Some clients are micro-managers because they have control issues. You know the type. They direct the driver on how to park. Tell the cashier how to pack the groceries. They’d happily tell Paul Hollywood how to judge bread week if someone would only give them a chance.
But more often, clients micro-manage because they’re uncertain.
They don’t know:
- What you’re doing during this radio silence
- Whether you’re actually doing anything
- When they’ll next hear from you
- Or what shape the copy will arrive in
When communication is a black hole, they fill the void with… assumptions.
I bet they’re working on someone else’s project and mine is forgotten.
I bet they’re just using ChatGPT and I’ve wasted my money.
I bet they’ll miss the deadline, we’ll have to push back the launch, miss revenue targets, the business will fail and I’ll get fired and…
Breathe, Nelly. Just breathe.
And I get it
Over summer, we moved from one side of the US to the other. One of the many Big Jobs was enrolling the kids in their new school.
I gathered all the required documents and submitted the enrolment before we moved and then, happy to mark another task as “Done”, I got on with the move.
A few weeks went by and the complete radio silence from the school made me second-guess if I had successfully submitted the enrolment. I also started to worry about the documentation I’d provided. You see, because we hadn’t moved yet, I didn’t have a utility bill. So I sent a confirmation that our electricity would start on a certain date instead.
Time ticked on.
We unpacked, explored the neighbourhood, and not a peep from the school.
Now we’re just two weeks out from the start of school and I’m starting to fret. I called every number on the school website (only to have the calls ring out).
Do they even know my kids exist?
Do I need to enrol them in a different school?
Will they lose their attendance record?
…Am I going to have to HOMESCHOOL THEM??
It turns out they are enrolled.
I got a text from the school this week. I almost cried with relief.
Apparently, their giant mass-printer thingamajig was broken and paperwork was delayed, but at least I now have the back-to-school event on the calendar.
And the whole saga could have been avoided with just two messages:
- An email confirmation that my application had been received
- A quick message when the enrolment was processed
That’s it.
Stop your client’s panic (and micro-managing) before it starts
If a slightly delayed school enrolment process can trigger my homeschool-level panic, imagine how a business owner feels when their copywriter (you) vanishes into the mist with their money.
Uncertainty breeds worry. And worry breeds micro-management.
Here’s how to reduce micro-managing tendencies before they start:
- Kick-off call and email – Lay out exactly how the project will roll out, when they’ll hear from you, and how to reach you.
- Clear deadlines – For both sides. Let them know when you’ll deliver drafts and when you’ll need feedback.
- Progress updates – Especially on longer projects. A short “just letting you know we’re here” email can prevent a thousand “just checking in” messages.
My favourite hack: the ‘You are here’ section
At the end of every project update, add a little roadmap in the P.S. so the client knows exactly where you’re at:
Kick-off call✅Copywriting brief✅- Voice of customer interviews — ** We are here! **
- Research and analysis
- VOC walk-through
- Copywriting
- Revisions
It’s part progress bar, part “don’t panic” button, and it’s definitely stopped clients hassling me for updates.
The TL;DR
Most micro-managing clients aren’t trying to be villains. They’re trying to calm their own uncertainty. By keeping them in the loop with clear timelines, predictable updates, and visible progress, you replace doubt with trust.
And trust is how you get repeat work!
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If your project management feels more “flying by the seat of your pants” than “smooth operator”, you’ll love my Complete Project Checklist. It covers every step from the first enquiry to publishing your client’s glowing testimonial.
And if you want to make it ridiculously easy, grab the Mega Email Bundle too — over 6,000 words of ready-to-send project emails that keep clients happy (and stop them micro-managing you).
