✅ 7 Questions I Ask Before a Draft is Done

Hi my friend!

So last week I walked you through my entire process for writing an article, from the brief all the way to the final edit.

(Read it here if you missed it →)

This week, I’m gonna share something you can actually put to use. Which is a little checklist to help you get your own articles ready to publish.

These are the exact questions I ask myself before I hand a first draft over to my client. If a draft can't clear all of them, it's not ready to leave my hands.

So, whether you’re writing an article for your own business, or for your client, let me walk you through the checklist that can up your game:

If my article just says what the top five results already say, then I haven't done my job yet. I keep working until I've got something that makes mine more valuable than what's already out there.

Sometimes, it can be a better explanation. Sometimes it’s adding a real example. And other times, I may cover an angle nobody did before.

If you remember last week's issue, this is actually something I sort out way back in the initial research stage, before I write my outline. So by the time I start writing, I already know exactly what I need to add to make this article better than what's ranking.

So really, this check is just me confirming I pulled it off. If I can't point to what makes mine better, I keep going.

I structure everything like an inverted pyramid. The most important information goes first, and the supporting details and examples come after.

Why?

Because people read in completely different ways. Some want the quick answer and then they're gone. Others want to go deep.

So if I lead with the key point, the skimmer gets what they came for and can skip ahead whenever they want. And the person who wants more keeps reading, into the examples and the nuance and the why.

The thing is, most people don't read top to bottom. They scan.

So my headings have to carry the whole story on their own. Someone should be able to read just the headings, start to finish, and still walk away with the gist of the entire article.

If a heading only makes sense after you've read the paragraph under it, it's not doing its job.

For example, go through this newsletter and only read the headings. I bet you can still understand my checklist even if you don’t read it top to bottom.

"This strategy really works" means nothing on its own.

Show the screenshots, the numbers, the before-and-afters, the real examples.

If I can back up my claims with something visual, I do it. Even if I have to create a graphic to help people see the point better.

I always use:

I write like I'm explaining something to a smart friend over coffee, not defending an academic thesis. If a part feels heavy, that's usually a sign I haven't understood it well enough myself.

The worst ending in the world is "In conclusion, we discussed X, Y, and Z."

Nobody needs a summary of the thing they just finished reading. Give them the one thing to go and do next instead.

That might be a link to another piece on your site that takes them a step further. Or a specific action tied to what they just read, like a tool to try or a template to grab. Sometimes it's literally the checklist they need to get started. Or just clear, simple instructions for actually doing the thing you spent the whole article explaining.

Whatever it is, point them somewhere. Don't just stop.

For example, here’s a conclusion I wrote for an article called 15 Marketing Ideas for Your Small Businesses:

This is the last thing I do, and honestly it's the most important.

I read the whole article start to finish, out loud, like I'm the reader who just landed on it from Google. And reading it out loud surfaces so much you'd never catch otherwise. Such as:

Because in the moment of writing, you might think it's great. (And hey, maybe it is. I'm not going to argue you didn't write something good.) But when you read it back, slowly and out loud, you catch all the little gaps your brain skipped right over the first time.

And there's one more thing this catches: whether it actually sounds like me. A draft can tick every box above and still read like a robot made it. Clean, structured, technically fine... but completely lifeless. If it sounds like "content" instead of something I'd actually say, I rewrite it in a way I’d say it.

So that's the bar. Seven questions, and a draft has to clear every one of them before I hand it over.

It's not about being perfect. It's about hitting the standard. Because if I'm asking someone for ten minutes of their attention, the least I can do is make sure it was worth it.

Anyway. What's on your checklist before you publish? Hit reply, I'd love to know 💙

If you’re interested in starting a newsletter like this, try out beehiiv (that’s what I use).

See you next week,
Kate 🌟