It doesn’t matter how much experience, education, on-the-job training, or esteem you have as a writer. Clients will dislike the content you’ve composed for them. They will be outraged about it. And they will inform you of said outrage in less-than-diplomatic terms.
This presents a tremendous challenge for most copywriters. You know why you wrote in a certain tone (to match the company’s brand), why you wrote succinct paragraphs (to make the content scannable for mobile users), and why you included or excluded certain information (to maintain consistency throughout the piece).
However, your job is ultimately to serve the client. Despite your immediate impulse to get defensive, you cannot say that they are wrong, or that you know better. Rather, you have to listen to their feedback and implement it. That’s a necessarily, often pride-swallowing part of your job as a writer.
To help you do this quickly and less painfully, here are four best practices for dealing with negative feedback.
1. Know That This Feedback Is Not Personal.
Do not be attached to your copywriting because ultimately, once your client buys it, you do not own it anymore. If you can be detached from your work, you will cease to look at it as an extension of yourself. This will help you take criticism less personally.
It’s also important to remember that you do not always know the pressures your clients is facing. They may be reacting intensely to a mistake you made in the content, and that reaction stems more from what’s going on with them than your writing.
2. Be Accountable, and Assure the Client that Revisions are Part of the Process.
Listen to your client’s feedback and acknowledge it either through digital correspondence, phone call, or in-person meeting. Own your mistakes. If you don’t feel that you made any mistakes, you do not need to communicate that. Simply say that you want to make the client happy and that you’re willing to revise the content to better match their expectations.
Remember that the reason you’ve been hired isn’t because of your creativity. It’s because of your professionalism.
3. Do Not Be Afraid to Push Back When It’s Warranted.
There are times when you legitimately need to defend your work. It can be in your client’s best interest to keep the original draft the way it is. It also may be the only way to protect yourself from a client that is demanding for more than they are paying. If it’s the latter instead of the former, don’t fret. Some clients are not meant to be kept.
4. Be Deliberate About Improving Your Content, and Deliver Revised Content on Time.
If you’ve received negative feedback from your client, don’t ignore it or make light of it. Take it seriously. Your goal isn’t to produce War and Peace. It’s to serve your client and to get return business. Incorporate the feedback into your next piece of content or your next revision. And make sure you do so on time.
Don’t allow negative feedback or hot-headed comments from a client deter you from producing effective content. Follow these best practices for navigating negative feedback and learn how to keep your cool.
