You don’t need an editor. Yes, I am an editor, and yes, I am telling you that you don’t need one. No one really needs an editor–you can always share your writing without checking it over. Just writing and sharing makes everything simpler. And we like simplicity, right? Especially as we have so much going on in our lives and so many other things to tend to in our businesses?
Yes, but there are risks involved in that approach. Typos, grammar mistakes, misspellings, autocorrect, unclear language or meaning–there are so many possibilities for errors in your writing. And as much as we love our built-in grammar check, it doesn’t pick up on everything.
Okay, so there could be a few typos. What’s wrong with that? You’re human. That’s true, you are, but think back to when you’re the potential client or customer, scrolling through your emails. You’re engaged in an email when all of a sudden, you see it. “A fence” instead of “offence.” And it’s not ironically. How do you react? Do you laugh, roll your eyes, maybe cry? Maybe you forgive them for their mistake and continue on reading.
The point is, you’re distracted. It takes your attention away from the message the email is trying to get across, and maybe you don’t take the business as seriously. Then you might think about, if they don’t take the time to look for mistakes in their marketing material, maybe they wouldn’t take the time to ensure their products or services are the best they can be for you. There might be a seed of doubt planted in your mind.
We don’t want that to happen! We want our clients and consumers to fully receive our messages. We want to be sure our writing is the best it can be so they know we are giving them our best. We want them to trust us.
So what I’m trying to say is: Read through your writing before you share! Or have a family member, friend, employee, or colleague look it over. What if you or anyone you know doesn’t have the time or mental energy for that? Hire an editor (hire me, *wink, wink*)! An editor can make sure that your writing is the best it can be, while you focus on the other aspects of your business that need your attention.
Plus, there are so many benefits to having an outside reader edit your writing. When you’ve written something, it’s often difficult to separate yourself from it. You know what you were trying to say, so that’s how it reads to you. You also know what you’ve written, so sometimes your eyes glaze over the sentences, missing errors.
Someone with an outside perspective is seeing it for the first time, and they can come in and see it from your intended readers’ perspectives. They can see if something doesn’t make sense, if something is confusing or awkward, or if there’s a mistake you missed. They can check for consistency, clarity, and flow. Having someone with this outside perspective is so important to present your best writing to your readers. That way your writing can shine and clearly carry its intended message. And at the end of the day, that’s what we all want!
Would you like me to help edit your writing? Send me a message here!
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