When "Just a Few Revisions" Becomes a Whole New Blog Series
Ever been in a situation where a small request for a blog post turns into a much bigger content project? It's a common challenge, especially when you're working as a blog ghostwriter.
What often happens is something we call "scope creep," and it can turn what seemed like a straightforward revision process into a bit of a headache. It's a scenario that many content creators face, and understanding it is the first step toward managing it effectively.
What's This "Scope Creep" Thing?
Think about it: when you agree to write a blog post or a series of articles, your contract usually says how many rounds of revisions are included. This is a standard practice, meant to ensure both parties understand the expected workload for refining the content.
But here's the tricky part – those contracts don't always explain what kind of revisions are covered. Is it just a few tweaks to grammar or flow, or does it include a complete overhaul of the topic or the entire content strategy? This ambiguity can open the door to unexpected challenges for a ghostwriter.
Sometimes, a client might give you a little bit of feedback, perhaps a comment on a sentence or a paragraph in a draft blog post, but then ask for a "full rewrite" based on it. This can be a significant jump from what was initially discussed.
For instance, if you're writing a blog post about "5 Tips for Productivity," a minor edit might be changing a word or rephrasing a sentence. However, a "full rewrite" could mean shifting the focus entirely to "The Psychology of Time Management," requiring new research, a different tone, and a completely new structure.
Or, they might suddenly have a brilliant new idea late in the process that completely changes the direction. Imagine you've almost finished a set of SEO-optimized blog posts, and the client decides they now want to incorporate a brand-new product launch or pivot to a completely different target audience – features that were never part of the original content brief.
These kinds of requests can make the project much, much bigger than what you originally planned, often requiring extensive new research, a shift in voice, or even a complete change in keywords. The problem is, these big changes often come without any adjustments to the original deadline or the agreed-upon fee, putting immense pressure on your writing resources and timeline.
When this "scope creep" happens, you're often stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do you deliver the blog posts late because you need more time for the new research and writing, potentially damaging your reputation or incurring penalties?
Or do you rush through it, knowing that the quality of the content might not be as good as you want it to be, which could lead to client dissatisfaction and impact your portfolio as a ghostwriter? Neither option feels great, and both can have lasting consequences for your business and professional relationships.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
It's not usually because anyone is trying to be difficult or intentionally cause problems. More often, it stems from a lack of clarity and foresight. Both you and the client probably start the project thinking that revisions will be simple and quick. There's an inherent optimism that everything will go smoothly, and minor adjustments to the blog content will suffice.
It's easy to underestimate how much a client might want to change things or add new content once the blog post or article is already underway. Clients might not fully understand the implications of their requests on your workload – for example, how much time new research for a completely different topic takes, or the effort involved in completely re-optimizing a post for new keywords.
They might also discover new content needs as they see the draft taking shape, or they might be responding to internal pressures, new marketing initiatives, or fresh insights from their audience that emerge during the project's lifecycle. This often leads to different expectations between everyone involved, with the client envisioning a flexible, evolving content strategy and the ghostwriter expecting a more defined, contained scope for each piece.
This misalignment is when you start seeing projects take longer than expected, budgets strained, and frustration building on both sides. The initial enthusiasm for a new blog project can quickly turn into a struggle to meet unforeseen demands.
What Can We Do About It?
While it's a common challenge for blog ghostwriters, there are ways to minimize the impact of scope creep and foster a more predictable and positive project experience. Clear communication from the very beginning is key, acting as the foundation for a successful content partnership.
- Being Specific in Contracts: Don't just state "two rounds of revisions." Instead, try to define what a "revision" means in concrete terms for blog content. For example, specify "minor edits to existing content, limited to grammatical corrections, factual updates, and small phrasing changes within the agreed-upon topic and outline" versus "rewriting entire sections, introducing new topics not in the original brief, or changing the core message/target audience."
You could even categorize revisions (e.g., "Level 1: minor text edits," "Level 2: paragraph rewrites," "Level 3: new content/direction") and assign different costs or timelines to each. This level of detail helps manage expectations from day one and protects your time as a ghostwriter. - Setting Expectations Early: Have open and honest conversations with your clients about the revision process before you even start writing the first draft. Explain that significant changes or entirely new ideas introduced late in the game might require adjustments to the timeline or cost.
You can frame this positively, emphasizing that it ensures the highest quality outcome for their evolving content needs. For instance, you might say, "We're happy to accommodate new ideas for your blog, but extensive changes after the outline approval phase might require a revised timeline or additional investment, as they fall outside the initial project scope." This transparency builds trust and prevents surprises down the line. - Documenting Everything: Keep a clear, written record of all feedback, decisions, and changes requested by the client regarding the blog content. This includes emails, meeting notes, and any project management tool comments. If a client verbally requests a major change (like a new topic for a post), follow up with an email summarizing the request and its potential impact on the project scope, timeline, and budget. This helps everyone stay on the same page and provides a reference point if there are disagreements later. It creates a paper trail that protects both parties and ensures accountability for the content development process.
To make this process even smoother, consider using AI notetakers during your client calls and meetings. Tools that automatically transcribe conversations and even summarize key decisions or action items can be incredibly helpful. This means you won't have to worry about missing a detail or spending extra time manually typing up notes after a call. The AI can capture all the nuances of the discussion, including specific requests for content changes or new ideas that might lead to scope creep. You can then easily review these automated notes, extract relevant information, and use them to inform your follow-up emails or project documentation. This automation ensures accuracy and frees you up to focus more on the conversation itself, rather than furiously scribbling notes. - Propose a New Contract for New Ideas: If a client presents significant new ideas or a complete shift in direction that clearly falls outside the initial agreement, consider proposing a new, separate contract or an addendum. This isn't about being rigid, but about being fair to your time and expertise. You can position this as an opportunity to fully explore their new vision with the dedicated resources and time it deserves.
For example, you might say, "That's a fantastic idea for a new content direction! To ensure we give it the attention it needs without impacting our current project's timeline, how about we complete this initial set of blog posts, and then we can discuss a new contract to develop these exciting new concepts?" This approach acknowledges their creativity while protecting your original project scope.
Leveraging AI tools can also be a significant time-saver when exploring these new directions or preparing for future projects.- If the new direction involves repurposing existing content (e.g., turning a blog post into social media snippets or an email newsletter), AI can help generate initial drafts or suggest adaptations, saving you hours of manual work.
- Keeping all client project documents organized in one dedicated folder – perhaps within a project management system or a cloud storage solution – also becomes crucial.
- Tools like Claude/ChatGPT's projects feature or NotebookLM, which allows you to have an AI-powered notebook, can be invaluable. These platforms can help you keep track of all client communications, content drafts, research materials, and even past feedback. This makes it easy to reference previous work or quickly onboard yourself to a new project with the same client.
- This centralized approach ensures that all your client-related information is readily accessible, streamlining your workflow and preventing any loss of context for future collaborations.
Dealing with scope creep can be frustrating for blog ghostwriters, but by understanding why it happens and taking proactive steps, you can help keep your content projects on track and maintain the quality you're proud of. It's all about clear communication, meticulous documentation (enhanced by modern tools!), and managing expectations effectively from the very first conversation about content needs to the final delivery of the blog post. By doing so, you can turn potential challenges into opportunities for stronger client relationships and more successful content outcomes.
By the way, this is what I do in my day job: I help blog ghostwriters use AI tools to make their workflow easier. If you’re interested in working with me, love to connect with you.