Scott Leese has spent his career helping companies — especially early-stage startups — go from zero to $100M with strategies rooted in focus, process, and alignment. In this CV MIC conversation, he shared how sales and marketing leaders can work together toward one unified revenue motion.

Narrow Your ICP; Then Narrow It Again

One of Scott’s first moves when consulting with an early-stage company is to zoom in on their ideal customer profile (ICP).

Most startups cast the net far too wide. They list multiple industries, target companies of vastly different sizes, and assume the same sales motion can work for a small local firm and a Fortune 500 enterprise. It rarely does.

In Scott’s view, the broader your ICP, the harder it is to build momentum. Larger accounts often require long, complex sales cycles that can stall early growth. Smaller, easier-to-reach accounts give you a chance to refine your pitch, test your messaging, and generate wins quickly. Those early deals become the foundation for moving upmarket later.

His advice: start where you can win fast and often, even if it’s not your dream client. The practice you get closing those “smaller” deals builds the muscle you’ll need for bigger, more complex opportunities.

Document Everything… Because You’ll Need It

In the early days, it’s common for processes to live in someone’s head or in a scattered collection of notes. But when nothing is documented, onboarding slows, mistakes repeat, and no one can clearly see what’s working.

Scott pushes teams to document everything:

• Which channels are bringing in quality conversations
• Messaging that resonates (and messaging that flops)
• Sales processes from outreach to close
• Pricing structures and discount policies
• Win/loss insights

The goal isn’t to create a rigid playbook that never changes — it’s to create a foundation that can evolve. Clear documentation allows new hires to ramp quickly, helps teams spot trends, and makes it easier to scale without losing consistency.

Hire for the Stage You’re In

Many early-stage founders assume a “big name” hire will be a silver bullet. Scott’s seen the opposite. Bringing in someone who’s only worked at a large, well-known brand — with abundant inbound leads and a recognized name to open doors — often backfires in a scrappy startup environment.

Early hires need a different skill set: resilience, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to build from scratch without a fully formed infrastructure. These are the people who can thrive without the safety net of a well-established brand and still find creative ways to generate pipeline.

Stage-appropriate hiring means looking for candidates who have already operated in the kind of environment you’re in now, not the one you hope to be in five years.

Align on One Goal (and Drop the Attribution Battles)

Scott’s philosophy on sales-marketing alignment is simple: one shared goal tied directly to revenue.

When each department is measured on separate metrics — marketing on MQLs or SQLs, sales on closed deals — the result is often finger-pointing over attribution. That internal friction wastes time and energy.

By giving both teams a shared revenue target, everyone’s incentives align. One quarter, marketing might generate most of the momentum; the next, sales might carry the load. What matters is the win, not who “scored.”

Speak the Same Language at the Right Time

Marketing and sales use different styles of communication. Marketing content is often designed to inspire or educate, while sales outreach is more direct and action-oriented. Problems arise when those styles are used in the wrong contexts, or when both teams aren’t aligned on which pain points actually drive conversions.

Scott encourages regular meetings between sales and marketing leaders to compare field feedback and adjust messaging. If sales is consistently closing deals based on one pain point, marketing needs to amplify it in campaigns. If marketing sees an emerging theme in the market, sales should know how to work it into conversations.

When both teams are speaking to the same priorities in the right style for the channel, the buyer experience feels seamless.

Use AI for Insight, Not Autopilot

AI tools can be invaluable for research, call analysis, and coaching. Scott points to AI coaching platforms as a way to solve two common complaints: sales reps don’t get enough coaching, and sales managers don’t have enough time to provide it.

But there’s a caution: over-reliance on AI leads to surface-level execution without true understanding. AI can give you a starting point, whether it’s summarizing a prospect’s LinkedIn activity or drafting an email outline, but you still need to apply human judgment, context, and creativity before hitting send.

Stand Out with Unscalable, Human Touches

In a world where automation is everywhere, genuine human gestures cut through the noise. Scott shared examples of creative outreach — like sending two business partners tickets to a Cubs-White Sox game so they’d have uninterrupted time to discuss a deal.

These moments are memorable because they’re tailored, thoughtful, and impossible to mass-produce. Within the boundaries of your industry’s compliance rules, a mix of personalized gifts, direct mail, and face-to-face meetings can turn cold leads into warm conversations faster than another generic email blast.

Build Your Network Like It’s Pipeline

Scott calls it the “go-to-network” motion: using personal connections to open doors faster, at lower cost, and with higher trust.

A strong personal network doesn’t just make prospecting easier — it also gives salespeople a competitive edge in the job market. Given two equally qualified candidates, the one with a larger, engaged network will almost always get the nod.

For reps hesitant to post content, Scott suggests starting with connection requests. Add 15-20 relevant contacts a day. Over time, conversations will spark, comments will follow, and creating original posts will feel like a natural next step.

The Bottom Line

Scott’s parting advice is straightforward:
Stay creative in your outreach, keep communication lines open between teams, and never stop learning. The sales and marketing landscape is evolving faster than ever, and the organizations that adapt together will win together.

Connect with Scott via Scott Leese Consulting or give him a follow on LinkedIn.

Want to connect your marketing and sales teams around one revenue motion? Connect with a ClearVoice content strategist about building messaging, content, and workflows that actually drive revenue.

Catch More CV MIC Conversations

If you found Scott’s insights valuable, don’t miss these other episodes:

• Annette Matzen – Senior SEO Manager, Zenni Optical
• Anthony Morrell – Senior Manager of Digital Marketing, MRC
• Jeff Malloy – Director of Enterprise Sales, PreSmart Solutions
• Melissa Zehner – Founder of Organic GTM

The post CV MIC: Scott Leese, Founder of Scott Leese Consulting appeared first on ClearVoice.

Here’s the truth: Content doesn’t go off-course at the draft stage. It goes off-course at the briefing stage, or more often, when there isn’t one.

That’s why we created the Content Brief Builder: a step-by-step guide that helps marketers and content teams build better briefs and create stronger content from the ground up. Whether you’re writing a one-off social post or coordinating a multi-asset campaign, this framework ensures every word connects to strategy.

