{"id":13801,"date":"2016-11-09T16:13:20","date_gmt":"2016-11-09T23:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memberpress.com\/?p=13801"},"modified":"2026-03-02T11:33:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:33:31","slug":"self-editing-your-blog-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/memberpress.com\/pt\/blog\/self-editing-your-blog-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Editing Your Blog Content"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your blog is where your clients\u2014both current and prospective\u2014learn about your company and get a glimpse of your personality. Because you\u2019re showcasing what you\u2019re all about, you want to be sure your blog not only contains great content but is also well written. A few months ago we talked about how to hire a freelance writer<\/a> for those who were strapped for time or just not into writing. But if you have the time and you want to write the content yourself, we\u2019ve got some self-editing tips to help you bring your writing from dull to captivating and make it sparkle with that professional polish. You\u2019ll also find that your writing time is more efficient and productive.<\/p>\n

Plan, Outline, Draft<\/h4>\n

The first step in creating a great post is to plan out what you want to write about. Your writing will be better if you already have an idea of what you want to say. Once you\u2019ve got that, you\u2019ll want to create an outline, which you\u2019ll fill in with your main points, before you write your first draft. Like a roadmap, it\u2019ll keep you focused on your overall goals as you create your content. But keep in mind: Your first draft is just that\u2014a draft. It does not have to be perfect. In fact, your draft can\u2014and should\u2014be a conglomeration of the main ideas from your outline, just fleshed out a bit more.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t worry about editing as you\u2019re writing the first draft. You\u2019ll spend more time back-spacing than getting words on the page. When you\u2019ve finished writing it, let it sit and rest a spell\u2014an hour, a day, even a week\u2014whatever it takes to clear your mind so you can come back to it with a fresh set of eyes. When you do come back to revise your draft, you\u2019ll be more apt to recognize any errors with content, prose, or grammar.<\/p>\n

Review for Content<\/h4>\n

Editing your work isn\u2019t just a matter of fixing spelling and grammar or cutting wordy prose. It\u2019s ensuring that the content you\u2019ve written is applicable to your readers and that you haven\u2019t veered off course. For example, if you run a jewelry business and you\u2019re writing about a jewelry-cleaning formula you recommend, you don\u2019t want to go on a tangent about the metals that are the hardest to clean\u2014unless you bring it back to the fact that your formula makes the job a snap for any metallic substance. Stick to your main idea and make sure anything you add is directly related to it.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll want to do your content editing first because you don\u2019t want to spend time fine-tuning a paragraph only to find it doesn\u2019t belong in the post, after all. A great way to determine if the content is relevant is to read your post out loud. It\u2019s easier to recognize if the post goes off on tangents or if you\u2019re on track.<\/p>\n

Clean Up Your Prose<\/h4>\n

Prose editing means ensuring that the prose\u2014the writing itself\u2014is clear and concise and captivating. Eschler Editing<\/a> has a great article on self-editing your prose you can reference, but here are a few main points:<\/p>\n