Podcast 65: handling feedback on your writing, and how to proofread well

How do you handle negative feedback (ideally without throwing your laptop out the window)? And what does it take to proof something properly?

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Every copywriter dreads getting a document back from a client covered in red markup and sharp comments.

But how do you deal with that feedback constructively? And how can you change the way you work to avoid getting more of it?

In our latest episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, David sits down with pro proofreader Lorraine Williams of Lighthouse Proofreading, to talk about why proofing is so important, her tips for checking your own work, and why proofing isn’t a reliable way to make friends – though it is sort of useful for influencing people.

(Also, here’s Louise Harnby’s proofreading companion document, which Lorraine mentions in her interview.)

Then, David and Fiona delve into why we copywriters dread negative feedback so much, how to handle it, and why it’s so important to take it on the chin sometimes. They discuss:

  • Why you should be looking for patterns in your feedback
  • What you can do to mitigate imposter syndrome and assorted other reactions
  • How the stages of grief apply to copywriting feedback (they do, we promise)

And the training notes Fiona mentions? They’re here:

8 Stages of copywriting feedback

Finally (and most importantly), I’ve finally added my own nomination to our B2B Content Hall of Fame. Tune in to hear me wax lyrical for a few glorious minutes about Drawbotics’ wonderful 3D floorplans of TV’s most famous offices.

Thanks once again to Lorraine Williams, both for joining this episode and for being one of our favourite contributors to date.

Announcement: new podcast ahoy…

We’re piloting a new podcast series, called The B2B Content Audio Blog. It’s a short, easy listen, and we’d love to know what you think.

Want to contact the show?

Comments, questions and ideas from our esteemed audience are always welcome. You can send them our way via @radixcom on Twitter or podcast@radix-communications.com (you can even email us a voice memo, if that floats your boat).

How to listen…

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Alternatively, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Or maybe add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Credits:

Podcast editing and music by Bang and Smash

 

Disclaimer: since this podcast is about proofreading, there will *obviously* be errors in this blog post. This is sod’s law.

Katy

Katy’s adaptability and relentless focus on delivering what her clients need makes her an incredibly valuable part of the Radix team. With the ability to quickly understand new technical topics, enterprise messaging, and client goals – and translate them into clear, compelling copy – there’s no project or topic Katy can’t handle.

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