Let’s walk through what’s inside and why it matters.

Step 1: Lay the Groundwork with a Solid Foundation

Before you dive into copywriting or asset production, take time to outline the core elements that every content brief should include. These aren’t just logistics; they’re the strategic anchors that make sure your content connects with the right audience, drives the right action, and supports the right goals.

Start by capturing the essentials: 

• What kind of content are you creating (blog, email, LinkedIn post)? 
• What’s the estimated length? 
• Where will it live, and when is it due? 

Then, layer in purpose-driven elements: 

• What is the piece about? 
• Who is it for? 
• Why now? 
• What do you want your audience to do after engaging with it?

Don’t forget to define your key takeaways, the non-negotiable insights or messages every draft should include. And if it’s long-form content, sketch out a rough outline to guide structure and flow.

Access the Content Brief Builder Now

Step 2: Customize Your Brief by Content Type

Once you’ve got the foundation, it’s time to refine. Different content types have different requirements, and your brief should reflect those nuances. Tailoring your brief ensures the final output is not only well-written but format-ready and optimized from the start.

Writing a blog or article?
Include SEO elements like keywords and internal links. 

Producing a video?
Add narrative tone, visual cues, and post-production needs. 

Launching a social post?
Define the platform, style, and character limits. 

From eBooks to emails, each format deserves its own layer of clarity, because what works for a blog won’t cut it for a carousel. The more granular your instructions, the fewer surprises (and revisions) later. This section is where briefs go from helpful to essential.

Step 3: Choose the Briefing Method That Works for You

Now that you’ve got the details in place, it’s time to actually build the brief. And you’ve got options.

If you prefer a manual approach, we’ve included editable templates in Google Docs and Word. These are structured, easy-to-use docs with prompts and fields that match everything you’ve outlined so far. They’re great for internal teams, freelancers, and anyone who loves structure.

Need to move faster or want to scale briefing across multiple content types? Use our AI-assisted briefing prompt. It’s designed for tools like ChatGPT and helps you generate a first draft of your brief based on a few key inputs. Then, just refine and format it before handing it off.

Whichever method you choose, remember: A brief is only as good as the thought behind it. Start strong, stay specific, and review before you ship it off.

Step 4: Review, Refine, and Set Your Team Up for Success

You’ve built the brief — now give it one final pass before it hits anyone’s inbox. This step is crucial to ensure nothing gets lost in translation between strategy and execution.

Ask yourself: 

• Is the purpose clear? 
• Does the tone match your brand? 
• Are all the context and instructions included? 
• Would you understand what’s needed if this landed in your inbox? 

This is also a great moment to double-check brand alignment, CTA direction, and content-type details.

Then, make sure the brief is accessible. Store it in a shared folder, CMS, or project management system. Confirm access with your writers or freelancers, and invite questions up front to prevent confusion down the line. A good brief sets expectations — a great one invites collaboration.

Finally, integrate the brief into your editorial process: Writers use it to guide their drafts, editors review against it, and stakeholders assess final content based on it. It’s your North Star from kickoff to publish.

The Bottom Line: Briefing Smarter Means Creating Better

Great content doesn’t just happen. It’s planned, aligned, and strategically built — starting with the brief.

When you take time to brief clearly and completely, you eliminate guesswork, reduce revisions, and create content that delivers on its promise. Whether you’re briefing a solo freelancer, your internal team, or even yourself, the Content Brief Builder helps you start with intention and stay on track.

Download the Builder Now

Let this be your new starting point. Because when you get the brief right? Everything else gets easier. Or, need help with brief creation? No worries, we’ve got you. Connect with a ClearVoice content specialist to learn more.

The post Don’t Skip the Brief: How to Build Stronger Content From the Start appeared first on ClearVoice.

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The post CV MIC: Jeff Malloy, Director of Enterprise Sales at PreSmart Solutions appeared first on ClearVoice.

It’s not because the idea of brand guidelines is broken. It’s because most brands start in the wrong place.

They skip the questions, the kind that actually help you understand your brand, and jump straight into templates, tone words, and design elements. The result? Guidelines that collect digital dust, and content that still doesn’t really sound like your brand (like, at all).

At ClearVoice, we believe that brand and editorial guidelines should be built to be used. That’s exactly why we built the Brand & Editorial Guidelines Builder — a practical tool to help you define your brand voice, tone, and preferences to make content easier to create (and easier to get right).

Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to refine your existing framework, our Builder gives you the clarity you need to scale content without losing your identity. With customizable templates, AI prompts, and practical advice, it’s designed to support marketers, content strategists, and teams of all sizes..

And it all starts by asking the right questions.

Why Most Guidelines Fall Flat

If you’ve ever tried rolling out brand guidelines and someone says, “Wait, we have those?” — yep, that’s the problem. You’re not alone.

Here’s why most guidelines miss the mark:

• They focus on adjectives, not actions.
  “Bold, honest, and professional” might sound good on paper, but what does that even mean in a subject line? In a tweet? In a thought leadership article? These words need to be tied to examples and context to have an impact.
• They skip internal discovery.
  Great content aligns brand voice with what your audience actually needs. That alignment can’t happen without internal input from marketing, sales, product, and leadership. Without this foundation, you’re building in a vacuum.
• They aren’t tied to real content workflows.
  If the guidelines don’t help freelancers, writers, or editors execute better content, they’re just noise. Guidelines need to live in your workflow, not just a folder.

Which brings us to where all great guidelines begin: with the right questions.

Step 1: The Power of the Right Questions

Before you define (or redefine) your brand voice, you need to hear it. Like, really hear it. Not just what you want it to sound like, but what it already sounds like (and what it shouldn’t). AKA: you have to understand it. 

Already have brand and editorial guidelines? Awesome, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t revisit or revamp them. We encourage you to consider these questions as a ‘start from scratch’ exercise. 

