Matters

We start where the brief hurts. If leadership cannot agree on a single sentence, positioning comes first. If the sentence exists but pages disagree, message hierarchy or voice usually precedes a large narrative build. Intake correspondence and a short document review tell us which current to propose — we do not default to the largest engagement.

You send a written note describing audience, offer and the launch or decision ahead. We reply with a short list of materials to share — existing decks, site exports, partner PDFs — and schedule a listening session at Blair Road or by video. The sprint document lists participants, draft dates and what "done" means before any studio hours are committed.

Bring the people who can approve language — usually a founder, marketing lead or product owner, plus one person who writes day to day. Large circles slow read-aloud reviews. For narrative builds we sometimes hold separate sessions for leadership and for working writers, then reconcile in a shared document.

Deliverables match the alliance shape: positioning narrative, master story, hierarchy maps, voice guide, programme charter or system manual as agreed. Files use plain names and version labels. We include a walkthrough meeting and, when helpful, a recorded tour of the folder structure. We do not withhold editable sources.

Yes — often that is the point. Editorial programmes are designed to transfer rhythm to your team. We draft early editions together, comment on internal pages during advisory periods, and document decisions so contractors you hire later inherit the same rules.

Send what you already use: homepage copy, sales decks, product sheets, partner guidelines, recordings of talks if they exist. Unpolished is fine. We also ask for a list of phrases leadership refuses to lose — sometimes those become the anchor. Do not pre-clean language; we need to see drift to fix it.

We treat client materials as confidential by default. Mutual NDA is available on request before materials are shared. Files live on encrypted storage during the engagement and are deleted or returned per your instruction at handover unless retention is agreed for advisory work. Case mentions on our site are never published without written approval.

Yes. Narrow briefs are welcome when the internal owner is clear. A voice guide without full narrative, or hierarchy work without a new programme, are common entry points. We will still ask enough questions to ensure the single current solves the problem rather than masking a missing one.

Principal editors read incoming mail. You receive a reply within two business days with either clarifying questions or an invitation to a short call. If there is fit, we send a written proposal describing alliance shape, currents, participants, review cadence and fees. Work begins after the proposal is accepted in writing.

Advisory reserves a bounded rhythm of review — marked drafts, scheduled calls, quick flags on urgent sentences. It is not unlimited production. Months and hours are described in the agreement so your team knows when to escalate and when to batch work. Either party can end advisory with notice defined in writing.

Advisory works best when your internal owner batches requests rather than sending fragmented edits throughout the night. We return marked documents within the window described in your agreement, usually two business days for standard pages and faster for agreed launch windows.