The (almost) foolproof guide to editing
Looking for a copywriter that makes the occasional typo? Look no further!
I’m human. A one (wo)man band running my own business. I make the occasional mistake. And when I do I’ll be the first to admit it. Followed by a swift correction while cursing myself!
I’m not going to promise you perfection. What I can promise you is that I take immense pride in my work and my aim is to get as close to perfection as possible for you.
To do so my editing process looks a little like this:
My editing process
Let it simmer
After writing my first draft I walk away. I let it simmer. I do other unrelated work, walk my dog, tick off some life admin, or phone a friend. I move my mind onto something else. Ideally overnight.
When I go back to the copy I am either pleasantly surprised or ready to tear it apart!
If I’m amazed at the writing and lack of errors, I move onto step 2 below. If the latter occurs I get editing. I tear out the overuse of ‘that’, shorten clunky sentences and delete unseen repetition.
With a fresh mind errors and improvements are easy to spot.
Run it through Grammarly
I’d love to have someone run their eyes over my work before I present it to you for extra piece of mind. Instead - I get a bot to do it!
Grammarly’s free Chrome extension is perfect as an automated check on my work. I’m yet to decide if the premium version is worth it. If any fellow copywriters have any thoughts on this do fire them over!
This is great at spotting grammatical corrections but not always great at making it sound natural and most importantly, human. So I move onto the next step…
Switch up the format
It’s amazing how different a piece of writing can be when you see it in a different format.
Generally, I work in Google Docs but I move the writing into its natural habitat when I can. If it’s intended for LinkedIn I’ll draft a post. If it’s for a website I’ll use the brand’s font and size where possible. For longer pieces I print a hard copy.
Reading the copy in a different format can make certain words pop out, or change the feel of certain sentences. It sounds odd, but it’s true. I’ll often change things drastically (for the better!) using this step. It’s an invaluable one.
Read aloud
When writing it’s easy to over-formalise. The art of copywriting is speaking convincingly to your target audience. It should identify their challenges, understand their frustrations and highlight your solution.
The best way of doing this is to talk to a person directly. Ideally concisely and ideally how you’d speak to them in person. Like I am to you now.
Reading the content aloud ensures my writing sounds authentic. This is particularly useful for several reasons:
It weeds out wordy sentences.
It highlights natural pauses in speech for commas, full stops or paragraph breaks.
It clarifies the tone.
It makes any spiel or jargon stand out a mile!
So there you go. My editing process is thorough and I do my best to make sure the copy is spot on for you and your business.
When the odd mistake does inevitably happen you’ll be pleased to know I usually notice this usually within 47 seconds of pressing send! In which case, thanks to Google Docs, I’ll have corrected it before you know it!
If you do find it, forgive me. I’ll quickly correct it so you’re publishing a piece of work you can be proud of.
And if a typo goes unseen, rest easy knowing that a copy of the first Harry Potter sold at auction for £68,812, distinguishable by the typo ‘Philospher’ on the rear cover (amongst others!). So fear not - not all errors will cost you!
To start the ball rolling with an imperfect copywriter that’s a delight to work with and who takes the stress out of writing and editing yourself, drop me a message.
Thnaks for reading 😉
