Why Writers Need Editors

Anyone writing copy at any level needs to have their composition edited for clarity, grammar, and punctuation.

The writer knows what they want to say, but did they?

Is the meaning clear to the reader?

Is the copy bringing home the point?

Will the reader be bored?

Will the reader get the point and understand the writer’s, point of view?

Is the information written in a logical manner?

Is the copy written for the correct audience?

Will the reader need a lexicon to understand any jargon or legalize in the copy?

Is the copy written for the lowest dividend reader while not insulting their intelligence?

All copy written must answer the above questions at a minimum to be effective in imparting information or education about the context of the copy.

Any copy with poor grammar and punctuation will turn the reader off and they will not be willing to continue to the end of the copy until the end.

This is also true of readers trying to read any article, book, proposal, or report created and not edited and proofread by someone other than the author.

Who will take something serious when the author has blatant errors?

Authors know what they want to say and the mind will fill in the blanks with the right word, which may not be the right word but spell checkers can only tell if the author spelled it right or corrected the spelling but not if it is the right word and consistent with the tense and the correct verb.

This is the job of an editor. To make sure that there are no mistakes and there is clarity in the sentences without changing the author’s meaning.

A second pair of qualified eyes to look over the copy and make any changes so there is clarity and ease of reading of the finished product from the author.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Copy Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer

Content Marketing

Many people in business on the internet have heard the term “Content Marketing” but may not completely understand what the term means.

The Content Marketing Institute (The Content Marketing Institute is a place of resources and training for anyone interested in learning about content marketing) says of content marketing,

“Content Marketing – Formal Definition

Content marketing is the marketing and business process for creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.

A content marketing strategy can leverage all story channels (print, online, in-person, mobile, social, etc.), be employed at any and all stages of the buying process, from attention-oriented strategies to retention and loyalty strategies, and include multiple buying groups.

Content marketing is comparable to what media companies do as their core business, except that in place of paid content or sponsorship as a measure of success, brands define success by ultimately selling more products or services.”

This may be a bit too formal for some. My definition of Content Marketing is this:

The creation of value added content (any medium such as a blog, website, social media, networking, etc.) that explains what you as an entrepreneur, freelancer or small business owner have to offer that is of benefit to your customers.

I would also like to add the definition of the term “copy” which I use quite often when writing about blog posts, articles, press releases (PR), etc.

According to the definition found in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Eleventh Edition “Copy” is:
4 a: matter to be set esp. for printing.

b: something considered printable or newsworthy – used without an article
c: text esp. of an advertisement

Copy is anything suitable for printing. Is a blog post suitable for printing? When you hit the post button, your post is electronically printed. Therefore, anything created that involves text is copy.

Content consists of video, eBooks, whitepapers, infographics, case studies, how-to guides, etc. Content is any media that positions you to drive traffic to your business with an audience looking for what you have to offer.
In subsequent posts, I will be covering more about the marketing aspect of content as it relates to your ideal customer.

Author
Robert Medak
Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader, and Reviewer learning marketing