Step 1 of the ClearVoice Brand & Editorial Guidelines Builder focuses on exactly that — a thoughtfully designed questionnaire that helps teams uncover:

• Your brand’s personality and tone in different situations
• How your brand shouldn’t sound (an underrated detail)
• Audience pain points and what they expect from your voice
• Strategic goals your content supports
• Key differences in tone across formats and funnel stages

Here are just a few of the questions and prompts we include:

• “What emotions do you want your content to evoke?”
• “How should we sound when we’re speaking to a skeptical audience?”
• “What type of language or phrases should we avoid?”
• “What is one thing your brand would never say?”
• “How do our competitors sound, and how do we want to sound different?”
• “How do we want to sound at the top of the funnel vs. bottom?”
• “Are there any internal terms or phrases that should be explained or avoided externally?”

These are just a handful. The full Builder goes deeper, but even these alone can spark some surprising realizations.

Pro Tip: Don’t answer these questions alone. Pull in folks from sales, product, and customer success — they often know your audience better than anyone. And they’ll spot tone issues you’d never think of. Collaboration is essential here. 

Why this step matters:

Too often, marketers feel pressure to rush to execution: “We need content out next week.” But without investing time in foundational clarity, you’ll end up editing endlessly, rebriefing freelancers, and correcting tone inconsistencies that could have been solved upstream.

By investing in Step 1, you’re not just defining your brand voice — you’re empowering every team member to speak with it.

You can grab the full questionnaire in the free Builder here.

Step 2: Turning Input Into a Brand Voice System

Once you’ve gathered your answers, now what? You need to turn them into something useful; something that doesn’t just exist, but you actually use.

That’s where Step 2 of the Builder comes in. You have two options — and both lead to a usable, scalable brand voice system.

Option 2a: Manual Creation

For brands that want full control, the manual template offers a step-by-step process to formalize your guidelines. You’ll input the questionnaire responses directly into a customizable doc or slide deck, covering everything from voice principles to editorial tone, target personas, content formats, and SEO preferences.

This approach is ideal if:

• You want stakeholder involvement throughout
• You plan to revisit and update guidelines quarterly
• You need to align multiple content contributors across teams or geos

Option 2b: AI-Assisted Creation

If you want to move faster or use your responses as a springboard, the Builder includes a pre-written prompt designed for tools like ChatGPT or Claude. Just paste your questionnaire answers into the prompt, and let the AI generate a draft of your brand and editorial guidelines. Then, review and refine.

This approach is great for:

• Solopreneurs or lean marketing teams
• Teams short on time who need a v1 fast
• Those using AI across their content workflow and want their brand voice to guide generative output

Example AI prompt from the Builder:

Act as a content marketing expert. Using the responses from the brand and editorial questionnaire below, generate a cohesive set of brand and editorial guidelines — including our voice, tone, audience, and content preferences. The output should be clear, usable, and feel like us.

Questionnaire: [Insert completed questionnaire]
Brand Guideline Template: [insert brand guideline template]

No matter which route you take, the output is the same:
→ A practical, usable guide that helps your team create more aligned, consistent, and compelling content.

Which Path Is Right for You?

Still not sure whether to go manual or AI-assisted? The right approach depends on your team structure, goals, and how far along you are in the process. 

Here are a few common scenarios — and the recommended method for each:

• Solo marketer building from scratch → AI-assisted
• Mid-size team looking to get buy-in → Manual
• Brand with outdated guidelines needing refresh → Hybrid (AI draft + manual polish)
• Agency creating reusable frameworks → Manual (templated)
• Startup testing brand tone across channels → AI-assisted (then evolve)

Each path is designed to meet you where you are — and guide you toward brand clarity, faster.

And remember: these aren’t one-time efforts. Great brand guidelines evolve alongside your audience and strategy. Whether you’re just starting out or formalizing for the first time, these tools help you build something sustainable.

Don’t Just Define It. Use It.

Too many guidelines sit unused, not because they’re bad, but because they were built in isolation. They don’t reflect how teams actually create, or how brands actually speak.

That’s what the ClearVoice Builder is for.
To help you build something people want to use. It gives you:

• A structured questionnaire to uncover brand voice and tone
• Manual and AI-assisted options to build or enhance guidelines
• Real-world advice for embedding the final output into workflows

It’s not just a template. It’s a system.

And it’s just one example of how ClearVoice helps brands create content that connects. Whether you need to build foundational clarity, improve consistency across content types, or scale production with trusted freelance talent, we can help.

Download the Builder now, and if you’re ready to take your brand to the next level, let’s talk.

We’ll help you clarify your voice, sharpen your content, and bring your brand to life across every touchpoint. Connect with a Content Specialist and see how you can upgrade your content marketing strategies.

The post Start Strong: How Asking the Right Questions Leads to Stronger Brand Guidelines appeared first on ClearVoice.

Whether you’re a seasoned content lead or a founder navigating growth, Lashay’s journey offers a fresh perspective on strategy, AI, and the overlooked power of bottom-of-funnel content.

Rejection as a Catalyst

Before BOFU.ai was a consultancy, it was a lesson in resilience. Lashay’s pivot to bottom-of-funnel content came after being rejected from a role she deeply wanted, one focused entirely on BOFU strategy. The reason? She didn’t know how to write that kind of content well yet.

That rejection didn’t just sting — it sparked a fire. She reverse-engineered what she would have needed to succeed in that role and began building frameworks to help others (and herself) write stronger, more strategic content. Her first LinkedIn post about it got one like. The second? Hundreds of engagements, new subscribers, and the momentum she needed to move forward.

What Makes BOFU So Hard and So Valuable

Lashay carved out a niche by focusing on the funnel stage most teams ignore: bottom-of-funnel. In her view, BOFU is where content should be deeply collaborative, driven by cross-functional insights, and aligned with clear pain points and capabilities. But getting there isn’t easy.

Bottom-of-funnel content requires input from multiple teams — product, sales, marketing — and when those inputs are fragmented, the result is often misaligned messaging. AI tools on their own can’t solve this. Lashay found that many AI writing assistants struggled to generate strong BOFU content, not because the technology was flawed, but because the necessary inputs and context were often missing or inconsistent.

That realization is what pushed her to reimagine how AI could be used differently, not as the sole creator, but as a co-pilot working within a proven human framework.

