Get your writing to peak-perform
A good editor is like an athletic trainer for your words. If you’re going to send it onto the field, you want it in the best shape, with all its parts checked, primed for peak-performance. And no matter how long the prep time was, you want it to look effortless. You want it feeling fresh and ready to fight for you. Get a trainer.Maybe you’ve already written your message, but you’d feel more comfortable with another pair of eyes on it. So why not an experienced, detail-oriented, smite-the-typo pair of eyes?
There’s plenty of good reason to want them. You want the final product publication-fit, and you need your points to pop. Of course, there are varying levels of editing: deep tissue work — attending to possible problems in points, theme, structure — as well as surface care — style choices, spelling, grammar, tone.
But no matter what you need, a good editor will bring you many benefits.
- Your message will be clear. There’s one that detracts from your message more than almost anything else. It’s business jargon, what Wired Magazine called “the art of saying nothing while appearing to say a lot.” Clarity is crucial; no matter how much the standards of English education seem to decline, the need for clear communication never will. An editor will make sure you’re unmistakable.
- Your text will be error-free. Along with the benefit of looking ready for the world, grammatically sound writing will yield higher financial results. According to one BBC article, spelling mistakes cost millions in online sales every year. For one online retailer, revenue doubled after one spelling error was corrected. If you want to be believed, you have to be believable.
- Your words will actually sound human. In business, language often gets diluted, says author and entrepreneur Jason Fried, “by lawyers, marketers, executives, and HR departments [that] have turned the powerful, descriptive sentence into an empty vessel optimized for buzzwords, jargon, and vapid expressions.” The exceptions? The companies that say, “Screw corporatespeak,” and write with personality — the ones that, with a voice and a point of view, know they have a story to tell.
You need an experienced editor you can trust.