How to give writers feedback

Good writers crave feedback. We want our drafts to accomplish your goals, and to succeed at that job, we need your input.

Here are two suggestions for making the feedback and revision process more productive.

Lean on your writer for solutions. It happens: Something in a draft isn’t quite working. It may be the structure or the wording of a particular passage, or a problem you can’t quite articulate. When you find yourself in this situation, remember that you don’t have to fix the problem yourself. Flag the issue and ask your writer for help.

A good writer will understand that critical feedback is essential to the collaborative process. And they may be able to offer suggestions that aren’t immediately apparent to you or your team (after all, solving writing problems is their full-time job). They may even have encountered a similar issue before and have a solution at the ready.

A conversation should give your writer enough information to find the solution, saving you valuable time.

Remember the value of positive feedback. Critical feedback is expected, but it’s also helpful to tell a writer when they’ve really nailed it.

A client recently emailed us, “Nice work...I can barely find anything to improve upon.” A note like that doesn’t just make us feel good. It also clarifies the goal we’re working toward, so we know exactly where to aim when writing the next piece.

This kind of give-and-take leads to better content. It’s fun, too.

Do you have tips for communicating with writers? If so, please send them our way—we’d love to hear them.