In a word-heavy world, PR professionals can become saturated with copy and proofreading demands, and it is easy to become blind to small errors and pesky typos. The truth is proofreading is challenging and time-consuming. Some might be tempted to whizz through proofing to make way for larger tasks, but at Honest, we know it’s a significant part of our jobs as wordsmiths. We owe it to our clients and their potential customers to produce top quality work, after all!
Here we’ve shared some of our top tips so you can also become a proofreading pro and maximise your content creation:
Make time to proofread effectively
This one might seem obvious, but many of us are guilty of proofreading in between other tasks, or as it pops into our inboxes. But setting aside a chunk of time each day to go through and review copy, without distractions, can be the trick that many are missing. By muting your inbox and setting yourself to ‘Do Not Disturb’ you can focus all your attention on the copy. Deciding where to review can also play a significant role in our attention to detail. Here at Honest, we try to save proofreading for our working from home days to limit distractions (ahem, and office chit-chat).
Take a break before you start
This one is key if you are proofreading your own work right after completing it. We are often blinded by our own efforts and overlook the simplest of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. By removing yourself from the piece of work and revisiting it a short while after, you can come at it with a fresh pair of eyes and approach it more critically. Once you’ve finished your final draft, close the file and focus on another task for a short while or enjoy a break, pop the kettle on and enjoy a well-earned cuppa. When you come back, you’ll feel less attached to the work you’ve drafted and be able to spot inconsistencies and errors much easier.
Print out what needs to be read
Printing out copy can help to spot mistakes which you may have overlooked on the screen, particularly with semantics and structuring. Marking up or highlighting the paper with corrections and revisions might sound old school, but it can help you review each section more strategically.
We’re also a big fan of the ruler method! Use a ruler or something alike to guide your eyes and avoid losing where you are on the page. This also helps reduce our natural ability to skim read which can cause us to miss mistakes.
Read aloud and proud
It might be easy to spot spelling mishaps on the page, but by reading aloud, you can identify awkward phrasing, grammatical errors and inconsistencies with tone and brand voice. Hearing the words spoken can help to spot issues that might’ve gone unnoticed when reading in your head.
Brucie bonus top tip – Did you know Word has a feature where it will read your writing back to you? Another great and underrated proofreading tool for the PR professional’s armoury!
Read backwards
This one is a controversial one at our PR agency! But by reading your work from end to start you’re forcing yourself to pay more attention to each of the text and structure. When reading normally, we’re able to skim read as our brain identifies the next few words, but by reading from the end of the piece, you cannot predict the next word or sentence, so more focus and attention is needed, meaning you’re more likely to spot errors and pick up on any grammatical mishaps.
Always get a second opinion
Here at Honest, we have a rule that all copy must be seen and reviewed by two ‘Honest eyes’ – no matter your role! This is because a fresh set of eyes can spot mistakes much easier, plus having an additional perspective can help amplify your work further by including more creative input. It’s also a great way of gaining constructive feedback to perfect your skills next time!
The proof is in the pudding!
Proofreading is hard. It’s a critical skill that requires deep concentration and focus, but it is an essential part of a PR person’s workload. By taking the time to effectively proofread, you’re not only making sure the client is receiving the highest quality of work, but you’re investing in your own and your colleague’s professional development and writing skills.
By understanding that proofreading is a necessity, recognising the common errors to look out for and finding out which way of proofreading works best for you, you can ensure the copy you’re producing is clear, concise and polished.
Meaning the client gets top-notch copy and you elevate your skills as an effective communicator – it’s a win-win!
If you’re looking for quality copywriters and proofreaders, look no further! Here at Honest we’re more than just a specialist PR agency, we also help to create compelling copy and content creation for a variety of home and garden businesses. Whether that’s for a website, magazine or product catalogue – we’re more than happy to assist!
Just pop us a message via the contact form or send us an email on hello@honestcommunications.co.uk
