"Two revision rounds included" sounds clear until round two arrives with a new audience, a new offer and a new stakeholder. That isn't a revision. It's a rewrite, and rewrites are new work.
The line that makes this easy to hold: a revision refines the approved brief; a rewrite responds to a new brief. That only works if there is an approved brief, in writing, before you draft a word.
1. Make brief approval a gate in the agreement
Add this clause to your services agreement:
Brief approval: Drafting starts after Client approves the messaging brief. Changes to the brief after approval are billed as new work.
Then list the brief as its own deliverable in the SOW, priced flat, so the client sees it as a real step and not admin.
2. Put these in "Out of scope"
- Rewrites after a change in brief, offer or audience
- Design, layout, uploading to CMS
- Keyword research beyond [N] keywords
- Sourcing images or graphics
- Legal/compliance review of claims
And one more clause worth having: the client is responsible for verifying factual, medical, financial or legal claims in final copy.
3. Quote it in line items, not one number
| Item | Pricing model |
|---|---|
| Discovery + messaging brief | flat |
| Per page/email/article | per piece |
| Revision rounds (2 included) | included |
| Extra round | per round |
| CMS upload/formatting | per piece |
| Rush | +25–50% |
When "extra round" is already a priced line, asking for one stops being awkward.
4. The three red flags (and the reply)
- "Make it pop" with no specifics.
- A stakeholder joins in round 2 and rewrites the brief.
- "Can you also design the page?"
For the first, ask before you touch the draft:
Subject: Quick details on [REQUEST SHORT NAME]
Hi [NAME], thanks for sending this. Before I place it in the plan, could you confirm what "done" looks like, the format/audience, and who has final say? Once I have those, I'll confirm whether it fits the current revision round or outline the smallest adjustment needed.
For the other two, pause and name it:
Subject: [PROJECT] — treating [REQUEST] as a scope change
Hi [NAME], thanks for the note on [REQUEST]. Compared to our approved brief ([DATE]), this looks like a change because [ONE CLEAR REASON]. I'm pausing on that piece until we pick a path, so we don't burn timeline or budget by accident. I'll send options shortly: trade scope, move the date, add a fee, or defer.
Log every one of these in a simple revision log (date, request, revision or change, decision). It's the thing you point to when the invoice gets questioned.
If a client has gone quiet on an approved draft, the free client-ghosting follow-up page has the nudge sequence.
The full set (proposal, SOW, services agreement in .md and .docx, 10 client emails, change-request triage, revision log CSV and invoice emails, with this copywriter niche guide) is the Client Contract & Scope Kit for Copywriters, $19.
Templates are practical starting points, not legal advice. Have your agreement reviewed locally once, then reuse it.
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