Human-Led. AI-Supported. Strategy First.

After spending two years refining her own content frameworks, Lashay began teaching those processes to AI. This wasn’t an off-the-shelf solution. It required deep customization and a clear understanding of what good content looks like before AI could step in.

For her, AI only becomes valuable when layered on top of a strong, proven system. That philosophy now powers BOFU.ai: a human-led, productized consultancy that uses AI to streamline parts of the content creation process without sacrificing strategic depth or editorial quality.

It also allows her team to stay lean. By automating the first draft process and maintaining a human-in-the-loop system for editing and quality control, BOFU.ai publishes content faster without bloating headcount.

A Call for Specialization (and Smarter Resourcing)

Lashay’s experience spans multiple content channels — blogs, YouTube, social — and she’s quick to point out that each one needs its own approach. Repurposing is important, but copy-pasting a blog into a LinkedIn post or a YouTube script won’t cut it. Each format has its own rhythm, its own expectations, and its own audience behavior.

She also pushes back on the expectation that one content marketer should do it all. Channel expertise matters, and so does structuring your team (or partner network) around that reality. She’s seen far better outcomes when in-house marketing leaders build their own bench of consultants, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all agencies.

In fact, her entire consultancy model emerged from what she viewed as agency shortcomings — from handoffs to junior talent, to misalignment across services. BOFU.ai operates with a different philosophy: offer deep expertise in one area, stay focused, and connect with trusted peers when clients need more.

Building with Intention

The frameworks and philosophies behind BOFU.ai weren’t built overnight. They were refined over the years, through failed launches, quiet pivots, and honest reflection. Originally conceived as a software solution, BOFU.ai evolved into a consultancy only after Lashay realized that the best way to scale wasn’t by chasing tech hype, but by leaning into what already worked.

Her previous consultancy, Authority Plug, taught her how to productize a service. BOFU.ai takes that a step further by embedding AI into the productized delivery, not as a replacement for human thinking, but as an accelerator for it.

Beyond the Business

While content strategy is clearly a passion, it’s not Lashay’s whole story. She’s a mother of four, a gamer, and someone who’s intentionally stepped away from hustle culture to savor the present. After spending her 20s isolated and deeply focused on her business, she now prioritizes presence with her family, at work, and in her daily life.

That grounding perspective shapes her approach to business today. She doesn’t want a large team or flashy scale. She wants sustainable growth rooted in quality, clarity, and alignment, both personally and professionally.

Closing Advice: Build from the Gaps

If there’s one thing Lashay hopes marketers take away from her journey, it’s this: the places where you feel stuck might hold the key to your next breakthrough.

Rejection, confusion, and self-doubt can all become building blocks if you give yourself space to learn from them. And when you find a gap in your skills or strategy, don’t hide from it. Create a system that fills it.

As Lashay puts it, “The path can be fluid, but the destination doesn’t have to change.”

For more marketer-to-marketer conversations, explore past episodes of CV MIC, where we keep the mic open and the insights flowing. And if you’re ready to explore how ClearVoice can support your content production efforts, connect with a content specialist today.

Catch more CV MIC episodes:

• • Stephanie Yoder, Director of Content, Rebrandly
  • Vincent Nezzer, VP of Strategic Delivery, Avenue Z
  • Lisa Vanterpool, Director of Brand Content & Content Design, Fiverr

The post CV MIC: Lashay Lewis, Founder of BOFU.ai appeared first on ClearVoice.

The post CV MIC: Lisa Vanterpool, Director of Brand Content & Content Design at Fiverr appeared first on ClearVoice.

Why a Professional Book Cover Matters

Despite the adage “don’t judge a book by its cover,” readers often do just that. A well-designed cover conveys the genre, tone, and quality of your book, enticing potential readers to pick it up or click through online. Professional designers understand market trends, genre expectations, and visual storytelling, ensuring your book stands out in a crowded marketplace.

Where to Find Book Cover Designers

Finding the right book cover designer is easier today than ever, thanks to a range of freelance platforms and professional networks. Here’s a list of the most popular and reliable places to look — starting with our top recommendation.

1. Fiverr – Best for Affordability, Variety, and Simplicity

When it comes to hiring freelance book cover designers, Fiverr is our go-to recommendation, and here’s why:

Huge Variety of Talented Designers

On Fiverr, you’ll find thousands of book cover designers with diverse artistic styles — from minimalist to fantasy, thriller to romance. Whether you want a bold typographic cover or a hand-drawn illustration, there are specialists for every genre.

Transparent Pricing for Every Budget

One of Fiverr’s biggest advantages is its clear and upfront pricing. You can find professional-looking covers starting as low as $20-$50, all the way up to $500+ for premium packages. This makes Fiverr perfect for both new indie authors and seasoned publishers.

Verified Reviews and Portfolios

Every freelancer has a public portfolio and verified reviews from past clients, so you can easily gauge their style and reliability. Many sellers also offer tiered packages — eBook only, full paperback wrap, 3D mockups, etc. — making it easy to customize your order.

Streamlined Communication & Secure Payments

The entire process — from discussing your ideas to receiving your final files — is managed through Fiverr’s platform, keeping everything organized and secure. Revisions, file delivery, and payment are all streamlined in one place.

Ongoing Support for Indie Authors

Fiverr is widely used by the self-publishing community, and many of its top-rated designers understand the nuances of indie publishing, Amazon KDP specs, and genre-specific design trends.

Explore Book Cover Designers on Fiverr

2. Reedsy – Best for Vetted Professionals

Reedsy is a curated marketplace specializing in publishing professionals. While their pricing tends to be higher, the quality is exceptional. Reedsy is best for authors who want a hands-on collaboration with award-winning designers.

3. 99designs – Best for Design Contests

If you prefer to crowdsource ideas, 99designs lets you host a contest where multiple designers submit concepts based on your brief. This approach can be fun, but is usually more expensive.

4. Upwork – Best for Posting Custom Jobs

On Upwork, you can post a job description and let freelancers apply. It works well if you want to screen applicants and negotiate directly, though it requires more project management on your part.

