Yep, I Used To Name Dog Toys For A Living.
Growing up, my mom and I would say the best job we could imagine was getting to name nail polish colors. If you’ve ever picked out nail polish before, you probably know what I mean. The names are quirky and fun, they tend to use lots of alliteration and puns, and they pretty much always make you smile.
So about five years into my professional writing career, when a coveted copywriting role opened up for BARK’s retail team, I jumped on it. And when I landed it, I finally felt like I found the writing job of my dreams. Except, instead of naming nail polish, I was naming dog toys.
But what a blast that was! I’ve never been more proud of my writing than when I first saw product packaging with the names and silly copy I wrote for BARK on the shelves of Target, Walmart, Petco, Petsmart, and many more big-box stores.
When my role was affected by BARK’s second round of layoffs in 2023, I was heartbroken to say the least. I loved my job. I mean, who wouldn’t, right? It was everything I wanted from childhood short of publishing a book. (Which is still in the works, don’t worry.)
But enough about my writing aspirations, let’s get back to why you clicked on this blog, shall we? I learned SO MUCH when writing for a dog toy manufacturing company, and I’m incredibly grateful to have experience working with an established and efficient creative team. Especially now that I’m building my own freelance creative copywriting business. So what’s my #1 takeaway from writing for BARK? 👇🏼
The Creative Process Needs To Be Collaborative
This is especially true in the world of manufacturing, where there are many hard production and print deadlines to meet before items ever see the shelves. BARK collaborates with their entire creative team the whole way through a project—from kickoff to completion. And the payoff is high.
Creative projects tend to have lots of cooks in the kitchen. There’s the sales team, product designers, graphic designers, project managers, marketers, and (of course) copywriters. In my time there, BARK’s sales team held kickoff meetings to introduce a new project idea (usually a new themed toy collection) to the entire creative team at once. Then, the team would continually touch-base and hold meetings at different stages of project completion. The toy designers would show off their ideas, the copy team (aka me and my supervisor) would provide a name for the entire collection as well as names for the individual products, the marketing and design team would show off physical product samples when they arrived…and so on and so forth. It might sound like an excessive number of meetings, but it was incredibly important for our success.
Why Is Creative Collaboration Important?
- It keeps the whole creative team on the same page, all the time.
There will always be the occasional disconnect or miscommunication. But for the most part, a high level of collaboration and communication keeps everyone up to date with how a project is going, and if changes to your contribution need to be made.
No one wants to finally get to the end of a project only to learn that the toy you named “Big Booty Bolinda” did not in fact have a big booty after the second round of design edits. Especially if the product packaging already went to print. Yikes.
- Teamwork makes the dream work.
A team of ten will always catch more errors than a team of two. At BARK, we always double checked one another’s work, and made sure we were aligned creatively throughout each project. There was also no rogue project concept hi-jacking, or edits made to your work by higher-ups without your knowledge or approval. We were a team, through and through.
- Being heavily collaborative provides more ideas.
It’s always easier to come up with ideas for someone else versus for yourself. On BARK’s creative team, we leaned on one another to make products we were truly proud of. We’d give each other feedback, challenge concepts, and provide plenty of praise when something we made was totally and hilariously kick-ass. (Which was a constant with the silly and edgy products BARK makes.)
How I Incorporate Creative Collaboration In My Freelance Business
Now that I’m a freelance creative copywriter, my process has certainly changed. I don’t have a big team to work with, as I’m more of a one-man band. Instead, I incorporate creative collaboration between me and my clients. Here’s how:
- I hold a free discovery call with each new client.
This is my form of a kickoff meeting. It’s when we discuss project requirements, budget, and brand voice. My goals for the meeting are two-fold. One, for my prospective client to feel comfortable entrusting their copywriting project with me. And two, for me to get a strong idea of their brand voice and creative needs. Overall: I want to be sure we’re on the same page from the start.
- I create personalized project proposals.
This will include a detailed pricing estimate for my client based on their project needs and established budget. I have room for deliberation and collaboration built-in at this step as well. Proposals can be adjusted to include more or less work, or split up into multiple smaller contracts to better fit budgeting needs. Then once all parties agree to a proposal, a contract is signed and we’re off to the races!
- The first round of editing is always free.
I want my clients to be able to tell me if my work isn’t quite meeting their vision, without them worrying about spending more money. I strive to create copy that my clients absolutely love from the start, but a round of editing and perfecting is often what gives a project the polish it needs to truly shine. Usually one round of edits is all it takes too. I find with more collaboration throughout the project, the less likely we will be to need excessive editing anyway. (Disclaimer: this is specifically for fixed-rate writing projects that are priced per word or per deliverable.)
TL;DR:
Basically, my time at BARK taught me invaluable lessons about the importance of creative collaboration in producing exceptional results. From brainstorming quirky toy names to ensuring every team member was aligned, the collaborative process was key to our success. As I transition to freelancing, I carry these lessons with me, incorporating them into every project to ensure my clients receive the highest quality content that truly reflects their brand voice.
Ready to elevate your brand with personalized, compelling copy? Contact me today—let’s create something amazing together!
