Jan’s Proofreading Corner
Jan, Boathouse’s in-house proofreader discusses the downsides of lack of proofreading and what can happen if you don't. You’ll be surprised to hear what a second set of eyes on your work will reveal!
Hello everyone. I'm Jan MacGillivray, proofreader at Boathouse. It's the 21st century and we live in a digital world, but the human skill of proofreading still matters. I'll give you a few reasons why, especially in advertising and marketing. The main reason, obviously, is errors. We see loads of them every day and let them pass. But in advertising and marketing, communication is key, and a proofreader's one job is to flag anything that could interfere with the clarity of that communication. If overlooked errors appear in content that's released to the public, they can reflect badly on your client, giving the impression that they aren't paying attention to the details. Errors can erode your audience's confidence in your client, and that's something you don't want to happen on your watch. Errors can also erode confidence internally between an agency and a client. Imagine giving a presentation to a client who calls out errors that were overlooked. It distracts from your presentation and can make a client feel they're not getting the attention to detail that they deserve. Even worse, it could drive a client to start looking over your shoulder and micromanaging your work.
A second reason to embrace proofreading is that a proofreader provides a second set of eyes, one that's not so immersed in the development of your creative. When you're busy with a campaign, you're so close to your content that you could develop blind spots to issues that might be obvious to your audience. As an example, a major ad agency some years ago created a board for a great TV spot. It was funny, it was edgy, it was a 30-second jewel. A proofreader spotted the only flaw. The spot never once mentioned the brand or the product. The takeaway here is to let an experienced proofreader be your test pilot. Another good reason to have an experienced proofreader on your team is efficient use of time and energy. You have enough to do doing what you do best. That's where your time and energy are best spent.
An experienced proofreader can thoroughly review your creative more efficiently than you can and with better results. Their one job is to focus on catching errors and other issues. That's what they do best. There's a lot more to professional proofreading than most people realize. I'll be highlighting some of those things in later posts. Until then, this is Jan MacGillivray at Boathouse. Thanks for listening.
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