“Can you take a look at this?”
Later this summer I will be voicing a series of PSAs for a non-profit. But over the weekend, the Executive Director sent me an email. She asked me to take a peek at a program submission and give feedback.
I spent the next few days asking questions and doing an edit based on what I knew about her program and the program she was applying for. This was an amazing opportunity for me to embrace the words of her mission and understand what her overall strategy was for media, training, PSAs and more.
The two items that directly tied into my voice work were nailing the right tone and making sure everything was written as succinctly as possible. There needed to be a balance between passion for a project, the Executive Director’s “voice” and also the “voice” of her Board of Directors. After making sure the tone was right, we honed the message. Extra words can put the reader (and listener) to sleep. We made sure we hit all of the requirements but reeled in the word count. We also brainstormed a few new ideas that would rock if they receive funding!
The extra win for me is that I LOVE being on the ground floor of strategy. When I get the backstory, I know exactly what will be needed from my voice when jobs are ready to roll. I can also showcase my ad agency skills. This comes in handy when working on big picture planning as well as on-the-spot editing and brainstorming.
So, yes. I will always take a look at whatever a client sends me!