Overworked and understaffed writers, editors, designers, and marketing teams have been outsourcing to Dragonfly for 19 years. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we’ve received from clients and prospects over the years.

Where is Dragonfly?

Dragonfly’s headquarters are in Tipp City, Ohio, a town of about 10,000 people just north of Dayton. But you can find Dragonflies nearly anywhere. We have employees and contractors working in 27 states, and occasionally overseas.

Dragonfly operated as a remote company before the COVID-19 pandemic, not because of it. So we have plenty of experience onboarding employees and clients, building teams, and collaborating from afar.

How big is Dragonfly?

We have a core team of 27 employees and one cat, plus a bench of about 40 contractors. Our network covers a lot of ground, so we can tap into writers, editors, and designers with specific experience when a project calls for it. (Need someone who knows about medieval Ireland? Government contracting? Golf? We got you.)

We meet the Small Business Administration’s definition of a small business, and we’re woman-owned, recognized as such by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. We work with mid- to large-sized B2B companies in industries like finance, technology, health care, strategic consulting, AEC, international development, and science and medicine, to name a few.

Some more numbers: In 2023, we added 32 new clients, logged over 33,000 billable hours, and drank more than 8,060 cups of coffee.

How do you become a Dragonfly client? 

Just send us an email!

Tell us about your project so we can estimate the cost and match you with the right Dragonfly for the job. Once you accept the estimate, we can get started. If your company requires a statement of work or nondisclosure agreement, we’ll complete those quickly so we can get right to work. 

We send new clients a Letter of Agreement so they understand our policies and how we work. Your Dragonfly team may ask for background information, such as a company or project style guide, to use as a reference. There’s not much more to it. 

If you don’t have a contact at Dragonfly yet, email info@dragonflyeditorial.com to get connected with the right person. 

Can Dragonfly handle part of my project? 

Yes! We’d love to help you with writing, editing, and design — but we understand that some clients prefer to keep parts of a project in-house. We want you to keep the work you love and outsource tasks that stress you out. 

In case you’re curious, our content services include content strategy, writing, editing, fact-checking, and design. Our super talented and friendly project managers keep everything on track.

Pro tip: You can insert Dragonfly’s services at any stage of a project. We can pick up your rough draft and run with it, edit or design a piece you’ve written, or proofread the final layout to ensure it’s error-free.

Can I request a writer, editor, or designer? 

Absolutely. If you loved working with a Dragonfly team member in the past, you may request to work with them again. However, we cannot guarantee their availability. Contact a Dragonfly project manager early (i.e., before you’re ready for us to jump in) to increase the chance that we can accommodate your request. 

We keep excellent notes on our clients’ style guides, preferences, and workflows. So, working with a new Dragonfly should be seamless for your team.

Do I have to commit to a retainer to work with Dragonfly?

Nope. We can set up a retainer if you plan to use our services often or it makes budgeting easier for you, but it’s not a requirement. We can work with clients on a project-by-project or pay-as-you-go basis. 

Do you work on proposals? 

We do. We understand that proposal writing and editing is a different ballgame, especially in terms of project size, formatting requirements, and deadlines. We have an experienced team of proposal writers and editors — some are even certified through the Association of Proposal Management Professionals. And our talented designers know how to make your proposal look great without breaking the rules. 

What types of things will your editors “catch” in my draft? 

An editor’s job is to ensure your copy is clean, clear, and error-free. Beyond that, it depends on what you request. 

We generally perform three levels of editing:

1. 1. During substantive editing, we take a slightly heavier hand. We may rewrite or reorganize sections to increase readability or flow.

1. 1. Copyediting prepares your content for design or production. We review the copy for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors and make sure it’s consistent with company or RFP style guides.

1. 1. Proofreading typically occurs just before publication, as a final quality check before you hit “send,” “publish,” or “print.” Proofreaders check for errors that snuck past reviewers or were introduced during design. We’re a set of “fresh eyes” on content you’ve looked at hundreds of times.

If you need more details, we have an article and field guide on the levels of editing.

What about AI? Do you use tools like ChatGPT? 

Sometimes, but we’ll never pass off AI-generated work as our own because it violates our core value of integrity and we’ve found that AI tools require a helpful human hand. 

Like everyone else in the business world, we’re actively exploring and experimenting with the latest AI tools to figure out which ones offer the most promise. In general, if you’re looking for a written piece with a strong, original point of view — such as thought leadership — AI probably won’t be helpful. But we may use an AI-assisted search engine, such as Perplexity, to make sure we’re drawing from reputable sources in our research. And we may lean on ChatGPT to help us outline a blog post or see whether we’ve missed anything in our list of interview questions for a subject-matter expert. 

If we’ve piqued your interest, check out our AI usage policy and follow the Dragonfly blog. As we try out the latest AI tools, we’re sharing our yeas, nays, and observations. 

For more information about outsourcing writing, editing, or design, check out our Guide to Outsourcing Content.

 

About the Author

   

Senior Copywriter Melissa Blevins has worked for Dragonfly Editorial since 2017, so she’s fielded lots of these questions personally! To learn more about Melissa, check out her profile.