Even if you’re an experienced writer, your next email blast or blog post will benefit from these editing strategies:

• Let your writing breathe.

• Read it out loud.

• Run it through Hemingway.

• Cut to the chase.

• Zoom out.

Read on to get all the details!

• Let it breathe.

  
  
  
  

  Once you’ve written your rough draft, walk away from it.

  
  
  
  

  I like to put at least one night’s sleep between me and any draft, but even an hour or two will help. 

  
  
  
  

  A mysterious thing happens when you walk away from a piece of writing. Your subconscious keeps working, and you’ll find that when you show back up in front of your draft, you’ll know exactly how to fix the problems you couldn’t sort out before.

  
  
  
  

  I’ve had entire paragraphs come to me fully formed in the middle of the night when I wasn’t even consciously thinking about a writing project. 

  
  
  
  

  So, even if it’s only a relatively straightforward email to your subscriber list, try to give it a bit of time before hitting SEND. 

  
  
  
  

• Read it out loud.

  
  
  
  

  You’re not writing a formal academic paper on your topic. You’re writing an email or blog post for donors (or potential donors).

  
  
  
  

  It should sound natural and be easy to understand. One way to make sure your piece hits this mark is by reading it out loud during the editing process.

  
  
  
  

  • Does it sound like the way you really talk? If a friend read it, would they be able to hear you in it, or would they hear the college professor version of you?

    
    
    
    

  • Can you make it to the end of sentences without taking a breath? If not, shorten and simplify wordy sentences.

    
    
    
    

• Run it through hemingway.

  
  
  
  

  Hemingway is an online editor (and desktop app) that helps you make your writing clearer for your audience.

  
  
  
  

  Use Hemingway to help you hit these targets:

  
  
  

  • a Grade 3-7 reading level. This isn’t because your audience reads at a low level, but because they’re busy skimmers when they’re online.

    
    
    

  • few adverbs. Your middle school English teacher loved these words (often ending in -ly), but the hard truth is they weaken your writing.

    
    
    

  • no passive voice. Like adverbs, using the passive voice isn’t wrong, but it does diminish your writing’s impact.

    
    
    

  • easy to understand sentences. Hemingway alerts you to wordy and unclear passages.

    
    
    
    

• Cut to the chase.

  
  
  
  

  Get to the point as soon as possible - in every sentence, paragraph, blog post, and email.

  
  
  
  

  Remember: you’re writing for a busy online audience, not for your high school English teacher. You don’t need an introductory paragraph, and you don’t need long clauses at the start of sentences. 

  
  
  
  

  Format your message to the medium. For online writing, that means getting to the point quickly and as clearly as possible.

  
  
  
  

• zoom out.

  
  
  
  

  Look at the piece as a whole. Is it visually appealing?

  
  
  
  

  This may seem like a strange thing to consider, but when your audience is opening emails and new tabs online all day long, first impressions and ease on the eyes matters.

  
  
  
  

  Our tired, overstimulated eyes need white space, lists, bolded headings, and other formatting strategies that break up text.

  
  
  
  

  Find more formatting tips here and here.

  
  Pin the graphic below to refer back to when you need it!

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If you’re a strong writer but not sure you’re hitting the mark with your online audiences, I can help. Tap the Contact Me button below to get your cause the audience it deserves.