Let’s compare bland content to plain bread.
Plain content bread isn’t going to build an authority sandwich for your business; it’s fairly easy to produce and many other places offer it.
Editing and proofreading are the peppercorn-crusted turkey and applewood-smoked bacon you need to layer on top of your plain content bread.
With peppercorn-crusted turkey and applewood-smoked bacon (and maybe even some Dijon mustard or horseradish mayonnaise), you’re able to craft an engaging experience for readers — something savory, a little spicy, and more robust than all the other plain content bread out there.
Building an audience is hard work because you have to offer people an experience they don’t get anywhere else. The winning details that make your content a go-to resource can emerge during the time you take to edit and proofread.
This week’s Copyblogger Collection is a series of three handpicked articles that will show you:
- How to objectively review your own writing
- How to transform your content into persuasive and shareable works of art
- How to catch more writing mistakes with an underutilized proofreading trick
As you work your way through the material below, think of the following lessons as a mini editing and proofreading course.
The Traffic Light Revision Technique for Meticulously Editing Your Own Writing
I can give you an example of how editing played an important role when I wrote the introductory paragraphs above.
I originally compared editing and proofreading to “peanut butter and jelly.”
A draft of the opening section was complete with this analogy, but when I reviewed it, “peanut butter and jelly” didn’t contain enough details to support my point. I wanted to communicate a more vivid picture.
The Traffic Light Revision Technique for Meticulously Editing Your Own Writing will help you objectively review your work.
It outlines how to pinpoint portions of your text that you can develop further to create more precise and potent content.
15 Copy Editing Tips that Can Transform Your Content into Persuasive and Shareable Works of Art
Next up, check out 15 Copy Editing Tips that Can Transform Your Content into Persuasive and Shareable Works of Art.
Once you’ve edited your draft to your satisfaction, copy editing further refines your writing so that readers effortlessly comprehend your message.
During in-person communication, you can rephrase your verbal speech if you observe a puzzled or clueless look on someone’s face. With writing, you don’t get the luxury of such feedback until after you’ve published.
At that point, you don’t get another chance to explain yourself; a reader will simply stop reading.
Your attention to detail demonstrates that you care about your audience’s experience — which sets your content apart from sloppy or convoluted writing.
Catch More Writing Mistakes with This Underutilized Proofreading Trick
After you prepare your peppercorn-crusted turkey and applewood-smoked bacon authority sandwich, it’s time to present it to your audience to build the relationships that build your business.
But there’s one more step to solidify your efforts: proofreading.
While you may have corrected grammar mistakes and typos when editing or copy editing, proofreading is a separate activity that polishes your content.
In Catch More Writing Mistakes with This Underutilized Proofreading Trick, you’ll discover why proofreading is different from just reading and how this simple practice helps you publish professional content.
Stay tuned to Copyblogger …
We’re celebrating Thanksgiving in the U.S. this week, but we’ll have a fresh article for you on Monday!
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The post 3 Editing and Proofreading Lessons to Help You Elevate the Quality of Your Content appeared first on Copyblogger.
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