Originally posted to www.carnsight.com
I’ve always been keen to grow my business, but in a sustainable way.
Covid, global conflicts, teetering on the edge of a recession and a cost of living crisis have provided plenty of challenges along the way. But I know many are worse off. Almost 2.2 million women are working in low paid jobs and struggling to make ends meet in this country, as well as almost 1.5 million men.
That’s not just someone else’s problem. As business owners, it’s something we should all be aware of and eager to address. That’s one of the reasons we’ve signed up to the real Living Wage Foundation.
When I first started building a team, my model had to evolve, and wage growth was gradual. But I soon realised that investing in people was one of the most important things I could do. The business model simply wasn’t right if I couldn’t afford to pay people the right wage.
We’ve always paid people who come to us for work experience (except for those still at school) and we always pay interns. Joining the Living Wage foundation underscores that, and ensures we’ll carry on in the same vein.
The real Living Wage rates are higher than the government’s minimum wages because they are independently-calculated based on what people need to get by (there’s more about the methodology on their website).
Whereas the statutory minimum wage starts at just £8.60 an hour for the youngest workers, the real Living Wage is £12 for all (or £13.15 in London). The Living Wage Foundation exists to encourage all businesses to pay their employees a wage that meets the costs of living, not just the government minimum.
The Living Wage Foundation talks about there being a range of benefits when you sign up. These include recruitment, competitivity in the market and being more likely to attract investors. However, the main reason to commit is that it’s the right thing to do, for our society, our current generation and those to come.
The numbers speak for themselves. More than 460,000 employees have received a pay rise as a result of the Living Wage campaign to date. As well as thousands of small businesses, half of FTSE 100 brands and household names including Nationwide, Google, LUSH, Everton FC and Chelsea FC have signed up.
There’s still plenty more work to do and many more businesses that can join. You’ll find a lot more information on their website as well as case studies of people affected by low wages, and reports on the difference joining can make.
People don’t just buy products or services
People buy people… and people are made up of stories.
Studies have shown that 55% of people are more likely to buy a product if they love the story behind a brand.
But why do brand stories matter? What makes a brand story compelling and engaging?
As a business, or individual, your brand’s story should be a complete picture of who you are and why you do what you do – what is your mission and vision.
It encompasses the facts of your brand, but also the feelings created by your brand. It should be the foundation of every aspect of your content marketing. Without a brand narrative, your marketing will be typically vague and inconsistent.
Notice how we’ve not mentioned what you do here.
In his book and hugely popular TedTalk, Start With Why, Simon Sinek argues that most organisations communicate from the outside in.
They start with what it is they do, before going into the how. They rarely address the why. But the why is so important when it comes to telling stories and leveraging human appeal.
Sinek argues that inspired leaders and organisations communicate from the inside out, starting with the why, and then moving to how, before finally addressing what it is that they do.
“With everything we do, we aim to challenge the status quo. We aim to think differently. Our products are user-friendly, beautifully designed, and easy to use. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”
This example, from Sinek, concisely shows this process in action. It is a reference to Apple and the way it starts with Why in its communications.
The theory emphasizes that people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.
By starting with the “why,” organisations can differentiate themselves from their competitors, attract like-minded individuals who share their beliefs, and foster a loyal customer base or following.
This is where storytelling comes into play.
Brand storytelling is an art form that can be traced back to as early as 1895.
This was when a farming magazine called ‘The Furrow,’ leveraged compelling brand stories as a way to connect with their target audience.
John Deere’s magazine is considered to be the first example of corporate storytelling. But since these early days, brands have continued to recognise the amazing power that stories have.
Fundementally people like stories, because they can create emotional connections with them. This connection then creates brand differentiation, humanisation, memorability and engagement.
These are incredibly important elements not only for building brand authenticity but for keeping a steady pipeline of engagement in a world where a lot of businesses are pushing a product or service.
As more people are driven to make connections online, more brands and businesses use that online presence for reach and engagement.
This kind of activity would previously have been referred to as the marketing funnel. But that’s something of an outmoded term now.
The funnel is now more of a web.
The sheer volume of marketing communications coming the way of a consumer is staggering. From Google Search, to Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Blogs, News and more the consumer has never been bombarded with more information.
