Clients often ask me about our processes and workflows.

Cards on the table: I don’t know how other content writing agencies operate. But this is how we do things at Raccoon Writing — a content writing agency of people who care about quality and value.

Hi, my name is Victoria, and I founded Raccoon Writing back in 2017. I never planned to launch a business, so the agency grew naturally through all its (and my) ups and downs, twists and turns, challenges and victories.

So, as its CEO and founder, let me tell you how the content writing agency operates, from how it started through our principles and processes to our team and clients.

A little bit of history

Working in the marketing department of a large software development company has given me two things: a passion for technology and a large network of professionals ranging from engineers and quality assurance specialists to marketers and business analysts.

So when I went on maternity leave four years after working there, I started getting requests from former colleagues who had moved on to other tech companies. They all remembered the work I had done for the corporate R&D blog and asked me to write similar tech-focused pieces for the blogs of their companies. No problem.

But as the requests kept piling up, I was becoming increasingly overwhelmed. And that was when I asked my clients:

"Would it be okay if I hired other writers but supervised and edited their writing? It would look like I wrote it but allow me to take on more tasks."

And they said yes.

Since then, we've been growing as Raccoon Writing, a content writing agency that works exclusively in the tech niche and follows the principles I followed when it was just me. Here they are.

Our value and mission

Scaling values on the entire team is impossible; you have to find the people who already share your values and hire them. At least, that's what we do at Raccoon Writing.

It may sound corny, but for us, value is the greatest value — the value our content brings to our clients and readers.

Plus, quality has always been the cornerstone of our work, whether it's writing, editing, researching, translating, or anything else. From blog posts to landing pages, from white papers to holiday greetings, we care for the quality of every piece of content we deliver, big or small.

Our goals may change from year to year, but our mission stays the same:

• To write high-quality content that’s valuable, educational, and easy-to-read
• To help web content get better and see more of good content online thanks to educating writers and marketers

And it seems we’re on the right track.

The content writing process

Our entire team is responsible for content creation. It includes:

Delivery managers who oversee the writing process and are a single point of access for their clients
Content writers who have a critical mindset and experience writing for tech companies
Developmental editors who correct more than just grammatical errors

And it's this rigorous, multi-step content delivery process that helps us keep the quality of content deliverables high.

Planning

It all starts with planning.

We work according to monthly content calendars, and delivery managers ask their clients to plan accordingly. On the 25th of each month, we expect briefs from them to ensure we have the capacity to meet their content needs for the following month.

Outlining

The best kind of outline, or brief, is one written by a marketing or content manager on the client's side. Why? Because they know the company's buyer persona and content audience, the goals for the entire campaign and each individual piece, the call to action, and many other things you can't just Google.

Feel free to read our full article on how to write a good brief with a template. Even if you don't borrow it, you'll learn more about briefs and the essential information to include in them.

When clients send us briefs, delivery managers go through them to make sure they get everything right: the objective, the target audience, the CTA. And if something isn't clear or doesn't add up (the audience is too advanced for the topic or the word count is too low to cover everything), the delivery manager communicates this to the client at this stage.

Writing

The next step is writing itself. Our authors are assigned topics and tasks they’re best at: some prefer listicles, and others like long-reads. Some have a better understanding of what goes into a landing page, while others have more experience covering HealthTech topics.

Once the writer has clarified all questions about the client's assignment (because we don't start writing until we understand it), they start researching information about the topic.

The hardest part at this point is finding information that is actually valuable in a sea of bullshit. This is where critical thinking and industry experience help: writers sift through large amounts of information, organize it, and deliver it in the client's tone of voice.

However, if the client wants more expert content, they will have to share some insights or opinions from their subject matter experts ( like research or know-how ). This is especially important for landing pages and case studies but also works great for articles.

When the writer is done, the delivery manager reads through the draft. If they see something that needs to be corrected, the piece is sent back to the author with detailed comments. But if everything is in order, the piece is sent to the editor.

Editing

Our editors have vast experience in improving various types of written content. Instead of doing what Grammarly can, they read into what's written, paying attention to the accuracy and beauty of the text at the same time.

They look at every level: the entire piece, separate subheadings, and specific paragraphs. Is there a simpler way to say this? Does the audience know this abbreviation? Can you find fresher statistics? Are you sure about this phrase, rarely used in the U.S.? Our editors ask all these and many more questions the writers need to address after the editor is finished.

We specifically ask editors to work in the Suggesting mode in Google Docs for writers to see errors and improvements. This way, they always have the opportunity to learn something new and avoid the same mistakes in their following pieces.

The text that’s been reviewed by the editor and the author then goes back to the delivery manager.

Delivering

This is the final stage, where the delivery manager once again reads through the piece to make sure it meets the client's goal and is spotless. To be on the safe side, the manager runs the text through Grammarly before sending it to the client to avoid double spaces or typos.

Whew! That's a lot of work on each piece of content we deliver. But this meticulous quality assurance process is what makes our texts valuable and our clients happy.

Summary

Well, there you have it. This is how we work at Raccoon Writing: we take excellent writers, give them detailed briefs, run their texts by professional editors, and oversee the entire process to ensure the client receives a valuable piece of content.

However, the most important ingredient is the collaboration between the content agency and the marketing or content team on the client's side. So if you want high-quality content, be prepared to invest time and effort into each piece. But boy, is it worth it…

FAQ

Q: Do you provide dedicated writers?

A: No, we don't. One of the benefits of working with us is that writers get to choose the topics, clients, and types of content they want to write. So we can't promise that a particular writer will write all your pieces. But delivery managers are there to share company-specific information with the writers and make sure every piece we deliver matches the client's style and tone.

Q: Are all your writers freelancers?

A: Yes, all the writers we work with are freelancers who don't strictly work during office hours. But as an agency, we cover all the risks associated with working with freelancers so our clients don't feel them.

Q: Are your writers Ukrainians?

A: All but one. We are proud to be a Ukrainian agency, and our goal is to offer Ukrainian writers a well-paid job with a flexible schedule. We do not work with writers or clients affiliated with Russia or Belarus.

Q: Who are delivery managers, and why do I need their services when I have a manager on my side?

A: Delivery managers are the bridge between the client and our writing team, ensuring writers deliver precisely what the client expects. They handle everything from communications and approvals to interviews and invoicing.

All of our delivery managers used to be content writers. They've reached the Senior+ level, which means they know what great content looks like and how to communicate this to other writers. So they do more than just manage the writing process; they participate in it, serving as quality assurance specialists.

Q: Are your editors native speakers?

A: Most of our editors are native English speakers from the United States and the United Kingdom. However, two of our editors are Ukrainians with an MA in English philology and massive experience in marketing and technology.

Q: Do you write in languages other than English?

A: No, we only write in English.

Q: What types of content do you mainly write?

A: Articles about outsourcing software development that tech companies publish on their blogs. However, we also provide landing page writing, case study writing, ghostwriting, and other services. Click here to learn more.

Q: Do you do copywriting?

A: No, we only write content. To be clear: We do not write slogans, email sequences, and other small, catchy texts that sell the company's products or services. What we write is long-form content that informs or educates the audience and mentions the client's products or services.

Q: Do you write articles for software developers?

A: Not particularly. Generally, the articles we write are aimed at C-level decision-makers who are considering outsourcing software development (CEO, CFO, CTO, etc.), not software developers.

However, if the client wants to write a text aimed at software developers, we can collaborate on this task with a subject matter expert on the client's side.

Q: Why the name "Raccoon Writing?"

Because raccoons are cute, and so is the alliteration of this word combination.