Why hire an editor?
There are benefits to using a professional editor. Using an editor can help you:
communicate clearly and effectively with your audience
save on time, money, and frustration
produce the best possible result
convey professional credibility.
Let me explain.
Communicate clearly and effectively with your audience
A trained editor specialises in language and in designing information to ensure your project fulfils its intended purpose – whether your project is a journal article, an education programme, an annual report, a PowerPoint presentation, a marketing brochure or newsletter, a survey questionnaire, website content, or anything else. In other words, any project containing text benefits from the use of an editor.
When you have spent weeks, months, or even years working on your project, it is difficult to see it with an objective eye. An editor represents your intended reader. They review your project with the reader in mind. An editor makes sure the project’s language level is right for your audience (whether medical or business professionals, academic readers, or the general public) and that the text is logically structured and flows easily. An editor eliminates repetition and inconsistency, and ensures your key messages are clear, concise, and say exactly what you mean.
A good editor also makes sure your project fulfils its function. For example, as well as ensuring your audience can read and make sense of your questionnaire, a good editor looks at the bigger picture to ensure the form captures information in the correct format required for administrative purposes, and that appropriate return or mail-back information and other necessary details are included.
An editor can also work with your designer, digital team, software developer, or printer to ensure your project is designed and produced in a way that appeals to your audience, clarifies its content and structure, meets branding requirements, and fulfils the project’s objectives as effectively as possible.
Save on time, money, and frustration
If you are like most writers, you will have done everything you can to make your copy the best it can be. Yet once your item is produced, you may flinch at the mistakes that have got through – or you may realise you have not included all the information needed for your project to fulfil its aims. Perhaps you have had to make last-minute corrections and reprint and resend corrected documents. This happens more often than you may think.
A trained editor will not only check your spelling, punctuation, and grammar, they will check your facts, logic, consistency, and, as explained above, that your project achieves its intended aims. An editor provides a ‘fresh pair of eyes’. They catch the mistakes, omissions, and other details that people who are too close to the project may miss – before the project is in production, or worse, in print or circulation.
A professional editor can also oversee the production of special marketing, education, and communications projects. When you have no staff to commit to these projects, a freelance editor can save you time and money by taking your project from beginning to end and dealing with writers, designers, and other contributors as needed. A freelance editor can also supplement in-house staff when deadlines are looming by doing whatever specific editorial and related tasks you may need.
Produce the best possible result
Using a professional editor allows writers to concentrate on what they do best. That is, writers get to focus on their message and content rather than worry about the spelling, grammar, and other editorial or production details that are an editor’s speciality area. The relationship between an editor and a writer also generates new ideas that improve the quality of the content developed and the overall usability and functionality of a project.
A professional editor also has more understanding of information design, document design, branding, and production requirements than most writers. As such, they are better placed to liaise with other contributors, designers, and production people as required. Allowing each individual involved in the production of a project to focus on their speciality area produces the best possible result.
Convey professional credibility
You and your organisation have worked hard to be accepted as knowledgeable and professional in your field. Your marketing, education, and communications materials are designed to convey an image that gains the trust and respect of your audience – and shows them you know what you are doing. This is true whether your intended audience is your consumers, the general public, government, or individuals, organisations, and institutions in medicine, business, or academia.
Poor structure, spelling mistakes, incorrect facts, inconsistent information, and faulty grammar all reflect on the quality of the work you do and the quality of the products you produce.
Sloppy, incorrect language and factual errors translate to sloppy, unprofessional work and tell your audience that inaccuracies and mistakes do not matter to you. Perhaps your work and products aren’t so great? Simple mistakes can also distract from the importance of your message or the product you wish to promote. Either way, mistakes and omissions can diminish your organisation’s image and jeopardise your professional standing and credibility.
In contrast, well-written, credible factual content clearly expressed in meticulous language suitable for your audience – particularly when combined with great design and production – reflects the painstaking care you provide your customers and the superior quality of the products you produce. Using an experienced editor can ensure the documents, projects, and presentations you and your organisation produce show you in your best light.
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