5. Social Media & Author Communities

Many talented book cover designers share their work on Instagram, Behance, and writing-focused Facebook groups. This route can yield great results, but it’s less structured and requires more legwork to vet and manage the project.

What to Look for in a Book Cover Designer

1. Genre Experience

Ensure the designer has experience creating covers in your book’s genre. Different genres have distinct visual cues and reader expectations. A designer familiar with your genre will know how to appeal to your target audience.

2. Strong Portfolio

Review the designer’s portfolio to assess their style, creativity, and versatility. Look for covers that are visually appealing, professional, and appropriate for their respective genres.

3. Client Testimonials

Read reviews or testimonials from previous clients to gauge the designer’s reliability, communication skills, and ability to meet deadlines.

4. Clear Communication

Effective communication is crucial. The designer should be responsive, open to feedback, and willing to collaborate to bring your vision to life.

5. Transparent Pricing

Understand what’s included in the pricing. Some designers offer packages that include eBook and print covers, spine and back cover design, and promotional materials. Clarify the number of revisions allowed and any additional costs upfront.

Preparing to Work with a Designer

1. Develop a Clear Brief

Provide the designer with a detailed brief that includes:

• Book title and subtitle
• Author name
• Genre and target audience
• Synopsis or key themes
• Preferred color schemes or imagery
• Examples of covers you like

2. Set Realistic Timelines

Discuss the project timeline with your designer, considering time for initial concepts, revisions, and final delivery. Ensure the schedule aligns with your publishing plans.

3. Understand File Requirements

Determine the file formats you’ll need for various platforms (e.g., Amazon Kindle, print-on-demand services). Ensure the designer can provide high-resolution files suitable for each format.

FAQs

Q: How much does it cost to hire a book cover designer? A: Costs vary widely based on the designer’s experience, complexity of the design, and what’s included in the package. Prices can range from $50 to $500 or more.

Q: How long does the design process take? A: The timeline depends on the designer’s schedule and the project’s complexity. Typically, the process takes 1-3 weeks, including revisions.

Q: Can I use the same cover for both eBook and print versions? A: While the front cover design can be the same, print versions require additional elements like the spine and back cover. Ensure your designer provides a full wraparound cover for print editions.

Q: What if I don’t like the initial design? A: Most designers include a set number of revisions in their packages. Discuss revision policies upfront to understand the process and any additional costs.

Conclusion

Hiring a professional book cover designer is a worthwhile investment in your book’s success. By carefully selecting a designer whose style aligns with your vision and collaborating effectively, you can create a cover that captures readers’ attention and conveys the essence of your story.

The post How to Find and Hire a Professional Book Cover Designer (2025 Guide) appeared first on ClearVoice.

We were limited by our ability to bring out new full-time employees, so we were forced to innovate with a more flexible solution, and the results were nothing short of transformative. Our approach not only revitalized our marketing efforts (while saving nearly 38 percent of marketing operating expenses) but also paved the way for ClearVoice Flex, our new offering designed to offer the same agile solutions to you and your team.

Below, we break down how we did it — including our decision-making process— to help you rebuild your marketing apparatus so that it is as effective as possible.

Want to skip the backstory? Jump straight to our flexible content plans.

Building Our Marketing Team: Requirements vs. Resources

You know how it goes — the classic “requirements vs. resources” conundrum. In mid-2023, Catalant Consulting Services reported that the hiring challenges of previous years merged with resource constraints, and boy, did we feel that on our end, too!

Along with the 2022 force reduction, team churn, and budget cut, 2023 presented additional challenges. One of our key players was on maternity leave, we lost even more of our marketing operating expenses, and we had to make the tough call to part ways with another person in our crew. Suddenly, we were left very short-staffed with a ton of work to do. Sound familiar?

We needed skilled marketing and content resources yesterday. Finding and onboarding new people could take ages — and that’s if we nailed the hiring process on the first try. Budget constraints were the cherry on top.

The good news is we’re ClearVoice — an outsourced content production solution for mid-market and enterprise teams. We know how to build freelance content production teams. We’re a subsidiary of Fiverr, so we know the future of work looks different from the past. Reflecting broader industry trends, half of B2B marketing teams outsource at least one content marketing activity. After weighing our options, with the support of our General Manager, we decided to jump into fractional feet first.

Choosing fractional talent over full-time

Most businesses look at fractional resourcing from the perspective of the C-Suite. They engage a fractional COO or fractional CMO to lead their more junior (and more cost-affordable) team. We have a different view — full-time departmental leadership that remains entrenched in the brand and strategy while building a team of fractional contributors.

The increasing demand for skilled labor and flexible roles is changing how we all work:

• About 4 percent of all U.S. workers are now in temporary roles
• The temp sector is growing steadily — by 1.8 percent each year — now boasting 3.2 million workers
• A significant slice of these temps, 21 percent to be exact, are stepping into professional and managerial roles

Benefits of fractional talent

Here’s the scoop on why we’re all in on using fractional talent:

• Time Savings: Waiting for what feels like and sometimes is forever to fill positions just doesn’t cut it. With fractional talent, we skip the slow dance of traditional hiring. We get access to pros ready to jump in and get going right away. 
• Cost-Efficiency: Hiring fractional talent has slashed our hiring and operational costs by 40 percent. These folks are independent contractors and freelancers, so we skip the hassle of taxes and benefits. We pay only for the hours we need, which means no scrambling to find extra work to fill a full workweek. This approach saves money and directly addresses the 39 percent of B2B marketers who struggle with accessing subject matter experts due to budget constraints.
• Flexibility: One of our fractional hires brought dual expertise in high-level content strategy and WordPress, filling two critical gaps simultaneously. This flexibility lets us adapt on the fly without stretching our budget thin or dropping the ball on productivity. 

The ClearVoice Choice: Fractional Talent for Our Marketing Team

Deciding if a fractional talent strategy is right for your company requires a thorough look at your current team and the tasks at hand. Here’s what we considered when making the choice:

What skills do we have vs. what we need? 

