Hi Reader!

A proposal and a contract have very different purposes in your business. But that doesn’t mean you should solely rely on your contract to “handle the details” when it comes to what the client can do with your work.

Because when you do, you often will get questions from the client about usage, and you’ll default to broad language like, “you’ll get everything you need.”

There are two reasons why you need to make it clear from the beginning what the client’s usage will be.

The first is that if your proposal doesn’t spell out what your client can (and can’t) do with your work, they might feel like it’s a bait-and-switch situation when they finally get the contract. (Or that you didn’t listen to what they needed or asked for.)

The second reason that including these details in both the proposal and the contract is important is that clients don’t pore over every single word you send them. They are busy. And they scan.

So if you include them in multiple places, they're more likely to spot them and flag anything that doesn’t align with their needs.

Ultimately, “leaving the details to the contract” can cause more friction, frustration, and administrative headaches. So add in the details now, and save yourself time later.

If you only have 20 minutes this week, the task above is the most important thing to do. But if you have a little more time, keep reading.

Chat soon,

P.S. I got connected with AIR this year, an organization advocating for a more equitable and sustainable audio industry. If you run a podcast or support those making podcasts, their annual survey is open on how they can better support those in the audio industry.

Other things on my radar...

• Raising prices just before offering the discount has been a complaint against Amazon Prime Days for years. So I'm curious to see if Washington will go after Amazon next, after its recent grocery "BOGO" suit against Albertson's and Safeway.
• ​This California lawsuit is showing that even without click-to-cancel, the FTC is going against companies that make their cancellation process difficult. (Something that has long been complained about in the gyn industry.)
• I shared a link to Matthew McConaughey's filings, but now Taylor Swift is starting the process of registering trademarks to protect herself against AI clones and is taking a slightly different approach by using her name in her filings, not just phrases she's known for.