4 Reasons Why You Should Hire an Editor and Invest in Quality Content
Plus, how to find the right person for the job.
Photo: Christina Jones Photography
Most bloggers, influencers, and entrepreneurs know the value of regularly updating their website, writing blog posts, and actively sharing content on social media. These communication tools can increase brand visibility and build expertise. However, if your content includes spelling and grammatical errors, incorrect information, or terms and abbreviations that are unrecognizable to your target audience, you may be jeopardizing your credibility. The key to avoiding these damaging mistakes is to work with an editor who can strategically assess and improve your content.
In my experience working at a public relations firm, we often help our clients develop and strengthen their content by writing and editing byline articles, website copy, company news announcements, and social media posts. Editing is so much more than just proofreading. Editors catch overlooked errors and strengthen your writing to help you grow your brand and enhance your presence as an industry leader or influencer. Here are four ways an editor can improve the quality of content to increase brand awareness and gain visibility for your content and website.
1. Ensure your content resonates with your target audience.
Editors help you talk to your audience in a way that resonates with them. They will be able to look through the lens of your audience and potential clients and make sure copy is tailored to their needs. Editors can identify the geographic and demographic characteristics of your target audience and make changes to your content based on who, and where, your readers are.
Readers’ experience levels are important factors that editors will consider. As an industry professional, it may be hard to know what specialized language is not familiar to your readers. Removing jargon and industry abbreviations will improve clarity. Or, if a specialized language is necessary, an editor will include explanations so that the copy is as clear as possible.
2. Position yourself as a thought leader.
Writing an article for an industry publication, blog, or website can help position you as an industry leader or influencer. However, even small grammatical errors or misused terms can chip away at your credibility. Good writers still make the mistake of using “further” when they should have used “farther” or writing “shoe-in” instead of “shoo-in.” Don’t simply rely on built-in spell checkers. Hiring an editor will save you from making avoidable mistakes.
If you are already known as an industry leader or influencer, using an editor can help protect your credibility. Showing attention to detail in written materials says a lot about professionalism, accuracy, and the attention to detail you’ll show your audience or clients.
3. Strengthen your messaging.
Strong messages will help you communicate who you are and what you can do for your clients, partners, or audience. Editors help you maintain a consistent voice to ensure your brand is memorable. An editor, as opposed to just a proofreader, will help you strengthen your writing with new or additional ideas.
Editors identify redundancies, inconsistencies, and areas that need more explanation. They will improve readability and flow, so your writing is clear and compelling. For example, editors will replace unnecessary nouns and adjectives that make a sentence sound vague with succinct verbs. They’ll favor using an active voice to cut down on words and improve strength and clarity. Strong messages are memorable, concise, and include information that is relevant to your audience.
Editors help you respect your readers’ time. As an entrepreneur or blogger, your business or blog is likely one of your favorite topics—one you could talk on for a while. But if you’re communicating with a prospect, you need to keep it short and sweet. Editors can help you get to the point effectively and quickly to get your message across.
4. Drive traffic to your website.
Well-written content can improve SEO, which increases the likelihood a consumer will find your company on the internet. An editor may be familiar with keywords to include in titles, headlines, and body that will be easily picked up by search engines to increase traffic and improve growth. An eloquent blog post is also more likely to be shared and liked on social media.
Improved SEO can make you stand out to brands looking for sponsorships or affiliate marketing partnerships.
Interested in working with an editor? You have options.
Ask fellow bloggers or entrepreneurs who they work with, and see if you can get a referral from someone in your network. You may also want to check out local PR or marketing firms and freelancers and ask if they offer editing services. The key is to choose someone you can build an ongoing relationship with, who understands your goals and helps you take your writing to the next level.
It may be hard to let someone else review your writing out of fear that they may change the meaning or tone. However, editors work for you, not against you. Writing a compelling piece requires objectivity and distance that is hard to acquire on your own.
Working with a skilled editor will help you become a better writer and can help your business, blog, or website grow. Bloggers are expected to keep new content flowing, and an editor will help you speed up the process so you can work on your next project or post. Keep in mind that what you publish is a direct reflection of your brand, your values, and your capabilities—so make your content count.
About the Author: Kara Weller is an account coordinator at Pierce Public Relations.
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This story was originally published on March 23, 2019, and has since been updated.
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The Anatomy of a Killer "About" Page
Because you have less than three seconds to grab someone's attention.
Photo: Christina Morillo for Pexels
If you think about the pages on your blog or business website like the squares of a Monopoly board, your about page would be Boardwalk. This piece of virtual real estate is so valuable, people come barreling through your front door like it’s a never-ending open house, whether you invited them in or not. They’re intrigued! They’re curious!
So what have you planted on your about page?
Remember, you’ve got approximately three seconds to seduce your Mr. or Mrs. Right (customer) before they jump ship to the instant gratification of another shiny domain. They’re instinctively going to head to your about page. When they get there, this is what they need to see: clear content, with a hook, that answers questions, and has an element of surprise.
How are you faring in these five areas? Let’s take a look.
The Hook
There’s a clever little tool in writing you’re going to need to get to know intimately if you don’t already.
It’s called the hook.
It’s your angle. Your “bingo!” Your “aha” moment. Your “slap me down and call me Suzy, this person really gets me” statement. And the writers who produce the most memorable work are masters of the hook.
It’s all about infusing the theme of your message with the emotion that will reach right into the belly of your readers, make them spit out their muesli and pay attention to what you’ve got to say.
It takes in the worldview and assumptions of your reader and challenges them with a new idea.
Hit them right between the eyes with a powerful intro statement or heading to your about page that does exactly that. Surprise them, shock them, and most of all… become a master of intrigue through words.
The Language
Nobody ever made a lasting impression by thinking, “I hope I sound professional.” Be bold in your language choices and work hard to ensure you don’t sound like everyone else.
Go through your copy with a big red pen and underline any words or sentences that feel too generic or cliched. If you think you’ve heard it all before, so will your readers, which means you’re not capturing their attention (refer back to the hook and try again)!
The Photography & Design
You may be a word nerd through and through, but if your about page doesn’t look pretty (or work well on mobile) it’s going to be pretty easy for potential customers and clients to left swipe you right outta there.
Invest in design. Use subheadings to break up chunks of text. And for the love of WordPress, do not publish your page without a photo that shows the world who you are (eye contact and smile, people!).
You wouldn’t buy anything from a shopkeeper if you walked in and they were wearing a paper bag on their head, so don’t be shy. Show yourself!
The Personal Touch
Don’t be afraid to stamp your personality on the page, but don’t feel you have to tell the world your ENTIRE life story, either.
Think back to your connectors, to your audience, and don’t get too caught up. They want to know your story but they also want to be able to relate.
Give them just enough of what they need to know about you, but ultimately keep the page all about them (uh-huh, that’s right… this page is all about THEM).
If you’re still chomping at the bit to tell more of your story, why not write a blog post called “10 things you never knew about me,” or tell your story in an emotion-fueled post?
The Call to Action
Once you’re satisfied your copy is alluring, interesting, informative, and tells your customers everything they need to know, you’re ready to rock!
Think about what call to action you want to include on the page? What’s your priority?
Is it...
Directing people to your services page so they can book to work with you?
Asking them to contact you to make a booking?
Getting them to sign up to your email updates?
Sending them onto the blog posts you’re most proud of so they can immerse themselves in your brand?
Don’t overwhelm your customers with multiple links – keep it clean and simple so your about page can perform at its best.
This piece originally appeared on BlogSociety and has been reproduced with permission.
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This story was originally published on April 16, 2019, and has since been updated.
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