Category: Editing

3 Editing and Proofreading Lessons to Help You Elevate the Quality of Your Content

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

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4 Delightful Editing Tips to Make Your Words Dazzle and Dance

Do you ever read back a draft of your writing and wonder what happened?
Red-cheeked, you thought your draft was complete. You felt excited. Brimming with enthusiasm. You knew it … this was going to be superb. Probably your best-ever blog post. Yay!
You poured yourself a beer, feeling elated with your success.
Any minor editing and proofreading could wait until the next day.
But, the next day … you feel disappointed. Your writing sounds bland. Your sentences seem to stutter.
What can you do?
How can you create a smooth and enjoyable reading experience? How can you make your content dazzle and dance?
Let’s explore four ways …
1. Remove tiny obstacles from your sentences
Ever tried tangoing with a little stone in your shoe? Or tripped over your shoelaces while waltzing?
In writing, we know the big obstacles frustrating our readers. They’re irrelevant paragraphs and excessive sentences that befuddle readers and slow them down.
When readers lose track of your ideas, they head towards the exit.
And the tiny obstacles? They’re phrases like: “in my opinion,” “just,” “very,” “really,” and “actually.”
These phrases don’t typically add value — they only take up space. With a little discipline, you can cross them out and keep your readers tangoing through your content.
But even tinier obstacles exist. Sometimes even experienced writers and professional editors might not notice these.
These teeny-tiny obstacles are adverbs modifying verbs. In most cases, you can delete the adverb and choose a stronger verb.
For instance:

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The Difference Between Responsibility and Control

Discover why an Editor-in-Chief doesn’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) controlling in order to be responsible.
When you recognize the difference between being responsible and being controlling, you can aim to embody the qualities that will help you work with ease and become more productive.
In this 9-minute episode of Editor-in-Chief, host Stefanie Flaxman discusses:

Why responsibility is satisfying
Why control is stifling
How the subtle differences between responsibility and control can affect your work

Click Here to Listen toEditor-in-Chief on iTunes
Click Here to Listen on Rainmaker.FM
About the authorRainmaker.FMRainmaker.FM is the premier digital marketing and sales podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.

The post The Difference Between Responsibility and Control appeared first on Copyblogger.

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The 7-Minute Content Makeover

A few tweaks and checks can often boost a piece of written content about one “grade level.”
In other words, if it starts out “good,” this will take it to “very good.” Here’s the process Sonia Simone uses.
No, this isn’t a “write a blog post in seven minutes” podcast.
It’s the process Sonia goes through once she has written a piece, to add that final layer of polish. Once you have the habits in place, you should be able to make these changes in about five-to-seven minutes.
In this quick 11-minute episode of Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer, host Sonia Simone talks about:

The two most important actions that take content from “pretty good” to “very good”
Quick fixes to make written content easier to read
How to get rid of Fluff and Waffle
When to use that ten-dollar word

Click Here to Listen toConfessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer on iTunes
Click Here to Listen on Rainmaker.FM
About the authorRainmaker.FMRainmaker.FM is the premier digital marketing and sales podcast network. Get on-demand digital business and marketing advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.

The post The 7-Minute Content Makeover appeared first on Copyblogger.

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An Editor-in-Chief’s Responsibilities in the Digital Age

Jerod Morris, VP of Rainmaker.FM, stops by Editor-in-Chief to discuss the responsibilities of an Editor-in-Chief in today’s on-demand digital content world.
Does the current role of an Editor-in-Chief in the digital space differ from the traditional definition of an Editor-in-Chief?
In this 27-minute episode of Editor-in-Chief, host Stefanie Flaxman and Jerod Morris discuss:

The contemporary content marketing environment
How to make a significant contribution to your industry
Why connection is king
The critical importance of editorial standards in the digital age
The similarities between the Editor-in-Chief mindset and The Showrunner mindset
The difference between a podcast and a show
Common misconceptions about sustainability and profitability
One single action you can take to make a meaningful impact right now

Click Here to Listen toEditor-in-Chief on iTunes
Click Here to Listen on Rainmaker.FM
About the authorRainmaker.FMRainmaker.FM is the premier digital marketing and sales podcast network. Get on-demand business advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.

The post An Editor-in-Chief’s Responsibilities in the Digital Age appeared first on Copyblogger.

