5 Tips For Editing Your Copy

Editing. Love it or hate it, the editing process is an essential part of producing great copy for your brand. Whether you’re writing with your website, newsletter or blog in mind, producing content that is sharp, engaging and to the point is a fundamental part of connecting with your ideal client. But once you’ve written your initial draft, how can you make the most of the editing process to ensure that your copy really hits the mark?

1. Trim, polish and strengthen

This might sound like an obvious one but it’s important. In your first draft you’ve spent your time getting all your thoughts down on paper, but now it’s time for the edit you need to think about what you really need to say. What text actually needs to be there and what doesn’t? Any unnecessary words and phrases can be cut. If they’re not adding value to your message, you don’t need them.

Avoid overly long sentences and remove additional words such as ‘really’ or ‘very’. Simplify phrases, for example use ‘ask’ instead of ‘enquire’ or ‘buy’ instead of ‘purchase’. Use contractions where you can, so ‘can’t’ rather than ‘cannot’ or ‘you’re’ instead of ‘you are’. Less really is more when it comes to sharpening the focus of your copy.

Strengthen and polish your writing by making sure you’ve chosen words that are memorable and persuasive rather than bland and perfunctory. Try and use language that appeals to your reader’s senses and emotions, as this is much more likely to connect with them and make them feel something.

2. Read it out loud

This is one of my favourite tips. If you read your copy out loud, you’re more likely to pick up on any errors and typos and you’ll find that your tongue will trip itself up if text is too long and wordy. One of my favourite things to say to my clients is, ‘if you wouldn’t say it, don’t write it’ and reading your copy aloud can really help you pinpoint anything that doesn’t sound natural or just isn’t ‘you’. I’m also a big fan of printing your work out rather than just reading on screen. Don’t ask me why but it seems to help the brain pick up on mistakes that you might gloss over when reading your copy on a computer screen.

3. Don’t use the passive voice

This can be a tricky one to spot if you’re not used to it but writing in the passive voice doesn’t pack quite the same punch as using the active voice. The active voice is much more direct and confident, so it’s always the way to go. For example. instead of saying ‘your call will be appreciated’ use the active voice and say, ‘we appreciate your call’.

4. Make use of online tools

There are lots of tools and apps out there that can help you check your work, so why not make use of them? If you’re writing in Word, you can use the spellcheck and editor functions to help ensure that your work is error free. One of the most frequently used tools out there is Grammarly. This online resource can help you check your work for spelling and grammatical mistakes and, if grammar and spelling really isn’t your thing, it will help give you some peace of mind before you post your content.

5. Leave it overnight

This tip is such a gem! After you’ve given your work a thorough edit, put it away and come back to it the following day. When you look at it with fresh eyes, I guarantee you’ll spot things you didn’t notice in your previous edit and you’ll be able to tweak the copy to give it that final bit of polish and sparkle.

And finally …

Editing can be tough. Taking the red pen to your copy and discarding content can be a difficult process, particularly when you’ve put time and thought into writing it in the first place. If editing your content is something that you’re struggling with, you can always reach out to a professional copywriter for support. Take a look at my Services page to find out more about how I can help or just drop me an email. I’d love to hear from you!