Content quality control

Dictionary definition of the word Quality.

 

We’ve been asked to do more proofreading for clients recently.

This got me reflecting on the quality of content that organisations publish, whether it’s marketing content, learning content or general communications.

And when I say quality, I mean the readability of it, and whether it makes sense. Poorly written content makes the reader work harder to understand what is being said. If they work hard to understand the message and they still don’t get it then you are likely to have turned them off reading your content for the foreseeable future. Too Long; Didn’t Read (TLDR) is a danger in communications, Too Long and Didn’t Understand (TLDU) is a problem.

That’s why proofreading is a valuable tool for anyone creating content. Having a fresh pair of eyes (and ones that understand language and how it works) to look over your content helps:

  • Establish if what is written makes sense
  • Edit out poor grammar and jargon
  • Tighten up sentences so they are shorter and more active
  • Focus on whether the content meets the needs of the audience
  • Maintain your organisation’s content style and tone of voice

Early on in my career I was a sub-editor, someone who proofread and edited journalists’ copy. A principle that lay behind sub-editing was that copy could always be improved. That’s a useful starting point when creating content – believing that it can always be improved. Proofreading is a part of that improvement process.

Get in touch if you need a fresh pair of eyes to proofread your copy: team@insightsmedia.co.uk