Q: How do I know how many words it’ll take to fit in, say, a trifold brochure? Does the client give you a word count? Do you just guess or do you have to meet with a design person first? Because of the variables, determining length of copy could be difficult. For example, a trifold brochure might be in any combination of font styles and sizes with varying leading, etc.. How can you guesstimate a job without specifics? (And I hate to even admit this, but how do you calculate word counts in MS Word?
A: Word counts are one of those things that seem like a big issue now, but it really isn’t at all. Play with formats a bit to get an idea. For a trifold brochure, for instance, in Word, lay out a piece in landscape format, 3-columns, and put text in and see how much it takes to fill up the space. Or find some brochures out and about in the world that are done well, and actually sit down and count the words. Word counts are something you get a sense for after awhile, once you know the space you’re writing to. Rarely will the client give you the word count. Again, as a rule, you’re working closely with the graphic designer.
As for how you actually figure out what a word count of a particular document is in Word, you simply go to File, then Properties, then Statistics. Voila!