Elevate your Writing with Amanda’s Two Top Tips
What is your number one tip to marketers when they edit their own content?
My #1 tip for writers or marketers when editing their own content is to take more time. Ideally, you should plan to spend more time editing than writing. Best practice is to take a break between writing and editing. If you can let your work sit overnight, you’re more likely to see common editing errors like missed or duplicated words – the kinds of errors that a spell checker won’t catch.
If you’re really pressed for time and you must start editing right away, start by reading your work aloud, which helps shift your brain from “writing” mode to “reading” mode. Next, try covering everything below the line you’re reading with a ruler or sheet of paper. Another useful strategy is to give your piece at least one pass while reading bottom to top. Of course, this works best for short pieces, 2 pages or less. But reading your sentences backwards can trick your brain into seeing errors that your eyes might otherwise skip over.
How do you go about writing an impactful piece? What steps do you recommend following?
Many writers start writing too soon, and don’t spend enough time generating ideas. Plan to spend some time brainstorming before you start drafting. Ask questions that can help you nail down what the piece needs to do. What are you writing about? Why is it important? Who is reading the piece? Why are they interested in the topic? And what do you want the audience to do after reading the piece? Coming up with answers to questions like this goes a long way towards ensuring that your writing is clear and direct.
Want to learn more from HeadStart’s Managing Editor? Be sure to sign up for our virtual event taking place on February 22, 2024at 12PM EST. Amanda will have more important writing tips to share. Sign up today to get your ticket!
Amanda Spencer’s Bio
Amanda Spencer, Managing Editor, has an in-depth, investigative approach to writing and editing. Whether helping with outlining, researching, stylistic editing, or proofreading, she supports HeadStart’s team at all stages of the writing process. She evaluates all submitted work against rigorous standards to ensure that every HeadStart piece meets the client’s expectations and is of the highest quality.
Amanda is currently enrolled in the Editing Certificate Program at Simon Fraser University and is working toward completing the Editors Canada professional certification exams. A former lecturer at Brock University and OCAD University, Amanda has also worked in retail management, human resources, and corporate training.
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HeadStart is different because the subscription-style service offers greater flexibility and opportunities for productivity increases. As a marketer, I appreciate HeadStart because they are committed to delivering the highest-quality editorial output. Our favourite thing about HeadStart is the personalized service aspect.
Our favourite thing about HeadStart was how we could scale up our content production with a team dedicated to Briq's success. We were able to produce more long-form content and branch out into different styles thanks to HeadStart's expertise and knowledge. Lawrence — our writer — was always up to the task and recreated the Briq voice and tone through multiple content styles.
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