A la carte Margo
By the hour/day/month
Copywriting
From an array of snappy headlines to some simple, straightforward pamphlet copy, I’ve got the words you’re looking for. Banner ads, email campaigns, outdoor ads, online, offline, and everything in between.
Past clients include: Apple, EA, Chase, eBay, Coke, Starbucks, Borders Books and Music
“Margo is one of the best content strategists I’ve worked with. Specifically, she is excellent at quickly understanding (or eliciting) who the brand is, and then creating a framework for others to express it cohesively and consistently. When Color was just getting started, she executed on these skills by helping clarify our core content principles and then created a style guide the team could use in projects. I highly recommend Margo’s work.”
“Margo Stern is a gift and a gem. Asking nothing for herself, she generously rescued us from an on-line disaster, a moment when thought leaders were turning to us for advice, but when our online presence was way below par. She immediately fixed the problem through a combination of her own amazing skills and a network of experts who she tapped for help on our behalf. We will forever be grateful to her.”
Product Content Design
Maybe you’re building out a new feature, or you’ve got some wireframes started. Work with me to suss out the user flow, determine best information architecture, then we iterate until it’s done. Navigation, CTAs, error messages, labels, edge cases, and everything else you’ll need for a quality experience.
Past clients include: Google Wallet, Google Shopping, Meta, Peloton Interactive, Level Benefits, Skillprint, Take Back the Court
Naming
Feature name, product name and the very popular “does it even need a name?” I’ll work with you to define constraints, identify stakeholder motivation, then design a namestorm to get you options to test and/or launch.
Past clients include: Procter & Gamble, Global Nuclear Disarmament Fund
“Margo came in brand new to a team that was just forming, and made a crucial impact from the outset. Her insightful line of questioning and considerations meant solving tricky problems early on, leaving more room for meaningful design. I’d bring Margo on again without hesitation.”
Workshops
Remote team-building workshop (90 minute workshop)
In this brief-but-efficient team-building workshop, the team will be led through two reflective and productive exercises. Each is focused on articulating a person’s strengths, as well as how best to work with them. In the end, the team at the workshop will get to know each other better, in an effective, work-focused way, plus have a takeaway template to keep building and learning.
Past clients include: Meta, Adobe, Opendoor, Peloton Interactive
Presentation skills workshop (90 minute workshop)
In this interactive workshop, your team will learn not just how to put together a good presentation, but how to command a room with genuine and authentic confidence. We’ll talk through what makes a compelling speaker, as well as some tips and tricks to handle when tricky stakeholders put you on shaky ground.
Past clients include: Google (NY, London, Zurich and Mountain View), Peloton Interactive
Style guide workshop (all day with the team, plus 3-5 hours of prep meetings)
Got a mess of a style guide? Still forwarding a tattered PDF? Time for an upgrade. Gather your assorted style guides and your team, and we’ll stand up a centralized style guide for your team to build and scale over time.
Past clients include: Level benefits, Peloton Interactive
Tone spectrum workshop (all day with the team, plus 3-5 hours of prep meetings)
Your voice is your voice, but your tone shifts depending on the context. Even if you have a brand voice, maybe you haven’t built out a tone spectrum yet. In this workshop, I’ll work with your team to explore your products’ key moments, then determine the tone spectrum that supports it all.
Other engagements
Hiring and scaling Content Design
So you’ve decided to build up a Content Design team. Great! I can help you build a hiring plan to meet your needs (and scale for the future). I’ll get to know your product team structure, product roadmap, and content specialties you should be hiring for (I.e. ecom, accessibility, mobile, taxonomists, IA, etc.). We’ll also talk about managers vs. ICs, and what levels are right for a foundational team.
Portfolio review
Want some fresh eyes on your old work? Not sure how to structure a case study? Wondering what to include or what to jettison? We’ll talk about your career goals, your work, and how to make sure you’re telling the right story.
Email wordstern@gmail.com to get started