Get Your Message Right Before You Send It Out
It’s true that the eye often sees what it wants to see, despite evidence to the contrary. Voters read into campaign promises that they’ll end up with a better society if they elect one politician over another. Lonely singles see the perfect mate in a loose collection of bad habits with a pretty face. And writers see a Pulitzer Prize in every word they put on paper.
As it turns out more often than not, none of the above scenarios turn out very well. In fact, when you don’t rely on a second pair of eyes — or detailed scrutiny and background checks — the results can be disastrous.
Who You Gonna Call?
Let’s avoid further pontifications about love and politics. Like religion, they’re topics ripe for meddling or preaching instead of instructing. Rather, we’ll stick to our first-hand knowledge about the importance of editing for clear communication. That’s where our experience lies, after all.
In the past, we’ve written about how to become an editor (see parts one, two and three) and what goes into the secret sauce of editing. But when it comes to the importance of editing for getting your true intentions across to your readers, certain aspects of the art and science cannot be overstated.
You Said What?
In face-to-face communications, how you say something plays a bigger role in messaging than what words you actually use. For example, imagine someone approaching you:
- Shouting in anger: “How long is that going to take?”
- Softly, with a smile: “How long is that going to take?”
While the verbiage is exactly the same, both encounters end up portraying very different meanings. So too can the tone of your writing convey completely different messages. In writing, however, when you don’t have the luxury of bringing your other senses into the conversation, the differences are often more subtle. Consider these variations and how they strike you:
- “Getting a facelift is a big expense.”
- “Getting a facelift is a big investment.”
- “Getting a facelift taps your resources to change your life.”
Each sentence is saying basically the same thing — that it costs a lot of money to get a facelift. But each has a different style. And while you may think this kind of language is just a marketing ploy that you learn in advertising school, think again. You’ve likely seen how punctuation can change a simple call to action: “Let’s eat, Grandma!” or “Let’s eat Grandma!” Make this mistake once and you’ll come to appreciate the importance of editing.
When Edits Matter Most
Maybe you don’t worry about the importance of editing. Perhaps you may believe that your audience understands your intentions. You share your message — on your website, in your blog posts, through employee and customer newsletters, in emails and letters.
But you may not realize how many people lose trust in you — and unsubscribe, delete or even block — when you miss an important mark. Sometimes, mistakes seem minor: an inappropriate exclamation point, a misspelled name or even the wrong verb. Sometimes, mistakes or missteps in tone and style can be so unremarkable that readers don’t even recognize why they’re turned off. But they are.
Accept the Importance of Editing
To reach your business’s audience, you need to accept that a second pair of eyes — preferably professionally-trained eyes like those of Ray Access editors — can help you shape your message so that it’s understood. Editing is more than proofreading. The words you choose matter. And editing makes sure you use the most effective words. Ray Access edits at half price.
Say what you mean and mean what you say. But let your editor check it out before you hit Send, before you click Publish and before you go to press. You’ll be so glad you did. Just like the politician who has to backtrack and the lover who doesn’t show up for the wedding, forgiveness sometimes comes too late. You have to live with the fallout. You’ve not only lost a sale, you’ve actively turned people against you.
What’s the importance of editing? You may as well ask what’s the importance of communication. Why have a website, write blog posts or send newsletters and emails when you aren’t sure you’re getting your message right? Get it right the first time — because that’s often the only chance you get.
Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.