22. What does being a ‘partner’ to your clients really mean?

Hi friends,

Last year, one of my long-time clients told me they were 'slowing down' on content. You know that feeling - when a regular client uses phrases that could signal less work coming your way.

This is fine because sometimes content needs to ebb and flow. But I was also pretty worried because it was essentially cutting my revenue with this client quite significantly.

Cue mind drama!!

But there was also an opportunity. After a few days to clear my head and think of what to do next I sent them an email with some notes and observations on content ideas.

After all, I’ve been working with this client for a few years now. Given that the state of SEO was also shifting, there were some other content opportunities we could explore together.

So, I pitched a few topics and came up with some analysis on why these might be handy to add to their list.

Throughout the conversation, I found out they had another content need—something I’ve not really done before with them—refreshing existing content and diving into conversion copywriting. It turned out it was a semi-urgent need, as one of their team members had just gone on an extended leave, and they needed help urgently to refresh several pieces of content.

I ended up booking more work with them that quarter, more than my usual allotment. Plus, it solved an urgent need for them as well, which was pretty cool!

If you work with clients of any form, it pays to be proactive

It’s pretty clear now that the winds of content marketing and SEO are shifting. And for people like me who pay the bills through content services, this is something we need to meet head-on.

It’s an uncertain time! And I don’t have all the answers yet. I still deal with mind drama from all this stuff.

However, one thing that I’m holding fast to at the moment is the idea of remembering that you can help your clients by simply listening to their needs and being proactive.

We often hear about being a partner to our clients as freelancers.

But what does that mean, exactly? I’d like to think of collaboration on a few different levels.

When you work with a client, there are different degrees of collaboration, and all of them are valid depending on the client's current needs.

Level 1: You’re a hired pen. Your client assigns you work and a brief, and you execute on the brief to the letter (This is the level of Upwork or when the client has strict requirements). Sometimes new client relationships start here, and there’s potential to move to other levels.

Level 2: At this point, you've got some history with the client and they trust your judgment. Sure, you're still mainly executing their vision, but there's room to speak up when you see ways to improve things. Maybe you notice the brief could be structured differently, Or you can bring up ideas that could strengthen the content. It's like moving from being just a writer to becoming more of a thinking partner (though they're still calling the shots).

Level 3: Here, you feel more like a partner. You’ve developed a level of trust and respect, not to mention familiarity with their brand, their target audience and what they look for. Your client treats you like a trusted advisor, gives you more autonomy with shaping the direction of the content, or openly asks you for opportunities to show your expertise.

When you work with small teams and people, it doesn’t hurt to ask or be proactive about things that could help them.

Some examples of how this might look like, from easy to hard:

• Noticing a broken link or typo on their website/landing page and informing them of it

• Sending them a helpful link that can help with solving a problem they’re facing

• Pitching relevant content topics that align with their customer journey and content needs

• Identifying opportunities to cross-link between their existing content pieces

• Conducting a light content strategy/audit and giving them some topics that might help

• Spotting opportunities for content optimization on their highest-traffic pages

The worst thing that could happen is that they don't act on your initiative, and that’s fine, too! Sometimes, it pays to take the initiative.

The other thing I observed?

Clients are busy.

If they don’t respond to you, it’s usually not personal.

Don’t be afraid to follow up and check in.

They may not have seen your email or otherwise. It’s easy to think you’re annoying because that’s how my head sometimes goes. I don't get a reply, and I immediately think I’m being annoying.

But the reality can be very different. They could have either not seen your email because it was buried under all their other urgent to-do’s for the day. Or read your email and thought how to reply but forgot to respond due to said to-do’s

As the content landscape keeps shifting (and wow, is it shifting), I'm learning that my most valuable offering isn't always my writing chops, SEO know-how, or industry experience. It's showing up as an actual human who's genuinely invested in helping my clients win.

Caveat, obviously you need to fulfil the baseline of delivering quality work on time before all this human stuff comes in.

Want to work with a content partner who believes in this approach?

Content (and marketing) has obviously changed a lot in the last three years. Attention is at an all-time premium, but content marketing is still a valuable arm of your overall marketing strategy.

If you’ve got content plans but are struggling to find time to put it all together, I’ll like to invite you to work with me!

I believe in a thoughtful, consultative approach. By investing time to understand your business, I help create content that aligns with your overall marketing and business goals. Let's discuss how we could team up to:

• Make your product the star of the show with thoughtful, strategic content

• Repurpose existing assets to help more people discover your amazing brand

• Identify and give your old, decaying content a new lease of life with a content refresh

• Share your expertise through well-researched reports and whitepapers

• Celebrate your customer successes in a way that builds trust and attracts similar clients

I have a client slot opening in July. If this sounds like you, let's schedule a conversation about how content can support your marketing goals.

3 cool finds

1. Reddit quietly launches Reddit Answers, which is a pretty cool way to do audience research with one of my favourite applications of AI technology - conversational queries to make information more accessible. Some ideas from how to use it for your content marketing strategy from content marketer Garima Khatri here. On the flip side, there’s also reports of AI bots dominating Reddit - so make sure it’s not your only source of audience research.

2. I’m in awe of everything on Beam Content’s blog - it’s thoughtfully done and offers insights you can’t really find anywhere else. As AI makes basic content more accessible, brands need to find new ways to stand out. This interview dives into something I'm excited about - working with your internal SMEs to create content that's uniquely yours

3. Detailed’s State of SEO 2025 report: Glenn Allsopp is back again with another monster (and ungated) report on SEO - and this time he’s focusing on the impact of AI on the industry. Lots of deep analysis, presented simply. Well worth your time.

Take care!