There’s a common pattern I see at this time of year.
With FY27 marketing budgets and projects being prioritised, planned and scoped, many firms naturally have a go at their copy first - whether that’s a website refresh or updating brochures - rather than commit to external copywriting support at this stage.
Often drafted internally and sometimes with the help of AI - which is a good thing as it makes a start and gives you some direction - the end result is typically this:
Copy that's almost there - but not quite right to be put in front of clients.
This is usually because:
It covers the right things, but doesn’t fully reflect where the business is now - or how you want to be seen going forward
It’s too technical and hard to understand
It’s had input from multiple people, such as technical, legal and internal stakeholders, so it doesn’t always flow or fully make sense
Who you are and what you do still needs clarifying in conversations or meetings.
Yes, you’ve got copy. But having something on the page isn’t the same as having something that works. So it sits there, FY27 starts, months pass and projects stall - and that’s usually when I’m brought in.
Why Copy is Getting Stuck
Getting to a version of website or brochure copy isn’t where the challenge sits now - AI has made it fast and easy.
It’s going from ‘we’ve got something’ to ‘we’ve got something usable that reflects us properly’.
To do that, you need to decide - before anything is drafted or committed to in FY27:
What matters most to your audience and clients
What needs to be emphasised or simplified
How the business should come across and what tone to use
Whether that consistently holds across different content formats such as your website, brochures, capability statements and articles.
AI doesn’t make these decisions for you - this is where human input is critical.
Google Workspace research shows Australian workers are using time saved by AI for more ‘strategic, high-value work’.
But copy is exactly that work.
What’s more high-value - or more strategic - than how your business is presented? What it says, how it says it, and how well it's understood?
What To Do With Your Copy Now
The good news is, in many cases, copy doesn’t need to be scrapped.
With thoughts down on paper, it’s already heading in the right direction - and making it a FY27 priority puts you ahead of a lot of businesses.
But until it reflects the business clearly, it will stay where it is.
Close, but not quite ready to use.
If that’s where things are with your content, it’s worth getting an experienced external perspective on it now - even if the work happens in the next financial year. Get in touch with me here.