Answering Your Questions

Most questions about working with Richard get answered here, from choosing the right package to understanding what happens after you get in touch. If something isn’t covered, send a message. Richard reads and responds to every one personally.

About the Packages

What’s the difference between the four packages?

Each one is built for a different stage and level of commitment.

The Content Commission is for when you need specific content written (like a blog post, web page, or article) without committing to a larger engagement. Priced on scope, delivered in 5–7 business days.

The Content Foundation is the starting point for businesses that want to understand where they stand and build a strategy from there. It’s a 30-day audit and strategy engagement that ends with a clear picture of your content, your audience, and a 60-day editorial calendar.

The Content Sprint combines everything in the Foundation with execution. You’ll get a full 90-day strategy roadmap plus three pieces of content produced and delivered. It’s for businesses that want to leave the engagement already publishing.

The Content Engine is the ongoing retainer that provides monthly strategy direction, editorial planning, content review, and performance oversight for businesses committed to content as a long-term growth channel.

Which package should I start with?

If you’re not sure where you are or what you need, The Content Foundation is almost always the right starting point. It gives you a clear picture before committing to anything larger.

If you already have a clear sense of your audience and goals and want to move quickly into production, The Content Sprint is the better fit. If you want ongoing direction and accountability, go straight to The Content Engine. If you just need something written, The Content Commission handles it.

Still not sure? Send Richard a message and he’ll give you an honest recommendation based on where you are.

Can I upgrade from one package to another mid-engagement?

Yes, where it makes sense. If you start with The Content Foundation and decide mid-way through that you want to move into The Content Sprint, Richard will discuss how to transition smoothly without duplicating work or cost.

About the Process

How do I start working with you?

Fill in the contact form on the relevant service page. Describing your business and what you’re looking for. Richard will review it and respond within one business day, usually with a few clarifying questions or a suggestion for a short call. There’s no obligation at that stage.

For all packages except The Content Commission, a discovery call is included as the formal starting point. That call covers your business, your audience, your goals, and what you’ve tried before. It’s where Richard learns enough about your specific situation to make the work genuinely useful.

How involved do I need to be during an engagement?

Less than you might expect, but as much as you would like. The discovery call at the start and the debrief at delivery are the main commitments. Between those, Richard will have occasional follow-up questions by email, but these typically require no more than 20–30 minutes of your time across the full engagement.

For The Content Engine, the monthly strategy session is a 30-minute call. Beyond that, Richard manages your project independently.

Do you work remotely or in person?

Everything is conducted remotely by email or video call. Richard is based in Toronto and works with businesses across Canada and North America. Location has never been a barrier to doing this work well.

How long does it take to get started once I’ve been in touch?

For The Content Commission, work typically begins within two to three business days of agreeing on scope and price. For The Content Foundation and Content Sprint, the discovery call is usually scheduled within a week of initial contact and work begins immediately after. For The Content Engine, onboarding begins in the first week of the agreed start month.

About the Work

Do you write the content yourself or use AI?

Richard writes all content personally. AI tools are used where they add value. Sometimes this means for research, for processing information quickly, or for generating structural options, but every piece of content delivered to a client is written, edited, and reviewed by Richard before it leaves his desk.

The strategic work (deciding what to create, who to create it for, what angle to take, and how to know if it’s working) is done entirely by Richard. That’s the part AI cannot replicate and the part clients are paying for.

Can I use the strategy documents and calendars with my own writer?

Yes. All deliverables are designed to be handed off. The editorial calendar, brief documents, voice guidelines, and keyword map from any engagement can be given directly to a writer or internal team. They’re built to provide enough direction that a writer can produce on-brief work without coming back for clarification every week.

What types of content can you write?

Blog posts, web pages, service pages, about pages, newsletter issues, and long-form articles. For The Content Commission, you choose the format. For the Sprint and Engine, Richard will advise on which formats are likely to produce the best return given your goals and audience. The mix can change from month to month as the strategy evolves.

Do you handle social media content?

Not as a standalone service. The Content Engine includes guidance on how to repurpose longer content for social distribution, but social media management, caption writing, and scheduling are outside the scope of Richard’s engagements. The focus is on content that builds lasting search authority and audience trust, not content that disappears in 24 hours.

What industries do you work with?

Primarily service businesses, including professional services (accountants, lawyers, financial advisors, mortgage brokers, HR consultants), healthcare and wellness practitioners, real estate adjacent services (property managers, home inspectors, interior designers), and trades and construction businesses.

These industries share a common situation: their clients research extensively before making contact, which means high-quality, strategically placed content directly influences who gets the enquiry. They’re also industries where Richard has accumulated real, specific knowledge, not just general content strategy experience.

If your industry isn’t on the list, get in touch anyway. Richard will tell you honestly whether he’s the right fit.

About the Results

How long before I see results?

That depends on what you mean by results. The Content Foundation and Sprint produce tangible strategic outputs (a clear audience definition, a keyword map, a calendar, produced content) within the engagement itself. Those are immediate, concrete deliverables.

Search traffic and lead generation from content take longer. A realistic expectation for meaningful organic traffic movement is three to six months from the point of consistent publishing. Businesses that start with a strong strategy and publish consistently tend to see early signals within 60–90 days and measurable growth by month six.

Content is a compounding investment. The pieces published in month one are still working in month twelve. The businesses that commit to it long enough consistently see results.

Can you guarantee results?

No. You should be cautious of anyone who does. Search rankings and traffic are influenced by factors outside any strategist’s control: algorithm updates, competitor activity, domain history, and how consistently the strategy is executed after delivery.

What Richard can guarantee is a thorough, specific strategy built around your business and audience; content that is properly researched, written to a professional standard, and optimized for search; and clear, honest communication throughout the engagement. Businesses that execute consistently on a well-built strategy get results. That’s not a guarantee, it’s a track record.

How do you measure whether the content strategy is working?

Richard’s engagements are built to leave you self-sufficient, including on measurement. Rather than creating a dependency on monthly reports, he’ll help you track your own results from day one. By the end of the engagement you’ll have a clear picture of what to measure, what the numbers mean, and what to do if something isn’t working as expected.

What if I’m not happy with a piece of content?

Every engagement includes at least one round of revisions. Richard’s process starts with a thorough intake, which significantly reduces the likelihood of a piece missing the mark. However, if something isn’t right, it gets fixed. The debrief call at the end of each engagement is also specifically designed to surface and resolve any concerns before the work is considered complete.

About Working with Richard

Do you work with businesses outside Toronto?

Yes. Richard is based in Toronto but works with businesses across Canada and North America. The vast majority of work is conducted remotely by video call and email. Location has never been a limitation.

How many clients do you work with at a time?

A deliberately small number. Richard takes on fewer clients than he could to ensure each engagement gets the attention it requires. For The Content Engine specifically, retainer spots are limited. If you’re interested, getting in touch sooner rather than later is advisable.

Who actually does the work?

Richard does. Everything from strategy and writing to research and keyword work is handled personally. Nothing is outsourced or delegated. The person you speak to in the first conversation is the person doing the work.

What are your business hours?

Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm ET, excluding Canadian public holidays. Richard responds to all enquiries within one business day and usually the same day.

Still have a question?

Get in touch! Richard reads and responds to every message personally.