short brief we both work to.
SIGN-OFF GATE
You confirm the brief is right.
02 Outline and the bits I need
To agree what goes where, and gather the few inputs the piece depends on, before writing starts.
For a flyer, that’s the panels and the call to action; for a newsletter, the articles and running order. I set out a simple outline and a short list of what I need from you – facts, figures, quotes, photos, logos, dates. If a couple of colleagues are contributing items, I’ll gather those too, so the chasing isn’t down to you.
I'LL NEED
Sign-off on the outline, and the listed inputs (or the names of who holds them).
YOU'LL HAVE
A clear outline and everything needed to start.
SIGN-OFF GATE
You approve the outline. Reworking it later costs time, so we settle it here.
03 The words: writing or editing
To produce clear, accurate copy in your voice.
In Full, I write the copy from your brief and the inputs. In Core, I edit and tighten your draft. Either way, I’m making sure it says what you mean, in the right tone, with consistent terminology and nothing carried over by mistake from a previous version.
I'LL NEED
Answers to a short list of queries, and any figures or dates confirmed as final.
YOU'LL HAVE
Finished copy, ready for you to review.
SIGN-OFF GATE
You receive the draft copy.
04 Review and sign-off
To gather feedback once, cleanly, and reach a final text.
This is where small projects quietly derail – three people sending changes at different times. So I keep it simple: feedback on one document, by a set date, with one person resolving any conflicts before it reaches me. Whoever needs to approve the piece should do it now, while it’s just words. Changes after design are slower and more expensive.
I'LL NEED
Consolidated feedback by the date, with any internal disagreements already settled.
YOU'LL HAVE
A final, approved text.
SIGN-OFF GATE
The important one. You approve the copy. After this, the words are final, and changes during design count as extra.
05 Design liaison
To hand the designer clean copy and protect it through layout.
I give the designer the approved text, the outline and any images, and act as the single point of contact so they’re not working from three different versions. I can work with your designer, or help you find one. When the first laid-out proof comes back, I check it against the approved copy.
I'LL NEED
Your designer’s details (or a decision to source one), and images at the right quality with permission to use them.
YOU'LL HAVE
A first proof and one clear, consolidated amends list – one round included.
SIGN-OFF GATE
The amends list is agreed before it goes back to the designer.
06 Proofreading the proof
The careful final read once the words are in the design.
This is the part most people skip and later regret. I check the piece as it will actually appear: headings, captions matched to the right images, phone numbers and web addresses, dates, consistency and anything that would embarrass you in print. Errors that only show up in the layout get caught here.
I'LL NEED
Confirmation that no further content changes are coming.
YOU'LL HAVE
A checked proof, ready for final corrections.
SIGN-OFF GATE
Corrections confirmed.
07 Final checks and handover
To confirm everything’s right and release the file.
A last check that the corrections were made and nothing new slipped, then the print-ready or email-ready file is handed over. If it’s a recurring piece – a regular newsletter, say – I’ll note what could become a reusable template to make the next one quicker.
I'LL NEED
Final approval to release, from whoever holds that authority.
YOU'LL HAVE
A finished publication you’re proud of, on time.
SIGN-OFF GATE
You give final approval. From here, sign-off – and responsibility for the published piece – sits with you.
A REALISTIC TIMELINE
We work back from your deadline.
Whether it’s an event, a mailing or a campaign launch, the date rarely moves – so we plan back from it. The times below are for a typical newsletter or short brochure, around two to three weeks end to end. A single flyer compresses to a few days; a multi-piece campaign stretches a little.
| TYPICAL TIME | STAGE |
|---|---|
| 2-3 days | Brief and outline agreed |
| 3-5 days | Writing or editing the copy |
| 2-3 days | Review and sign-off |
| 3-5 days | Design |
| 2-3 days | Amends and proofreading |
| 1 day | Final checks and handover |
Two things set the pace more than anything else: how quickly feedback comes back consolidated, and whether the details – dates, figures, contact details – are final when I start. Tell me your deadline and I’ll tell you honestly whether it’s doable.
What I'll need from you.
- A clear deadline – the event, mailing or launch date.
- One point of contact who can make day-to-day decisions.
- The details the piece depends on – dates, figures, quotes, images – supplied when we agree.
- Feedback consolidated onto one document, by the date.
- Whoever approves it lined up to do so at the copy stage.
The one thing that keeps a small project calm: one person owning the feedback.
What you can expect from me.
- An honest view on whether your deadline is realistic.
- A fixed quote and clear scope before any work begins.
- Clear communication at each stage, so you always know what’s next.
- A careful proofread of the final proof – not just the early draft.
- Work that’s human-reviewed before it reaches you, in line with my terms on confidentiality and digital tools.
- Plain speaking. If something isn’t working, I’ll say so, kindly and early.
I don’t add noise to a project.
I reduce it.
GOOD TO KNOW
Scope, permissions and sign-off.
How the quote works
Your quote is based on the piece we agree upfront – this length, one round of amends. If scope changes – extra panels, a rewrite after sign-off, a second proof – I flag the cost at the time and let you decide. You’ll never get a surprise invoice.
Permissions & confidentiality
Campaigns and newsletters often involve embargoed news, personal stories or photos of real people. I treat it all as confidential, flag anything that needs consent, and never put unpublished content through AI tools without your permission.
Who signs off
I’m responsible for the quality and accuracy of what I produce, and for keeping things to schedule. Final sign-off – approving the published piece – rests with you, through whoever you name.
This works for newsletters, event and fundraising flyers, leaflets and brochures, campaign materials, programmes and orders of service, supporter mailings, and one-page case studies.
Let’s talk about your next publication.
Tell me what you’re producing and when it needs to land, and I’ll set out the version that fits – with a clear, honest quote before we start.