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Catch More Writing Mistakes With This Underutilized Proofreading Trick

Proofreading is simple.
That may seem like a sacrilegious statement coming from someone who spent years justifying that proofreading is a specialized skill to condescending critics.
But I want to show you a simple proofreading trick, so you are able to review your writing like a professional proofreader — even if you only have time to proofread your writing once.
This underutilized technique will help you spot and correct errors in your digital content that you’ve previously glossed over.
The difference between proofreading and just reading
A common misconception is that proofreading is the same activity as reading. Why would someone pay a professional proofreader when anyone who knows how to read could point out mistakes in a piece of writing?
This attitude can be an obstacle for freelance proofreaders looking for work.
But ultimately, as many proofreaders discover, rather than trying to attract writers who “don’t get it,” it’s more effective to speak to those who already understand the value of a thorough, professional proofreading.
It’s a lesson that can be applied to any type of digital business:
Appeal to people who already want and understand the value of your product or service — the right prospects. Don’t try to win over people who are not interested in what you do — the wrong prospects.
This proofreading trick is a clear example of why the activity of proofreading is unlike just reading.
Now, take off your writer beret and put on your proofreader fedora, so you can view your writing like someone

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The Traffic Light Revision Technique for Meticulously Editing Your Own Writing

As a Los Angeles native, I know a thing or two about sitting in traffic.
I’m talking about physically sitting in your car while stopped in traffic on the way to your destination — not the traffic you talk about when people visit your website.
But the two different types of traffic may not be as unrelated as you think.
A lack of objectivity
One of my favorite observations about traffic jams is that sometimes you’re the one accidentally blocking an intersection with your car — making it difficult for other drivers to move forward on the road — and sometimes you’re the one honking at the person blocking an intersection.
If you drive on a regular basis on crowded streets, you fluidly move between these two roles.
While it’s easy to recognize another driver’s mistakes, and criticize her shortcomings or behavior that has frustrated you, it’s difficult to objectively observe and accurately assess your own actions (and possible missteps).
When you block an intersection, you don’t necessarily regard yourself in the same disapproving way you regard another driver when he blocks your path.
The same lack of objectivity is present when you write.
The discerning taste of an onlooker
As you develop a content-based business on your own digital media platform, you need to evaluate your writing with the discerning taste of an onlooker.
The problem is: you can’t magically become another person with an objective outlook. However, there are ways I’ve found that help you look at your writing like an outsider who

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A ‘Media, Not Marketing’ Case Study: The Rise of Chef Tim Anderson

How does a reality television competition help launch your career if the winner doesn’t receive a monetary prize?
Today’s guest on Editor-in-Chief is an American who won the British television program MasterChef in 2011.
Tim Anderson is now an entrepreneur and author whose first book, Nanban: Japanese Soul Food, is available from SquarePeg in the UK.
Let’s find out about the role media has played in Tim’s career and how producing media continues to enable Tim to do what he loves to do …
In this 60-minute episode of Editor-in-Chief, host Stefanie Flaxman and Tim Anderson discuss:

The art of using Twitter
The difference between a “beer geek” and a “beer salesman” (and why a “beer geek” is more powerful)
How MasterChef helped build Tim’s career, even though there was no monetary prize
How to continually maintain your status as a likeable expert
Whether or not Tim is an Editor-in-Chief (or an Editor-in-Chef)
A key ingredient to success as a media producer (it’s more than hard work)
How Tim’s focused strategy led to his book deal
Who you want to include when building a business team
Updates to Stefanie’s definition of an Editor-in-Chief
Why podcasts are even more popular than matcha green tea

Click Here to Listen toEditor-in-Chief on iTunes
Click Here to Listen on Rainmaker.FM
About the authorRainmaker.FMRainmaker.FM is the premier digital marketing and sales podcast network. Get on-demand business advice from experts, whenever and wherever you want it.

The post A ‘Media, Not Marketing’ Case Study: The Rise of Chef Tim Anderson appeared first on Copyblogger.

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On Taking Responsibility for All of the Communication You Put Out Into the World

I’d like you to take a trip back with me for a moment to first grade. Specifically, when I got my first report card during my first marking period in first grade.
Like both my mother and father before me, I received a certain comment in the miscellaneous section of my report card.
I got average to good marks in all the subjects I was learning at that time, along with this extra note …
Talks too much.
That’s fair enough. I didn’t understand that at certain times it was just more appropriate for me to shut my mouth. Now, in my adult life, I do understand the value of just shutting up.
I actually value listening more than talking now, and I often say there’s a time for talking and an equally — if not more important — time for listening.
Why we fear mistakes
In first grade, however, my teacher needed to communicate to me and my parents that I talked excessively.
She had every right to express that bit of criticism in hope that I would change my behavior. But it was a blemish on an otherwise strong report card.
It was a behavioral mistake I made, and the comment pointed out that it would be preferable if I talked less.
And so, at a very young age, we learn to fear mistakes. We fear the criticisms that mistakes evoke.
It’s understandable that you don’t want to be recognized for your errors.
I think the criticism on my report card would have

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