Professional Writing and Editing Skills

I've been an editor for 7 years now. And here’s a truth bomb: 99% of editing advice online is generic. “Check grammar.” “Shorten sentences.” “Take a break.” Yes, but can we dig deeper? Today, I'm revealing the most underrated, unspoken editing hacks. No gatekeeping here: → Zoom Out to 50%: Sounds weird? Try it. Reducing text size makes formatting issues obvious. You’ll spot uneven line lengths and clunky layouts instantly. → Voice Note Test: Record yourself reading your draft aloud. Listen back without reading along. Awkward wording stands out painfully clear. → 'So What?' Technique: After every paragraph, ask “So what?” If there's no clear purpose—rephrase or remove. Keeps writing tight, engaging, purposeful. → One-Screen Rule: Keep each subheading's content fitting one screen. Scrolling mid-section causes reader fatigue. Break it down—short and crisp is key. → Color-Code Edits: Highlight different issues with different colors: 1) Pink for weak words (really, very, stuff). 2) Blue for unclear ideas. 3) Yellow for repetitive points. Visual cues speed up final revisions drastically. → Find-and-Replace for Punctuation: Search your commas, semicolons, dashes. Do you overuse them? Replace some with periods to punch up readability. → The Font Swap: Change your font temporarily. Your brain sees text as 'new' content. Mistakes and awkward phrasings jump right out. → Reverse Outline: Summarize each paragraph in 3-4 words. Is there logical flow? If not, rearrange or rework ruthlessly. Editing is surgery (don't question me). These hacks transform good content into remarkable content. But hey, I'm always learning. What's your top editing secret nobody talks about? Share it below 👇

15 years ago, I wrote "Write Better, Sell Better". The tagline that defined my career. Since then, I've written copy for Fortune 500 companies, projects that made millions, and taught copywriting at the university → Yep, writing is my life. But you don't have all semester long to learn. This post contains my 7 biggest writing lessons: (Save and repost this 60-second class ♻️) --- 1. Clarity is 90% of your writing Clarity beats cleverness 10 times out of 10. Remember: First, write clearly. Then, write creatively. Most focus on "creative" right off the bat = big no. (If you can do both, jackpot) --- 2. Use signposting to showcase authority I teach this technique to every single client. (This sentence you just read was a signpost) Signposts are short "signals" to your expertise and results. Think of them as signs on the side of the road, which allow you to "trust" the journey you're on. Can you notice where else I used it in this post? 😉 --- 3. Too much copy? Make it choppy. Here are 2 examples (the second one is better): Sometimes, we write super long sentences that we have no time to breathe and neither do our readers. Sometimes, we write super long sentences. We have no time to breathe. And neither do our readers. Chop it up! It's easier to read. --- 4. Write unselfishly. Edit relentlessly. Think about it. Writing is 80% editing. You are tweaking, optimizing, and making things sound perfect. One bit of advice: Don't hold back. Edit (ehm, delete) anything that isn't on-topic. I've deleted probably 40% of this post. --- 5. Use sensory words. Add texture to text. That had to hurt! → That had to "sting"! Having a bad day? → Having a "rough" day? A seamless process → A "silky-smooth" process All of the 2nd descriptions above can be "felt". It's how your readers "touch an emotion", not just "read text". --- 6. Never write to "everyone" Remember this for all time: "Everyone" is not your audience. Sales happen when your prospect can clearly "see" themselves in your writing. So how do you go about this? --- 7. The "Dear son" writing method Pick "one" person to speak to → I speak to my son. For you, it could be your best friend, the old you etc. I start everything with "Dear son" and end with "Love, Dad". In the end, I simply delete these 2 parts. Doing so creates such a powerful connection with your readers + a consistent tone of voice. With every word. Where there's connection, there's trust. And where there's trust, there's sales. Words to live by. --- Write Better, Sell Better = that's the whole game! Let me know which lesson you enjoy the most. Professor Jay, out. (Repost this for your network ♻️)

Poor writing kills more academic careers than bad research. Here's a guide that helped an international PhD student in our programme fix it: An international PhD student in our programme had her paper rejected three times last year. Each reviewer said the same thing: "The science is strong but the writing lacks clarity and structure." Her research was publishable. Her writing wasn't. She didn't need more data. She needed a system. That's the problem most international researchers face. Nobody teaches you how to write academically in English. You're just expected to figure it out. Then I found a resource that changed how I support PhD students in our programme. Education and Training Boards Ireland published a 94-page academic writing handbook. Completely free. Completely systematic. It breaks the entire writing process into 5 clear steps: Getting started with planning and brainstorming. Drafting with proper argument structure. Reviewing for clarity and logic. Editing for grammar and precision. Presenting to professional standards. What makes it different from generic writing advice? It gives you self-assessment tools to spot weaknesses before reviewers do. She used it to restructure her rejected paper. Fourth submission. Accepted with minor revisions. Same research. Same data. Better writing system. Good academic writing isn't talent. It's a learnable process. Especially when English isn't your first language. Link to free download in comments. --- Which writing step challenges you most: drafting, editing, or structuring arguments? #AcademicWriting #PhDLife