In our ClearVoice team, we had a Director of Marketing (hey, that’s me!), a Social Media Manager, and two Marketing Designers. We were missing content marketing management, multimedia/video production, brand copywriting, campaign management, search engine optimization, sales enablement, and marketing web development (… to name a few). While some of the above functions were split across the existing team, it meant:

• we had people doing tasks that were outside of their zone of expertise;
• we were spending resources having senior people do junior-level tasks;
• we weren’t doing anything as well as we could have.

Once we recognized the areas of focus, we started training and developing our team where we could and then finding people to fill in the gaps while being mindful not to repeat the same mistakes (e.g., hiring a senior content strategist who spends a lot of time doing coordinator work).

Do we have a growth path for an in-house role?

Typically, when you hire someone full-time, there’s a career trajectory in place — think a salesperson rising to sales manager. But what if there’s no clear upward path for roles like copywriters or content strategists? We faced a similar issue here in our ClearVoice marketing team. We’re small, so upward growth is, admittedly, limited. So, for us, going fractional was a strategic choice so we could engage the right talent at the right level.

What are our leaders — marketing and organizationally — caught up in day-to-day?

In most organizations, mid-level executives often serve both as individual contributors and managers. At ClearVoice, our directors and VPs are deeply involved in daily tasks. However, in our case, the marketing lead (again, me) spent too much time in the weeds of content review and publishing, brand copywriting, sales enablement, and email marketing — even when taking advantage of ClearVoice’s content production solutions — than focusing on bigger-picture planning and strategy.

This situation highlights a common scenario in large organizations where, interestingly, 75 percent of B2B organizations outsource three-quarters of their content marketing activities to focus more on strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day operations.

How do we grow amid our (very real) budget constraints?

With our limited budget — seriously, we were maxed out in the paid campaigns we could do — our main focus was doubling down on our earned and outbound channels. But as most marketers know, those programs take people to execute. We needed expertise in content strategy, SEO, and multimedia production, and we needed people who could execute day-to-day content refreshing, publishing, distribution, etc.

Instead of hiring one person to cover all of these areas, we engaged four different people on a fractional basis — content strategy and production, brand copywriting, multimedia production, and web development —  to focus on their areas of expertise. And there were some real pros to this approach:

• We could pay each of them their asking rate as we were aligning the exact work to their current skill level and time available
• We didn’t overspend by having a senior resource do coordinator-level work
• Our team felt ‘full’ but not bloated. We benefited from having more minds working together toward the goal without wasted spending
• We were more effective at executing because each fractional resource was singularly focused on their programs and not distracted by other in-house noise
• We knew we had the flexibility to shift resources quickly should one of the fractional workers not meet our quality standards (don’t worry, they’re all crushing it, and they even helped with this article!)

This is how we saw a 30 percent increase year-over-year in Sales Qualified Leads (SQL) — our marketing North star metric — while saving nearly 40 percent in our marketing operating expenses.

Other achievements include:

• A revamp of our on-page SEO approach throughout the site, complete with new landing page copy, imagery, and tagging
• Bringing our paid cost per SQL down by over 50 percent throughout the year
• Increasing our funnel conversation rates across the funnel with better content and conversion pathways
• An overhaul of our extensive resource center and blog, including auditing and refreshing over 1,500 blogs
• Redesigning the onboarding process (in partnership with our awesome post-sale team) to create a better brand experience for our customers
• Producing dozens of sales enablement and general marketing videos to help increase inbound leads and buyer conversions
• Launching new brand advocacy campaigns for our employees, freelancers, partners and more

And, my favorite is that we helped innovate a new program for ClearVoice — ClearVoice Flex.

Rolling It Out: ClearVoice Flex

ClearVoice Flex is our answer to the common dilemma of marketing resource constraints. Via Flex, we provide access to seasoned marketing and content professionals who aren’t just temporary fixes but strategic additions to your team. 

These experts bring a wealth of experience and are capable of supervising teams, crafting compelling copy, and overseeing the writing and editing process.

ClearVoice Flex vs. ClearVoice Subscription & On Demand

The difference boils down to how you connect with and manage talent. Our classic ClearVoice Subscription solution is great for straightforward, project-based needs — think a set amount of articles each month. It’s all about quick and easy access to freelance talent for ongoing content production managed by a trusted partner. ClearVoice On-Demand is an extension of that solution but for companies with less predictability in their content needs.

Flex, on the other hand, is like your content marketing Swiss Army knife. It’s perfect for businesses that require continuous content creation and production with consistent quality but also need to enhance their marketing apparatus with people to help fill functions. Flex lets you embed seasoned pros into your team but aligned with your actual time requirements (and not 40+ hours per week). These aren’t just freelancers; they’re like part-time team members who are constant and consistent, fully aligned with your brand and goals, and keep pace with your ongoing business needs.

ClearVoice Flex in Action

Let’s talk about one of our Flex customers — a company behind a popular daily stock news reporting app. Staying relevant means updating with fresh, accurate content every single day. That’s a daunting task for any team, but with ClearVoice Flex, it’s business as usual.

Our solution for them includes a team of freelancer creators who pitch and produce high-quality articles daily but are also managed by a top-tier, fractional content manager, strategist, and editor. This fractional content pro not only guides the writing team but also contributes articles, ensuring all content is up to the mark and publishes the content on the application as it is complete.

These specialists are part of the ClearVoice Talent Network and are available to work on Flex projects. They dedicate time each week to the customer instead of responding to one-off projects. They’re compensated in a retainer model rather than per assignment, which aligns perfectly with the client’s needs for steady, reliable content output.

ClearVoice Flex: Your Strategic Advantage

At ClearVoice, we’ve been in your shoes — needing to amp up our marketing game amidst a real crunch for top talent and that never-ending push to keep innovating.  It’s a common challenge, one that many companies face, and it definitely demands a smart, flexible strategy.

Transitioning to a fractional talent model wasn’t just about quick hires for us; it revolutionized how we manage our workforce. With ClearVoice Flex, we didn’t just fill the gaps — we boosted our operational agility and tapped into a goldmine of stellar expertise that was ready to roll at a moment’s notice.

