To tell the client that the job is beyond me? (love advice from web designers etc!)

[WimpleOfTheBallet]

I have been asked to write the landing page for a new social media networking site...I usually write advertorial copy, drama scripts, comedy sketches and random SEO articles for various websites.

I agreed to do this new job because the money was good...the client has seen what I specialise in and landing pages isn't it. She's come to me because she wanted a "creative" rather than a typical "expert" but I'm lost.

She's in another country and we've spoken on the comp a lot...I know all about what she's promoting and all about what she wants to say but I have no bloody idea how to get it all down!

I've studied examples of the kind of thing I'm meant to be creating...but I don't know which format to present the thing in...what to include as far as text for clickable parts...I feel she's tried to approach her project in a daring way by coming to me, but that I'm either not the right person or she's not great at communication.

I asked her to provide any information which HAD to be on the landing page...but nothing she's given is making it clear.

AIBU to give up (or hope someone on MN knows about this type of thing)

If I have made mistkes in my OP please don't judge me...I hate editing and have to do it lots...so I am lazy on here!

I'd do a non-working draft to include any ideas you have managed to formulate (however off-the-wall they might seem), then at least you'll have a 'discussion document'.

At this stage, I don't suppose she is looking for anything too detailed.

Much easier to discuss something real, rather than a concept.

If it was easy, the money wouldn't be so good, so it is very flattering that she has chosen you, and it will cost nothing to have a go. You might really surprise yourself!

Think of a landing page as an Aiport

Every bit of it should be there to direct you to somewhere else within the site. A good homepage should catch your interest and inform you but a landing page impresses you and directs you somewhere else (hmm you prob know this sorry)

Bit weird she isn't giving you direction though - you could completely make it up and then if she hates it = feedback

link
This link gives you a generic idea of what you need on a landing page with ten things to think of. Try this layout first and fill it with text

Extra advice!
For the format my advice is draw it first. With boxes for text and decide what are the most important places you need to go within the site and make sure they are in the window of what you first see. Include Your main Call to action but make it obvious

With not much web design experience she surely isn't asking you to create it just sketch design in and give copy marked up for links.

Strange though...

cinnamon that's what I think...she has designers though...people who are t be given my copy. But if I send random copy in then it may not fit with their design...she does not want testimonials nor pressure to sign anything...it's literally a landing page/social network...s it's chat/pic uploading etc

But she has not outlined the exact features she wants!

So it's like I am expected to decide this! But I'm not a web designer nor am I advertised as one...I write copy. Ads basically and SEO articles.

Great link thansk you cinnamon

kitty I already gave her a draft and she liked it...but gave no pointers as in "I don't want the forum link after the pic link etc"

It's so weird!

Ask for wireframes so you can see what goes where, along with a function and 'call to action' for each area/button.

Ask for an outline of mission, values, look and feel, tone of voice and target audience. That should all give you more of a sense of what's needed.

If she doesn't have that stuff yet, she has no business asking for copy as that's usually the last thing you work out after architecture and wireframes. In that case I recommend you schedule some braistorm time with big bits of paper, post-it notes and lots of coffee. Make sure the designers are there, and that you charge for this - creative development is serious work.

Your output from that should be a rough screen layout that the designers ban work up into wireframes. Wireframes should tell you the size of each copy area, which will help you with word count.

I've done a bit of web copywriting in this sort of situation. PM me if I can be of any help.

Oh and it's not beyond you. Don't panic! It does sound though as if the client is looming for creative director type input alongside copywriting.

There are lots of good user experience (UX) blogs out there that can give you tips on approaching this.

Good luck!

Oh balls. Just saw she's in another country.

Can you work together, sharing a google doc and talking on skype? Alternatively play with layouts in Visio and share your screen via Mikogo?

Thanks so much Manatee...we talk on Google...I think you're right that she's trying to get a creative director/writer in one package...thing is I'm not a creative director! I'm a bloody hack with a bit of comdy/drama experience!

We have talked about her mission and the tone and feel etc...I have given her some rough copy and she liked it...I get the feeling if I asked for wire frames she'd lok like this I think she's going to take the copy, dump it on adesigners desk and say "Make me a website with these words in it!"

Is that bad?

I do this with confidence but was not as confident when I started. You need to know the content of the site so you can write the landing page (which is basically an index/introduction). I will give an example off the top of my head so excuse the basic, skeleton approach. If you ask for a dummy design with dummy copy it helps too. I suggest links in brackets for the designer to stick in. You might need to rewrite this several times until it is perfect in everybody's eyes. I suggest you do a first draft and ask your client's feedback, then rewrite, then feedback, then finalise.

Crude example: Welcome to XY, the online community for farmers. We offer x, y, z [insert link to suitable page of website] and campaign for ABC [insert link to relevant page]. Our members enjoy XCV [link] and want to find like-minded individuals to discuss farming today [ insert link to forum].

You need a main message of what the site offers, then possibly bits and pieces (perhaps captions under pics) and also small menus with a few lines explaining what these pages contain...

'Make me a website with these words in it'.

Yes, that's bad.

Insist on wireframes. They're essential for website design - they're basically pictures that show the layout of the page. So instead of saying 'RH sidebar top - latest news, RH sidebar middle, signup for newsletter, RH sidebar bottom, register' etc etc you can see it on a picture.

Does she have a designer yet? Perhaps you can work with them to thrash out a basic idea of layout and size?

Nothing wrong with giving creative director type input, as long as you're willing to pay for it

On a more serious note, though, she doesn't sound like she knows what she's doing at all. Are you confident that you're going to get paid for this? Please make sure you have a contract with quotes/day rates etc. I speak as someone who has worked with a lot of startups...

I mean 'giving creative director input as long as she's willing to pay for it'.

Another useful thing to ask for is a site architecture. That looks a bit like a mind map or family tree, with the landing page and then the pages/areas that lead off it. That gives you an idea of the content that sits underneath the landing page, which in turn gives you more information about what you should put on said landing page.

(This is all assuming she is going to pay you and isn't a total fly-by-night )

Hard to see how you're supposed to write copy without more input from her. It sounds like she's doing this the wrong way round. Ime copy for the front page comes after you know exactly what the rest of the website does.
If you're feeling like you can't manage it I'm pretty sure that's because you don't have enough information.
Can you at least get a list of all the site sections that should be featured on the front page?
Feel free to pm me if I can help, I've got some experience with community sites.

Manatee...yes, she's paid half the fee and I wrk through an agency....they hold the other half until she and I are satisfied.

Thank you GoldenPeach...that's ncredibly useful....

I did ask her for a list of features...but none forthoming. I think I will have to go back to her and ask about the designer again. I DID ask her...but she's so vague in that very informed American way...New England drawl and very charming. Don't want t offend her! She's an engineer and so isn't up to scratch with this kind of thing.

Thank you all for such great advice. I feel like I culd actually write something now even if she's still vague about the SHAPE of the blinking thing...and appears to be leaving the entire content up to me!

I think I'll have a "Donate to Wimple" button on there! She might not even notice!

I'm afraid i can't help you, but i have something slightly on the subject: one lovely website based on anecdotes from web designers and their maybe slightly clueless clients.

www.clientsfromhell.net

Oh antler...that made me laugh out loud! I can relate so much...I feel a million time better now!

"I don't like these borders...they look like tagliatelle"