On writing habits that win your mentor's attention. When I was younger, I squandered my mentors' time.  I was awful. I would send quick drafts with typos, incomplete grammar, & poorly formatted references. I figured that my mentors would skim the draft for ideas & give feedback.  It was so bad that my advisor drew a line in the sand - he would only look at three iterations after my proposal defense - or I would have to find a new advisor? I was mortified. What advisor says that? I recently looked at one of my early papers. I made so many typos! And shared so many incomplete thoughts! I now know why my advisor said that. Mentors struggle to help mentees who send sloppy work. In fact, such work demotivates mentors and can even cause them to avoid looking at your work. So what can you do? To craft paper drafts that your mentor will read? Start with the small stuff. First, check the spelling & grammar. I use Grammarly on all of my papers. I pay for my students to subscribe to it as well. Minimizing errors helps your mentor to see your big-picture ideas. Second, format the document simply. Funky fonts. Weird spacing. Colored text. Complex formatting can take days to figure out & drive mentors crazy. Less complex formatting is easier to edit & eventually prepare for journal submission.   Third, track your mistakes. The first mistake evokes concern. The second mistake irritates a mentor. The third mistake makes your mentor crazy. They do not want to correct your work repeatedly. Learning from your mistakes makes you a more desirable coauthor. Moving onto the big stuff. Fourth, work with a writing coach. Read writing blogs. Most universities have a writing center. Some schools make a copyeditor available. Use them. Every author, including me, benefits from coaching! Fifth, learn your discipline's conventions. Some use a casual voice others are more formal. Be attentive to how authors in your top journal present their ideas. Playing by your field's rules makes it easier for mentors to provide advice - so set aside what you learned in English 101! Sixth, edit your work, edit it again, then edit it one more time. Let it rest for a night. Then read it. If it feels good, send it. Editing takes time. Please don't force it. Finally, don't forget whose your boss. Learn your mentor's preferences. I like Times New Roman or Arial Narrow, one-inch margins, single-spaced, one space between paragraphs & no colors.  Word choices matter too! I hate the word "both" & phrases like "prior literature." Wordiness is a sin. Do these points sound petty? Sure. Yet, synching mentor preferences with mentee behavior makes collaboration easier. Hopefully, these tips will help early-career authors. The first & final ones are applicable in all disciplines - the others may need calibration for your field. Most of all, don't give up. Writing & storytelling are learned skills. You can do it! #mentoring #writing #mentee #Phd #academiclife

Writing Tip: The Wrong Kind of Edits There’s a kind of editing that strengthens writing. And there’s a kind that makes it smaller. I see it constantly—especially in professional settings: Removing every “And” or “But” that opens a sentence. Stripping out em-dashes because they’re “too informal.” Replacing deliberate punctuation with safe little commas. Declaring blanket bans on words like ensure because someone once heard it was wrong. These aren’t improvements. They’re habits. English has rules so people can read what you write and follow it without strain—so they move forward instead of doubling back. Starting a sentence with “And” is a pacing decision. An em-dash signals interruption or emphasis with precision. “Ensure” has a different texture than “make sure.” That distinction exists for a reason. Style guides exist to create consistency and clarity across teams. They are tools—not superstition. Editing is judgment. Does this change make the meaning clearer? Does it reduce friction for the reader? Does it preserve the writer’s voice while sharpening the point? If the answer is no—if the change is just enforcing a rule someone half-remembers from middle school—then it isn’t discipline. It’s folklore. Good editing protects comprehension. Everything else is cosmetic. Caption: Editing advice from someone who ignores most of it.

Ever wonder what great editing actually looks like? Here's a few real edits I've had recently: 1. Find 200 words to trim from the set-up. I was doing a big thought leadership piece - narrative intro, thesis up top, all that. And...I got a bit carried away. 200 words lopped off, got to the meat much quicker, everything better. 2. The H3s don't match. If you're writing a list of H3s, you want the same wording throughout to make it flow. Before: H2: Why BOFU content is so tricky for content marketers H3: It's highly context dependent H3: It's time-consuming H3: You can't go it alone After: H3: It's a completely artificial concept to begin with H3: It's time-consuming H3: It's impossible to create in a silo Better, no? 3. Paraphrase your quotes. I'd gathered a lot of interview content for a piece. So much, in fact, that I left some of it as a bit of a word dump. Spoken content doesn't always translate well to the page, even if you've trimmed out the "ums" and "likes". My editor suggested it would be much better to paraphrase and just keep a short juicy phrase or two from the SMEs. 4. BLUF throughout, not just in the intro. Putting the bottom line up front applies to paragraphs too. My editor pointed out that I'd ended the paragraph with my main point, instead of leading with it. With my weaker opening line, I'd missed out on an opportunity to give the reader a compelling reason to read that paragraph. 5. One comment that just said "noice." Definitely the best edit I've had in a while :D Also, joking aside, the best editors flag what they like (so I'll do more of it) as well as what needs fixing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm sharing these edits for a few reasons: 1. Maybe you, like me, need the reminder! I already knew all of these things but still made the mistakes :) These things happen. 2. I've been writing content for nearly 10 years now. I don't make many mistakes these days, but I still get a bunch of edits. Everyone needs editing, no matter how long you've been doing this job or how good you get. In fact, the better I get at writing, the more edits I get. Clients that hire top-tier writers care even more about quality and differentiation. Edits are less about "this sentence doesn't work" and more about "how can we make this piece stand out, connect more, perform better?" So, if you're a newer writer and you just got a draft back covered in red lines - congratulations! You've found yourself a client who genuinely cares about quality content. 3. If you want to get better at writing, don't take a course. Do whatever it takes to work with editors like these. Everything I know about content, I learned from working with amazing editors. 4. "No notes" is a lovely thing to see. But so are a ton of well-articulated edits. They make you better. What's the most helpful edit you've had lately?