The term web is quite an apt one in this sense. Because the web of social and marketing comms is now so laden with competition, it easily becomes overly exhausting for the potential customer.
All it can take is one element of that web to break, for the whole thing to fall down.
A lot of brands have a story to tell. But the only way to create a story that will resonate with your customers is to understand the art of storytelling.
Great stories are considered as such for several reasons. They take you on a journey. Great stories are relatable, they can inspire, engage, can even affect change. A good story is always:
Successful brand storytelling always has several key elements that create a compelling narrative.
An authentic story will help you articulate brand messaging, brand values and your brand’s mission.
How can you leverage the power of storytelling for your brand? Let’s start with the basics
Before you can tell your story, you have to know your story. Many organisations try to tell their brand story before they understand who they are and why their audience should care. It’s much easier to tell your brand’s story when you figure out:
An essential part of any brand story starts, as you’d expect, at the beginning.
What is your brand’s purpose, why do you do what you do? Why does your brand exist in the first place?
Identifying the answers to these questions will help you understand more about your brand. Once you establish your own brand’s identity, you can begin to tell your story.
It’s important to have a clear and consistent message that emanates throughout your communication. But try to stay clear of sounding like you’re selling something… show, don’t tell.
When you show who you are as a brand vs what you’re selling, you’re creating that emotional connection and brand differentiation. So, when it does come the time to drop a sales message, you have that preexisting engagement and customer motivation.
You can really only achieve this if you know your audience. To craft a compelling story that will speak to your customers, you need to properly understand them.
What motivates them, what inspires them, what moves them
Ask yourself who your customers are and why they should care about your brand. Define your buyer personas and think about the kinds of stories they want to hear.
Understanding your audience is imperative to not just your brand story, but your marketing strategy as a whole.
With your messaging shaped and your audience profiled, it’s time to define your narrative.
How do you want your audience to react? Do you want them to feel entertained? Informed? Educated?
Understanding these points will help you form your narrative and allow you to paint a picture of the kinds of stories and content that you should be producing.
Telling an authentic brand story goes beyond the ‘about us’ page on your website.
Instead, it’s interwoven into every aspect of communications
You’ll find that great brand stories are permeated through a brand’s social media posts, blogs, emails and website.
In today’s competitive and crowded marketplace, brand storytelling has become a powerful tool for companies to create meaningful connections with their customers, differentiate themselves, and establish a strong and memorable brand identity
Do you want to experience the value of great storytelling? Talk to the team at AMBITIOUS to discover how we can get more people talking about your brand [email protected] or call us on 0117 905 1177.
Originally posted to www.carnisght.com
When you think of social media analytics, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably Facebook or Instagram, however, LinkedIn deserves a spot on your list.
According to Sprout Social LinkedIn has over 1 Billion members spread across 200 countries, and has the highest user rate in the US, with an audience reach of over 214 million users.
LinkedIn is a platform for professional networking that comes with powerful analytics tools. These tools help you gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your posts and social media strategy. Let’s explore together how you can check your analytics on LinkedIn.
To effectively track analytics on LinkedIn, it’s important to set clear goals for your PR and social media strategies. This involves identifying specific and measurable objectives such as boosting brand awareness, driving website traffic or generating leads. These objectives will help guide your analytics efforts and enable you to achieve the most effective results.
LinkedIn provides valuable analytics tools, however, not all metrics are relevant for every business. Focus on tracking relevant metrics that align with your objectives. Key metrics may include:
Step 1: Log in to LinkedIn. Go to the company page and go to your LinkedIn admin view.
Step 2. Click on Analytics on the left side of your screen.
Step 3. Once the analytics tab is open, you can see detailed insights organised into content, visitors, followers, leads, competitors and employee advocacy.
It’s important to regularly review your social media analytics on LinkedIn to identify patterns, trends, and areas for improvement. These insights can help you refine your strategy, optimise your content, and continuously improve your social media marketing efforts.
