Dept - Long form, research

The job

Debt is a digital agency with a difference. They are highly focused on the role technology plays in our lives, and in various industries - and as such, provide very high level and specific digital marketing services.

Because of their highly technical client base, they frequently publish highly detailed reports and deep dive articles to further position themselves as passionate about technology, and leaders in their field.

After being approached by a previous client looking to connect a freelance copywriter to his client, I was hired to research and write up a number of these articles to be published and shared through Dept’s channels and touchpoints.

The process

Research and reference were highly emphasised by Dept, and the articles needed to be highly detailed, academic, and sophisticated to fit into their brand image, and the other articles already present. Each topic needed up to 30 different references, all of which were to be sourced and integrated into the editorial as I went along.

For each report, I combined desk research with reaching out to industry experts to get their opinions on the subject matter. I needed to be sufficiently educated on each topic so as to write persuasively on complex topics, and after I felt confident on the subject, I put my journalist’s hat on and got to work.

As part of this, I needed to work closely with a third-party designer who was putting together the structure and visuals of the PDF - and in some cases, adjust the copy to fit various spaces.

The outcome

After writing up two reports, Dept were delighted with the quality and ordered three more - bringing the total to five. Each article was highly detailed, in-depth, and meticulously researched.

This was probably one of the most challenging editorial works I have ever done, but I am very proud of the quality of the output, and the results that they achieved for the client.