Are your publications polished and proofed by a professional?
If the public sees it, it’s a publication. That means your email blasts, website, blogs, and social media must be publication-ready before you click post, upload, or send.
“It’s just social media” should be added to the list of famous last words. Businesses, brands, and influencers all rely on social media to expand their reach, gain attention, and ultimately increase traffic/business. When a tweet or Insta post contains incorrect punctuation, subject verb conflict, comma splices, and misspelled words, it reflects on you and your business.
I’m not grammar-shaming here or being judgy if you use “it’s” instead of “its”—I’m just saying it happens. Busy, pressured entrepreneurs managing their own social media, writing their own newsletters, do the best they can. Even well-established professional publications can miss things—we all can, because we’re human. In a recent glossy magazine, I noticed an opinion piece by an experienced staff writer that contained the phrase “isles of the grocery store” and no one caught it before it went to press. Stuff happens.
But once you realize you have put out some public-facing content that is messy or contains errors, make a plan to avoid that in the future. Because others do judge. It’s your reputation. People don’t think, “Oh, this is a construction business so it’s okay that they don’t know how to write” and thus don’t care that you misspelled “procurement” or mixed up “who’s” and “whose.” If I build a house and the roof collapses within six months, no one is going to say, “Well, she’s a writer, no wonder she can’t build a great roof.” They would, however, wonder why I had not hired a contractor.
Reduce the pain of hindsight by hiring someone now to make sure you publish what makes you proud.
Even the sign outside your storefront is an opportunity to avoid embarrassment. Don’t spend time or money creating your brand and amplifying your important voice without the support of someone who can make your output the very best it can be.