Facing similar hurdles with scaling, budgeting, or needing to be more nimble? A fractional approach with Flex might just be the game changer you need. We’re here to demonstrate how fractional isn’t just an option — it’s a strategic powerhouse.

Ready to tailor your fractional talent strategy that nails your content marketing goals and objectives? Connect with a ClearVoice content specialist to start the conversation.

The post The Future is Flex: How ClearVoice Shifted its Marketing Team from In-House to Fractional Talent appeared first on ClearVoice.

Believe it or not, the average person spends around 7 hours per day consuming content.

We know what you’re thinking; that’s a lot of screen time.

But here’s the kicker: ever since the pandemic turned the world upside down, content consumption has more than doubled. And it takes a whole village to satisfy that content craving, not just a lone writer at the keyboard.

The traditional silhouette of content creation has dissolved into the ether, creating a collaborative approach to content production. It’s no longer a one-person show.

In this article, we’ll pull back the curtain and shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes of content production, dive deeper into their roles in content collaboration, and distill the various types of writers your content production company may need.

Unveiling the Unsung Experts of Content Collaboration Success

Crafting content that hits the mark and grabs attention is a bit like putting on a big show; it takes a whole crew of behind-the-scenes stars to make it happen.

We’re talking about those who don’t always get the byline or spotlight. They bring unique expertise and perspectives essential in making content that deeply resonates with audiences and nailing those business goals.

Here are the key players in your content success:

Each of these players plays a unique role in the success and synergy of your content production. Let’s take them one-by-one and break them down further.

Researchers: The Foundation of Authentic Content

Do you know what really makes content stick? Solid research.

Researchers are like the detectives of the content world. They play a pivotal role in content collaboration and production by validating information and ensuring content is engaging, accurate, and relevant.

Think about how often a jarring statistic or compelling case study drew you into a narrative. Well, that’s their craft.

Often, the role of a researcher can overlap with SEO specialists, data analysts, and even writer skillsets. Have a unicorn on your team? That’s awesome, but don’t assume they’ve got the chops right out of the gate.

Content Strategists: Architects of Your Content Plan

Think of content strategists as the lead architects of your content collaboration and creation. They have the blueprint for your content strategy and ensure that everything published meets your goals and your audience’s needs.

Content strategists are like the Swiss Army knife in your content toolkit, dabbling in everything from brainstorming ideas to fine-tuning the final edits. Their magic lies in knowing how to weave your brand’s story across the web so it sticks. And many of them have been in the writing trenches themselves, so they get what creators go through.

On any given day, they might be:

• Helping to create and manage social media campaigns
• Keeping an eye on what’s trending and tweaking strategies based on real data
• Ensuring the content train is chugging along smoothly
• Implementing SEO best practices
• Building bridges with strategic partners for potential content distribution

Understanding your business’s goals and identifying your target audience’s needs can help you develop and deliver content that resonates with customers, drives engagement, and leads to your organization’s desired outcomes (e.g., brand awareness, lead generation, etc.).

It’s all about playing the long game with a solid plan, diving into the data, and keeping tabs on how things are panning out — something your ace writer or eagle-eyed researcher might not have in their bag of tricks.

Writers: More Than Word Conjurers

Content writing is a world of its own, with all sorts of specialists throwing in their magic to spice things up. These roles range from SEO writers, who optimize content for search engines, to technical writers, who distill complex information into digestible content, and even creative writers, who craft in-depth, compelling narratives.

When mixing these talents together, you get content that’s not just good — it’s great.  Let’s dive deeper into some of the most common types of content writers:

• Brand journalists: They are natural-born storytellers who excel as brand ambassadors. They are ideal for producing content like customer stories, press releases, internal communications, boilerplates, and company bios.
• Blog writer: These writers know how to transform complex topics into warm conversations while tending to have SEO expertise. You can count on blog writers to help produce articles, blog posts, interviews, and additional research.
• Copywriter: They are incredibly agile and can remain creative between an impressive range of topics and projects while simultaneously speaking your brand’s and customers’ language. Copywriters craft content like website copy, sales collateral, infographics, and product descriptions.
• Ghostwriter: These writers can slip into any voice, making your team’s thoughts shine without ever taking the spotlight. Ideal for heavyweight pieces like white papers, thought leadership posts, and eBooks.
• Technical writer: These people make the complex seem simple. Whether it’s a how-to guide or a user manual, they translate tech speak into plain English, making life easier for everyone.
• Long-form content writer: These writers have a level of stamina that is unmatched. Due to their passion for data and research, they tend to be subject matter experts (SMEs) by default. Long-form writers tackle 2,000+ word content such as eBooks, data studies, and pillar pieces.
• Scriptwriter: The storytellers behind the scenes of your videos, chatbots, and podcasts. They know how to keep your brand’s story engaging, whether for a quick ad or a full-blown podcast episode.
• Email and social media writer(s): These are your digital conversationalists. Social media writers keep your brand buzzing online, while email writers are about getting your readers to click, read, and act. Whether it’s a catchy tweet or a compelling email, they know how to grab attention and make an impact.

Discover the diverse voices of these various roles of content writers via SlideShare. 

Data Analysts: Translating Numbers into Narratives

Data analysts interpret data and analytics, transforming numbers into compelling narratives that inform and persuade audiences, making them indispensable in content collaboration, creation, and operations.

Their insights enable content to be grounded in reality, making it more relatable and effective. It’s data storytelling.

Data storytelling uses the same narrative elements as any story arch you’ve heard before – setting, characters, situation, conflict, resolution, etc.

