4 Easy Steps to Edit Your Own Copy.

Pssst....wanna know a secret?…
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Writers rarely spit out their best copy on the first draft. ⁠
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In fact, if you meet a writer who claims to have the secret for doing so, please let the rest of us know! 😅⁠
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First drafts, second drafts and sometimes even thirds — exist to hash your ideas out on paper, and it's the editing stage that can turn a "meh" piece into a "YAAAS" piece.⁠
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✍️ So, before you push "publish" on your next piece of Copy, use these 4 steps to review and polish 👇⁠

Remove the fluff

Fluffy blanket- yes! 😍⁠
Fluffy slippers- yes! 😍⁠
Fluffy bunny- yes! (yes, yes!) 😍⁠
Fluffy clouds- yes! 😍⁠
⁠Fluffy content- NEVER! 👎⁠

Fluff is basically any unnecessary words that are there just for the sake of it. Words that don’t have a purpose or a function and are basically just filler. Examples of this could include industry jargon. As a general rule of thumb, if it doesn’t add anything to your content, remove it. You don’t need it.

Check your Tone of Voice

Is your Copy on brand? Do you have a unique voice? Or do you sound too similar to your competitors?

Defining your brand’s tone of voice is quite honestly one of the most important things you can do before executing your marketing strategy. Your tone of voice should span across every aspect of your brand’s online and offline presence.

How you speak on Social Media should sound quite similar to how you speak on your website or printed materials so that your customer gets a consistent experience with your brand.

If you have several people on your team writing for your brand, you should check that everyone is familiar with the brand tone of voice guidelines so that content and copy remains consistent and flows from item to item.

Less “me”, more “you.”

Spoiler: Your brand isn’t actually about you. It’s actually all about your customer.

So your content needs to be about them.

Consider: Are you speaking to their pain points or experiences? What’s in it for them? Have you answered their questions?

When writing any copy for your brand, put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about what they would like to read and what questions they might have. This will help you communicate much better with your customer and build a stronger connection.

Check for clarity

Ok, so this is typically the step that nobody likes doing, but it really makes the difference between “meh” Copy and “YAAAS” Copy.

After you’ve written your content, I always recommend reading it out loud.

Check the flow- does it read well? Or do you hit bumps along the way? Is it clear? Will the reader fully understand what you are trying to communicate? Does it have a point? Each piece of content should have a purpose.

Editing your own work can be super difficult. If you’re really stuck, as somebody else to read through your content for you and identify anything you may have missed.

Do you check your Copy before you hit publish? Will you be following any of these four top tips? Let me know in the comments 👇⁠