Everyone thinks their content is great, perfect, the bees knees, etc. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret- it’s not. Even the most experienced marketing exec needs their content reviewed by another set of eyes. Why? Because everyone is prone to mistakes.
A second opinion on your content is exactly what you need to catch grammatical mistakes or an error in the way your content reads. Don’t take it as criticism (I understand writing is personal and sometimes it can hurt when someone questions your work). It’s time to wake up and snap back into reality, because your content needs some work and someone else to approve it.
Your Grammar is Atrocious
You can be the most brilliant writer with great information to share, but if you have grammatical mistakes in your writing no one is going to take you seriously. Before you hit publish, have someone look over your work to make sure it’s free of double spaces (I’m looking at you, Lorraine) and misspelled words. Someone in your office is an English wiz, and if they haven’t made it obvious to everyone else, you need to sniff them out.
There are plenty of times when WordPress won’t catch spelling errors because maybe you spelled the word right, but it’s not the word you meant to spell. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen a resume that says, “Majored in Pubic Relations.” I know you meant to write public, but the fact that you didn’t catch the mistake makes me think you are pretty careless with your work.
Your Voice is Confusing
Your writing style has a certain voice. Just use our blog posts as an example. Jarred writes in a very technical style, where I write more laid back and sometimes like a Valley Girl (it’s cute, right?!). Your writing takes on a tone of its own and readers will become familiar with it, but be careful. You have to make sure your voice is unique to you, but also appealing to your audience.
If you write like a robot with terms no one can understand, you are going to turn off your clients. If you ramble on for four paragraphs, never getting to the point, people won’t sit long enough to read your novel-length blog post.
If you switch back and forth in the same piece, you simply confuse the reader. A good editor will help bring consistency to what you have written.
You Have No Idea What You’re Talking About
I write about a lot different industries. Home flooring, HVAC and carpet cleaning just to name a few. Now, I’m not an expert in any of those fields, but thanks to the Internet and the help of our clients, I can get the general idea. Unfortunately, that’s not enough. To make sure your content is rock solid, you need approval from actual experts. I rely on clients to make adjustments to the content. Sometimes it is just a tiny change, but those small changes can make a big difference.
Even if you are writing for your own organization, the last thing you want to do is publish something which is factually wrong and jeopardize the credibility of the business. Get approval on content and save yourself the hassle of looking for a new job. And if someone else is writing for you, take the time to sit down and review what’s been written to make sure it’s factually correct and represents your business well.
Having someone else approve your content before it hits the Internet or any publication isn’t a punishment. It’s not to show you how bad of a writer you really are. The purpose is to get various opinions about your work and make sure it’s the best it can be for your audience. Remember, the content you publish on the Internet will follow you forever, so make sure you are publishing good stuff.