Let’s say you’re digging through the data and notice something cool: your sales bump is all thanks to the 18-25 crowd, both guys and gals. And it turns out a buzz-worthy post about your business’s positive environmental impact is what kicked it all off. Here’s how you’d draft that story:

• Setting: Kick things off by showing off that sales spike, zeroing in on the age range leading the charge. A detailed chart or graph showcasing the increase in sales and time period could really bring that point home.
• Characters: Your key players are the eco-conscious 18-25-year-olds and your internal team members. (Don’t forget about them, after all!)
• Situation: Describe the core situation. In this case, it’s all about the viral post that got everyone talking about your eco-friendly moves. Maybe toss in some extra tidbits on why going green gets customers engaging.
• Resolution: Based on the data you’ve found, you need to present a long-term goal to maintain this buzz and conversation while being prepared for any conflicting views or statements. Maybe it’s tweaking your marketing to keep shining that eco-friendly light, ready to tackle any bumps along the way.

That’s data storytelling for you — taking the cold, hard facts and weaving them into a narrative that’s not just informative but downright engaging.

Graphic Designers: Visualizing Your Ideas

Graphic designers bring content to life through visuals, significantly enhancing engagement and retention. Their work demonstrates how design elements like color, layout, and imagery can transform content, making it more accessible and appealing to the audience.

Let’s be real; a picture’s worth a thousand words, right? Slap some cool designs on your articles, and suddenly, they’re much more fun to dive into. We’re talking infographics that break down the complex stuff, charts that make stats a breeze to understand, and icons that add some extra flair.

And get this: only about 25 percent of users actually read the full article, making visuals more critical than ever to tell your stories. Roughly 60.8 percent of marketers state that graphic design is essential to their marketing plan. So, yeah, it’s kind of a big deal.

At ClearVoice, we’ve got a team of awesome graphic designers who make our blogs super easy to dive into. They sprinkle in engaging graphics right where you need them, turning tricky topics into neat, easy-to-digest imagery and infographics. So, you don’t just skim through (or not read at all); you really get what we’re talking about.

Content Designers: Crafting User Experience

Not to be confused with graphic designers, content designers focus on the structure and presentation of content, prioritizing layout, typography, and overall user experience. Their expertise ensures content is not only aesthetically pleasing but also user-friendly, enhancing the audience’s engagement and comprehension.

During your content collaboration process, content designers often work closely with UX teams to ensure the structure and flow of content align with user expectations and behaviors. They conduct user research and apply UX principles to create content layouts that provide an intuitive navigation path through all means of content consumption (i.e., websites, apps, and digital platforms).

They’ve got a few tricks up their sleeves, like:

• Popping CTA (call-to-action) buttons right where you need them
• Organizing info so there’s a natural flow to guide the user’s journey
• Breaking down the big, scary walls of text into bite-sized pieces that don’t make your brain hurt. (Yep, just like we’re doing right here.)

Imagine a content designer gets tasked with making a super-dense website feel less like a textbook. They might chop up long paragraphs into snackable bits, add some drop-downs for the extra curious, and throw in some engaging charts or visuals to jazz things up. The result? A site that doesn’t just look good but feels good to use, making finding and understanding stuff a breeze.

Content Distributors: Amplifying Your Message Across Channels

Ever wonder how content gets all over the place, from the top of your search results to your social media feed? Meet the content distributors: publishers, SEO specialists, social media managers, and community managers. Their strategies in content distribution play a critical role in ensuring that content reaches its intended audience and achieves its desired impact.

Content distribution strategies involve a mix of channels and platforms to maximize visibility and engagement. They’ve got a whole toolkit for getting content out there.

• SEO specialists. These specialists are hyperfocused on optimizing content for search engines, ensuring articles, blog posts, and web pages rank high in search results for relevant keywords and phrases.
• Social media managers. They’re the ones cutting and dicing content to fit just right on your feeds. Easily turn a long-form article into an infographic or carousel for Instagram or a quick video breakdown for YouTube. These managers are all about making content that not only fits the platform but also gets people talking and sharing.
• Community managers. These folks are like the party hosts of the online world, stirring up conversations and building a crew of fans who can’t wait to spread the word about the latest post or video.
• Email managers. They know how to jazz up your email campaigns to keep users clicking and engaged. They excel in sending the right message to the right person at the right time, all with a personal touch.
• Content specialists. These specialists are your all-rounders. Whatever is needed, they’ve got you covered. They’re always on their toes, mixing and matching content to fit exactly where it needs to, ensuring it lands right in front of the eyes that matter most.

The Synergy of Skills

When all these different content creators come together and collaborate, it’s essentially a melting pot of ideas and skill sets. It’s not about everyone operating in silos but rather mixing it up to develop a diverse and successful content strategy.

Imagine a data analyst providing some cool insights your way about what the audience is engaging with. Suddenly, your writers and designers have what they need to refine their work in real-time, ensuring your content best aligns with audience preferences and current trends.

Similarly, community managers who are in direct contact with the audience each day provide real-world insights for your team. They’re your scouts on the ground, helping to inform content strategists and creators about the audience’s evolving needs and interests. This enables your team to adapt their content strategy proactively, staying one step ahead in your content development process.

This approach doesn’t just elevate the quality of content. It ensures content remains relevant and resonant with its intended audience, ensuring every piece lands just right and really makes an impact.

The Bottom Line

So, here’s the deal: just having a bunch of different content roles in the mix still isn’t enough. Without real content collaboration in your production process, you’re basically just jogging on the spot.

The secret sauce?

Getting everyone to throw their killer ideas into the ring and really play to their strengths.

So here’s how to put it into action:

• Kick those communication doors wide open
• Diversify your teams; think writer, designer, distributor, analyst, etc.
• Get everyone onboard with the same overall goals

This is where the magic happens — when everyone’s unique skills and views get a chance to shine, the content we create isn’t just good; it’s the kind of stuff that turns heads.

And here’s the bottom line: understanding and valuing every role in the content collaboration and creation process is non-negotiable if you want to craft content that truly stands out. When you’ve got a crew that brings all sorts of skills and expertise to the table, you end up with content that’s not just diverse but downright compelling.

Thinking you could use a hand with all this? That’s where ClearVoice steps in. Whether your brand is big, small, or somewhere in the middle, our managed content services are tailored to fit, covering a whopping two hundred-plus business categories. Want to see how we can team up? Let’s chat about our solutions and get your content game on point.

The post Content Takes a Crowd: The Strategic Ensemble Behind Effective Content appeared first on ClearVoice.