If you want people to read your business blog, you’ve got to edit.
The most successful bloggers are those who:
– Create great content
– Keep it concise
– Make it easy to read
– Post regularly
Once you’ve written a blog, most people immediately hit ‘publish’. They might give it a cursory read-through first – maybe fix a typo or two – but then they’ll still hit ‘publish’. Job done? Well… no.
If you do this, it’s likely that no-one will read your post once it goes live. Why? Well, it all comes down to editing.
Why does editing matter?
Editing matters because it cuts through over-inflated writing, removes unnecessary filler words, and creates a succinct piece of editorial that people want to read. Most popular blogs that are shared online are either written or edited by professional copywriters. Others come from savvy businesses who realise the value of editing and have learned to do it themselves.
If you want to edit like a pro…
then here are five top tips:
1. Remove filler words like ‘it is’, ‘there are’.
Original phrase: It is clear that…
Edited phrase: It’s clear that…
2. Use active verbs
Original phrase: It is our goal to…
Edited phrase: We plan to…
3. Clear the clutter
Original phrase: Our restaurant is a family business that has been providing delicious dishes to our customers for the past ten years.
Edited phrase: Our family-owned restaurant has 10 years’ experience in the catering trade.
4. Use short sentences
Original phrase: We provide a range of great quality products that include curtains, carpets, tiles and rugs, as well as offering fantastic customer service and affordable prices that you just won’t find anywhere else.
Edited phrase: We provide a range of quality products, including curtains and carpets. We also supply tiles, rugs and a variety of other items for an affordable price, with excellent customer service guaranteed.
5. Avoid jargon
Original phrase: Our company specialises in the fabrication of synthetic materials.
Edited phrase: We make plastic products.
These are just a few top editing tips to get you started. There are many other things to consider, including proofreading, but we’ll leave that for another day.
Any questions? Need any help? Then please get in touch 🙂