One of the best exercises you can do as a copywriter is synthesize longer writing into shorter writing. Because—and this is almost always true—if you can rewrite something to say the same thing in fewer words, you’ve made the work better. And a great place to practice is Wikipedia. Try this: Rewrite a Wikipedia paragraph to a third of its original length (e.g., edit ~150 words down to ~50 words) without sacrificing the meaning. This is an ultra-effective exercise because concision is already baked into Wikipedia’s publication rules, which state: “Articles should use only necessary words. This does not mean using fewer words is always better; rather, when considering equivalent expressions, choose the more concise.” In other words, the platform already has a strict no-fluff policy—and that’s what makes this exercise so good. Editing an already-concise paragraph for brevity demands hypersensitivity to syntax, to sentence structure, to the weight of each word. It puts your Editor Brain into overdrive, forcing a mindset so unnatural, you’ll walk away from each exercise a markedly more concise writer. 𝘛𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘵. Do it once a day, five days a week for a month, and your writing will drastically improve. Do it once a day, five days a week for 𝘢 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, and the quality of your writing will surpass that of most professional copywriters. Need an example? I synthesized this paragraph from HubSpot’s Wikipedia page:

You can tell in two sentences if someone’s a professional writer. It’s not spelling or grammar mistakes that give it away. Here’s what signals a pro: Precision: They use the right words, not all the words. Pacing: They know when to speed up and when to slow down. Confidence: They say what they mean. No hedging, no apologies. Editing instincts: Even their rough drafts don’t ramble. Audience awareness: They write like someone is actually reading. Want to sound like a pro? Say it straight: Do: “We missed the mark.” Not: “It appears we may not have fully achieved our intended goals.” Cut the filler: Do: “We decided.” Not: “After much consideration, we ultimately came to the decision that...” Vary your sentence length: Do: Short. Then longer if needed. Then short again. Not: A 30-word endurance test every time. Own your voice: Do: “Here’s what I recommend.” Not: “It is recommended that...” Professional writing moves the reader while boring writing loses them fast. #WritingTips #Storytelling #ContentStrategy #WritingTipWednesday

As you’re editing, watch for verbs that have been turned into nouns. These “buried verbs” can make your writing hard to read. Dig them up. Strong verbs will help you make your points more effectively. If your draft reads “Ohio law makes a distinction between general and special guarantees.” — dig up the buried verb: —> “Ohio law distinguishes between general and special guarantees.” If your draft reads “There are statutory prohibitions against arbitrary and unreasonable actions.” — dig up the buried verb:  —> “The statute prohibits arbitrary and unreasonable actions.” If your draft reads “The defendants are without an explanation as to . . .” — dig up the buried verb: —> "The defendants fail to explain . . ." Look for nouns ending in          “ion” --—> allegation, decision          “ment” --—> replacement, argument          “ance” --—> acceptance, reliance You’ll need to use some of these buried verbs. When the statutory standard or the court holding is set out using a buried verb, of course you’ll use it. But when the buried verb is unnecessary, replace it with a strong verb to strengthen your writing. #legalwriting  #writing  #editing

I spent 300+ hours studying copywriting so you don’t have to. Here are 7 rules to transform your writing: Writing good copy isn’t luck—it's a skill. And like any skill...some rules separate the amateurs from the pros. Here's what I wish I knew when I started: (1) 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 Trying to say everything? You’ll end up saying nothing. Great copy is focused: • one big idea • for one specific person • with one clear promise (2) 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 If your words feel like a puzzle, people won’t bother solving it. Simple words → Short sentences → Clear ideas That’s how you keep attention. (3) 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 Conversations don’t sound formal. Your copy shouldn’t either. Start sentences with “And.” End with fragments. Make it human. (4) 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 Big blocks of text? Nobody has time for that. Use: • bullet points • short paragraphs • white space to guide the eye (5) 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 Your headline is your first impression. Rewrite it until it’s irresistible. Pro tip: If it doesn’t grab you, it won’t grab anyone else. (6) 𝗖𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗳𝗳 Every word should fight for its place. If it doesn’t add value, it’s out. (7) 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 If it sounds weird to you, it’ll sound weird to your reader. Bonus: You get to catch all your sneaky typos. Follow these rules, and your writing won’t just grab attention—it’ll hold it. What would you add to the list? --- P.S. Want more writing tips that actually work? Follow me Aldis Ozols for daily posts on digital writing & building your personal brand.