Sometimes, the life of a freelance copywriter is lived in isolation.  But the best work comes from collaboration.  And when you’re writing case studies, you need to get the best from others; namely, the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who have all the content you need—in their heads.

Working on these docs was a great way to sharpen my interviewing skills. I needed to learn the problem, how it was solved, and the results. I had to ask the right questions and follow-ups, or I’d have nothing. 

Fortunately, the SMEs I interviewed were only too willing to share their tremendous wealth of knowledge with me.  And it was nice to hear how, for example, deploying a Cisco network translated into real-life benefits, not just business advantages and ROI numbers.  In the case of The Midnight Mission, located in downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row, it actually helped the workers serve more meals to the homeless.