Tracking social media analytics on LinkedIn is not just about numbers; it’s about understanding your audience, refining your strategy, and driving tangible business outcomes. By setting clear objectives, leveraging analytics tools, and adopting a data-driven approach, small business owners can unlock the full potential of LinkedIn as a powerful marketing platform. Embrace analytics as a guiding compass on your journey to social media success, and watch your business thrive in the digital realm.
Learn more about social media marketing and how it can help your small business here.
Your Carnsight Communications Social Media Wizard
Laura
You’re probably wondering what I mean by a ‘PR ecosystem’. This is by no means a professional or academic term, it’s actually a phrase one of my colleagues threw around in the office recently as part of an off-hand discussion. But it stuck with me. The winning piece of context here is that we were talking about placing a recent piece – the final product was tweaked a lot and landed with a publication that, while great, was not what we initially shaped the piece for. So it took more time and more effort, and a few revisions that didn’t ‘end up anywhere’ (as I like to say, you have to crack some eggs to make an omelette). But, later in the week, this piece ended up being crucial to securing a great piece in a national title – it was a credit to our spokesperson’s expertise, passion, and relevance, and got us over the line ahead of competition candidates.
We have a lot of discussions with clients about their dream, ideal, and target publications. The truth of the matter is sometimes that to reach the top-tier publications we aspire to, it’s necessary to build a firm base in the media – to grow credibility as a brand, spokesperson, or expert – and to prove the value and media reputation that can back your bid for inclusion. Oftentimes, there are necessary stepping stones to get you there, and compromises that, in the long run, can pay off tenfold. Changing an angle, redrafting a piece or placing a comment somewhere different can work in your favour, and it all helps to build a media presence. Or, as Jess put it, your ecosystem.
There is so much to be said for the value of industry, trade, and local press. These titles often have well-developed, engaged communities. They can also offer a trusted line into more tailored, niche audiences and thus allow you to be more strategic and targeted in your communications. Hence, a balanced ecosystem that taps into the benefits of a wide range of publications can be incredibly valuable.
PR is often most valuable if you’re willing to play the long game. Growing your presence gradually and sustainably, putting in the work to create a profile and building your contacts can benefit you and your business for years to come.
It’s not always all about the immediate payoff in PR. Securing a hit piece in a big title or your dream publication is more likely if you put in the groundwork. Establish a base of credibility – get your business, brand, and thought leaders covered in multiple publications. Seed variety by commenting on a spectrum of topics or having a range of projects highlighted – this will help show that you’re not just a ‘one-hit wonder’ and prove sustained value.
When we work together…
While we will always see merit in the benefits of long-lasting retained relationships, we also understand that it’s not always in the scope. If DIY PR is better suited to you at this time, then our eBook – Powerfully Practical PR – may be a more achievable approach to building momentum and nurturing your own PR ecosystem.
Originally posted to www.carnsight.com
What Are Social Media Analytics and Metrics?
Social media analytics is a process that involves tracking, measuring, and analysing data collected from various social media platforms. This data helps businesses understand how well their social media strategy is performing by providing insights into engagement rates, reach, audience demographics, and other important factors. Metrics, on the other hand, are specific data points that help quantify various aspects of social media performance such as likes, shares, comments, click- through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and more.
Why Are Social Media Analytics Important for Small Businesses?
Key Metrics to Track
While the specific metrics that small businesses should track may vary depending on their goals and objectives, some key metrics to consider include:
Social media analytics and metrics are essential tools for small businesses navigating the complex world of social media marketing. By leveraging data-driven insights, businesses can better understand their audience, measure the success of their social media efforts, identify trends and opportunities, and ultimately drive business growth. Therefore, investing time and resources into tracking and analysing social media analytics is crucial for small businesses looking to succeed in today’s digital landscape.
Interested in reading more about social media for small business owners?
Read more here.
This blog post is part of a mini-series on social media analytics. I will cover additional topics in future posts.
Your Social Media Wizard
Laura
This post was guest-written by Isabella Perkins. Isabella graduated from the University of Westminster with a BA (Hons) degree in Television Production and her professional background has seen her work on shows such as The Pursuit of Love (BBC One), Portrait Artist of the Year (Sky Arts) and Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC One).
