Web editors are specialists in the field of writing good content. They are usually not specialists on the subject matter they write about. This means that web editors need the subject specialists dearly. But how do you get them to help you in such a way, that they’re not in the way of the creative process, but they do supply their expertise?
Requirements – template
Experts often think that the work they do is much more important and intelligent than the work that you do. After all, they know everything about [insert subject here] and all you do is write cute little texts. When you ask them for input, they see your request as a bothersome side issue. They may send you vast documents filled with jargon and such. Or they get you to come to them so they can tell you all about their expertise. Now if you’re like me, you don’t have time for such endless meetings designed to make you do all the work. And apart from it being rather annoying when they try to get out from under what is really their job, it also doesn’t much help the quality of the work you have to deliver.
When writing for websites you need very specific information, written in a very specific manner. In order to get the right information and help the specialists give it to you, it’s a good idea to develop a template that they can fill in. of course you may still have questions after they’ve filled in the template and answered your primary questions. But your startingpoint will be much better since you have now helped yourself gain some control through the template.
Requirements – checklists
If you work in a larger company people might not know exactly what it is you do. Not everyone knows what web content is. Or the difference between a web editor and a web content manager. They also may not know what it is you need from them in order to do your job or comply with their request concerning the website. Help them out by making a checklist for them. You can put things on it like specs for images that can be used on the website or tips on what to do in case they need a new URL, or want to launch a new product. Try to put the stuff on there that you can do for them and what you need from them in order to do it.
Coordination
If you work for one of those older larger companies, chances are that more than one party needs to review your texts. People from communications, product managers, legal and maybe more (where I work 5 different departments look at our texts). Make sure you are never responsible for the reviewing process. This may seem unnatural, but try not to take your texts from one department to the next.
First of all you are very likely to get mixed up in office polictics that you know nothing about. Legal may have a long standing argument with marketing or communications may dislike the people from legal. Secondly as you are not the person who knows the subject-matter, it is impossible for you to establish wether any remarks concerning the specific subject are correct. Going from department to department will get you mixed up in discussions about the subject matter. Discussions you will always lose!
Establish which of the parties is closest to you and knows enough about the subject matter. Where I work this is the marketing department. Make them responsible for the review process. Do this in 3 ways:
- Have them supply all the above mentioned template with all the information you need to write the basic texts.
- Have them make sure all the parties agree on the contents of the template
- Have them make sure that all parties involved agree on the remarks they make on your first draft
Make sure that when your final draft is approved you get this on paper (have some kind of “Okay/approve” field in your template. And make sure you only need approval from this one party.
This will greatly enhance your work life and reduce stress!
Seperate
When dealing with texts it is often times difficult to seperate contents from appearance. Or your style of writing from the subject you are writing about. For example in legal texts your re-writing it may change the legal validity of the text. And there’s another problem with texts: anybody who is able to perform the act of making letters into words and making words into something other can understand, thinks they can write. Technically they can. But writing good web texts is a specialists job. You make the style, those not responsible for writing the web texts merely provide their own specific speciality. They tell you what. You tell them how.
The pros of a good reviewing process
Having a good process has a few advantages. By having a process you make sure that the right people have the right responsibilities. You provide insight into what people can expect of you and what you need from them to do the job. This way you can prevent unnecsesarry discussions en ego-wars and – not unimportant- doing work double. This will enable you to work faster and with a higher standard of quality. While at the same to preventing that the web content specialist is at the end of the line and gets the blame for earlier delays (by other parties).
Are you a web content writer? What does your reviewing process look like?
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