To ask for support and tips on not backing down? It's a work-related skirmish.

[FortunesFave]

Long story short, I'm a freelance copywriter. I work with many businesses and agencies.

I've been freelance for 12 years. I'm very good at what I do.

One agency has recently brought in a new SEO expert. She's great at her job...really good. But as soon as she began, she was leaving notes on our Slack channel about my copy.

"Lovely work...the SEO is good but I added more commas"

Upon reviewing her additions, they were all incorrect.

I had to spend time removing them. She also deleted a word and changed it for her own choice. Badly.

She's German and English is not her first language. So the word she deleted has different connotations in German.

Now she's just reviewed my most recent article and added new spacing...fine....but the owner of the agency...who knows that I was annoyed about the commas previously, butted in and said "Please don't alter Fortune's copy."

He later messaged me to say the SEO expert was not happy with him saying this to her and he's going to allow her to make changes to my work!

I'm NOT HAPPY. I have told him this...and I have intimated I won't be working under her. She's NOT an editor and doesn't know how to use commas so my work will be compromised. I can't share work that's shit...I can't repeatedly go back in and check her "editing" to make sure it's good...because it won't be.

He hasn't got back to me yet...he's probably stewing and panicking because he values us both.

I honestly am a little offended. He's cow-towed to her ego here and to the detriment of the work I turn in. Help me deal please!

Part of me is stomach churningly anxious because this is a good client....the other part of me is outraged. Any tips on not backing down please?

Hey there, I know how you feel. I work in an artistic field And had a big break once on the front cover of a magazine. Ran out to buy a copy only to find the photographer had photoshopped my work (not the usual touching up). It looked terrible. I was gutted. So I know how you feel about your work And integrity.

The new SEO sounds like a jobsworth and should back off but if they won’t I suppose you have to weigh in how much it would mean to lose out on the job vs how much it would affect you getting more work based on these mistakes? Sorry I don’t have any better advice but I feel your frustration

You're a freelancer. You can't let her compromise your work because that will cost you work in the future. If he wouldn't stop her I'd look for a different client tbh.

It depends to what degree you want to go to war over it. You’re a freelancer, which makes your position less straightforward. I’d manage it by agreeing a process with her. She reviews the copy from an SEO perspective, and then you align on the changes, with a process of discussion for anything you are (each) concerned about.

I would also say though: don’t be a diva about your copy. Manage it diplomatically - respect her role as well - and you can get the results you want without the drama.

It's kowtow. I wouldn't normally mention it.

At least she is not auto correct!

And I was joking with cow-tow ............

(there is a cow involved in this drama!!)

You use a lot of ... for a professional writer. I think just argue the point with her over every correction you disagree with. She'll soon calm down.

Thanks for the correction Pack ironic I know. I was posting in an emotional state.

Chicc I'm not getting paid to post on here love. Thanks though.

Well we messaged back and forth a bit and it's clear he values her more than me so I've said that's fine but I won't work for him any longer.

I've told him I'll complete the project I'm currently working on or give him a refund, (paid in advance) it's up to him to decide.

I also told him that I feel undervalued .

He hasn't got back to me yet. If he decides to replace me, good luck to him! He's a bloody fool though.

Fortune I totally understand. It's kind of impossible to work properly when your authority has been taken away.

As for Chicccc ... ?! We aren't here to criticise. And the ... can be awfully useful in stream of consciousness steam-releasing ...

Ponchek Exactly! My authority has been taken away. If he'd brought an amazing editor on board with reams of experience and who was obviously more experienced than me, then I would have NO issue. I'm not egotistical.

This woman though? She doesn't know what she's doing! I can't wait to see what he says when he reads my last message. I was very definite.

The dictatorship comments are disgusting.

I have some questions - the copy you have been asked to write for the business is it part of a campaign, article for website, blog?

Is there any way the edited copy utilized for SEO can be kept separate to anything you write that might be more client facing (clients for the agency)? - I work in Marketing so really understand your frustrations YANBU.

In your situation I would have a conversation with the owner of the agency and the SEO consultant and ask them if the above is possible or if a compromise can be met.

In my experience an SEO (expert or not) works on a consultative basis.

Yeah, I’m not appreciating what’s coming across as anti-European sentiment here. Would that perhaps be worth an apology?

Is she an Editor or SEO? If she's SEO why on earth is she making non SEO changes?
I'd stand my ground, on any non SEO corrections she makes.

velourvoyageur - urgh you've annoyed me. Tongue in cheek remarks. Anti European? Christ, there's bigger things going on to worry about than that!

Specifically anti-German. And of course questionable comments should be called out, "tongue in cheek" or not.

Velour I have NOT used words like Dictatorship and I have NOT namechanged! Wtf??

Also this is not a "job" I freelance. I have other clients, more than enough.

SnackLady thank you...they're blogs so not really.

Shandlers she's SEO! I clarified that the moment she first made changes to my work...now weeks later, this!

Mittens I have NOT made any anti-German comments so please stop derailing my thread.

I realise Velour is trying to accuse me of being a sock puppeteer so I will report her comments and MNHQ can vouch that I have not.

He's now asked that we speak on the phone on Monday. He also made a comment about how the SEO woman and I are "both artists" and he understands both perspectives.

What to do? I feel like telling no thank you.

So this is all from one post:

absolutely incensing
a very unpleasant mix of outrage and fear.
scary.
ignoramus
trash
anarchy
dictatorship
bastardising
shaming
the führerin
arrogant idiot
heavy-handed
I detest her
She'll take the fair point as an insult

That doesn’t strike me as tongue in cheek.

It depends entirely on how much you want or need the work. Tbh I think you should be able to reach a reasonable compromise, if you want to.

I may be mistaken about the sock puppet thing, sincere apologies if so. Just struck me as odd that two copywriters on the same thread would make the same unusual spelling mistake and that Ponchek would respond to the person calling it out when that person was directing their comment at the OP.

Crikey. Okay. Firstly, you're a freelancer. Your client can change your copy however they see fit. Sometimes that will be for the worse. But that's just the way it works. They're the client and they get final say. Secondly, SEO optimisation heavily involves copy so she was always going to need to change it or at least work with you closely.

I'm a copywriter myself and I absolutely understand how frustrating it is when someone incorrectly amends your copy. But sometimes it happens and there's nothing you can do about it.