Consultancy Launch Playbook

Who this is for

Independent consultants and small consultancies launching a practice or a new service line.

Before you start

• A short list of the problems you are hired to solve, written from the client’s side.
• A description of your methodology that you are comfortable publishing.
• Confirmation of what you may say about past work, given any confidentiality agreements.
• A contact or booking page every article can point to.

Step 1

Plan around client problems

Decide which problems to write about and how deep each article should go.

1. 01For each problem you solve, list the questions a client asks before they realise they need help.
2. 02Choose one problem as the first cluster, with a pillar article and supporting pieces.
3. 03Decide which details of your method to publish and which to keep for paid work.
4. 04Agree a review step for anything that touches legal, financial or regulated advice.

Step 2

Create problem-led articles

Write the way you would advise a client, without the confidential detail.

1. 01Write the pillar article as a clear explanation of the problem, its causes and the options for solving it.
2. 02Write supporting articles that each take one option and explain when it is the right one.
3. 03Describe your methodology on its own page, linking to the articles that show it in practice.
4. 04Use anonymised or hypothetical examples where client work cannot be named.

Step 3

Publish with a clear next step

Make it easy for a reader who agrees with your approach to get in touch.

1. 01Publish the methodology page and the pillar article together.
2. 02Release supporting articles on a steady schedule, linking each to the pillar.
3. 03End each article with a short, specific next step rather than a generic sales line.
4. 04Share articles directly with prospects when they answer a question raised in a call.

Step 4

Measure conversations

Judge the content by the conversations it starts.

1. 01Ask new enquiries which article or page they read before getting in touch.
2. 02Check which queries your articles appear for in your search console.
3. 03Update articles when your thinking changes, and note the date of the change.
4. 04Turn questions from client calls into the next articles.

Common pitfalls

• Generic articles that any firm could have written, which show no judgement at all.
• Naming clients or describing their situations without permission.
• Publishing advice in a regulated field without the review it needs.
• Ending every article with the same sales paragraph.

Where Opus Rank helps

Tutorials for the parts of this plan you can do in Opus Rank.

• Build a topical map

  Plan a pillar and supporting articles for each problem you solve.

• Create an article outline

  Fix the argument of an article before it is written.

• Edit a passage with AI, or rewrite the whole article

  Rework passages until they say what you would tell a client.

• Publish an article to your CMS

  Send each reviewed article to your website through a connected CMS.

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