Copywriting Nightmare

By: Chris Bachman | October 31, 2016 | Print

I said what..!?!?

So here I am, having just published another one of my fabulous newsletters complete with a spanking fresh new article full of my wisdom and other questionable content, when who should appear at my office door but my copywriter daughter, Jen, and my lovely wife, Carina, a writer with a worldwide following, as well as with a sharp eye for editing.

Normally happily supportive of most everything I do, at least to my face, this time I looked up to find two decidedly unhappy faces radiating concern and disapproval. I suddenly began flashing back to my misspent youth when those sort of looks directed at me were the daily norm. However, it had been years since I had seen them and it was immediately unsettling. “What…?” I managed to stammer out, followed by “I didn’t do it…really,” this last coming in a small boy voice from the past.

As was quickly made apparent, I had broken a rule we have about my publishing anything without having it first proofread by one of them. Well, sure I had…I was in a hurry and am confident in my writing abilities, and what could possibly be so wrong with my article that it could warrant this sort of condemnation? Turns out plenty…

After pointing out the obvious spelling errors (darned spell check must be broken) and some punctuation missteps involving excessive use of commas, they brought forth the coup de grâce, a grammatically incorrect sentence which even I had to cringe at upon rereading. In my defense I was out sick much of the quarter when grammatical structure was being covered in high school, although I guess that is less a defense on my part and more a reinforcement of their position. Needless to say, though say it I will, I was aghast at the idea that this fab article, which was to have propelled my reputation to the heights of literary stardom, had actually gone out to thousands of people who now knew I was a literary nincompoop of the highest degree. Oh, the shame of it all!

So now, rather than drag this lesson on and bore you with more details from my youth – if interested a cold beer can get me reminiscing pretty quickly – I’ll leave you with this kernel of wisdom. Read it and know you have seen the truth…

No matter how much you write or how many English classes you attended in school, or even if your latest novel was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize…always, always, always have someone proofread your copy before it goes live. Preferably someone with slightly more writing skills than you, but in a pinch, anyone will do. You’ll be amazed at what you missed.

You can find lots more tips and advice at ProClassWebDesign.com under Resources. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter while you are there, link is in the sidebar.

Chris Bachman is a business consultant and Project Director at ProClassWebDesign.com as well as a self confessed serial entrepreneur. He is a regular writer on topics pertaining to marketing, SEO, and business websites as well as an instructor and independent consultant. Learn more about Chris Bachman on Google+ or LinkedIn.