Whether you regard Television Production as a “real degree”, or not, you can’t deny the power that the TV industry holds in this day and age. From binge-watching a series on Netflix to enjoying the suspense of waiting for the next episode to be released on Amazon Prime or iPlayer, we are undeniably a nation of TV lovers.
Having worked in several different industries since graduating in 2018, I can personally vouch for the power of transferable skills. In no particular order, here is a list of skills that I believe are particularly useful and applicable to all industries:
Transferable Skills are something that everybody can take advantage of. Whether you’re looking to shift from one industry to another or simply want to learn new skills to strengthen your CV, I hope this article provides you with some inspiration or hope for your future career path.
If you would like to learn more about the broadcast industry, you can read this guest post from Jill Mission (radio broadcast expert).
Tone of voice (or TOV as it’s often referred to in these acronym centric times!) is important for brands and should be reflected across all their marketing copy. But for those that don’t have years of experience writing copy for different businesses, it can be daunting to know where to start. Fear not, help from your favourite copywriting service is here!
What is ‘tone of voice’?
If you think about the different tones of voice you use when talking to various people throughout the day, you are likely to use a different pitch, volume, speed, and perhaps even slightly different language depending on whether you’re at work, home, or out with friends. Even then, you’ll have different qualities that you use in different circumstances.
Depending on your tone, whoever is listening to you will interpret what you’re saying differently. Any managers or indeed parents reading this will know what I’m talking about immediately. A deepening of the voice and the use of more stern language means things are getting serious, while a softer pitch spoken more slowly gives the impression that all is well with the world.
The tone of voice of a brand works in a similar way. The things that you say and the way that you say it will help people to build their perception of you. When done well, your audience not only understands you, but they also want to work with you too.
How to achieve the right tone of voice for your brand
The first thing to say is the sooner you can give your TOV some thought the better as consistency is important. That’s not to say it’s too late if you’ve already been in business for a few years, but the quicker you can decide which tone of voice is right for your brand, the sooner all your audiences will have a clear picture of what you’re about.
Here are some tips to get you started.
Brand personality
When you start thinking about the right tone of voice for your brand, think about your brand’s personality and what you want people to feel when they see your name or your logo. Do you want them to feel comfortable, happy, relaxed, or serious? If you’re a solicitor you might want people to get a more serious professional feel from you, for example, while a marketing agency might want to present themselves as more fun and creative. There’s no right or wrong here, it depends on what type of business you have, the ethos of that business, and how you want to present yourself.
Organise your thoughts
Once you have spent time considering your brand personality and how you want your audience to feel, the next step is to organise these thoughts. It can be useful to list your different groups of audiences first – prospects, different groups of customers, competitors, suppliers, etc. Then write a few descriptive words about how you would like them to describe you in an ideal world. Really try and put yourself in their shoes. What do they want from your type of business, and how can your brand values deliver?
Once you have this list, you can use it to write out your brand’s tone of voice guidelines. If you have an expert marketer or copywriter on board this can be more in-depth, but even if you just come up with a few sentences that accurately represent you, it can be useful to keep all parties on the same TOV track.
Be consistent
Keeping everyone on the same track is important because if you want to give your brand a tone of voice, it needs to be consistent across all your marketing communications. That doesn’t mean you need one writer working on every piece of copy because different people have different areas of expertise, but with guidelines in place, all copy will sound consistent and like it’s from the same business.
So, your business blog should sound like it’s from the same company as your website content, physical brochures, social media, and press coverage. If all elements of your marketing campaigns are aligned, your audiences will learn what to expect from you and you will be easily recognisable.
Next steps for your brand’s tone of voice
Achieving the right tone of voice for your brand is a central piece of your marketing communications jigsaw. It’s the same as making sure all your marketing materials look the same with consistent brand design. If your website looks a bit different to your packaging, which looks a bit different to your social media pages, audiences won’t recognise you easily and may scroll past or walk on by. The same thing applies with the words you use and how you use them.
If you are still feeling daunted by the prospect of establishing and implementing a tone of voice that suits your brand down to the ground, perhaps hiring a freelance copywriter that can take care of all of that for you is the way to go.
Originally posted to www.carnsight.com
The PR and media landscape is always changing, but the past few years have truly seen change like no other. From technology to culture to politics, there are endless factors that mean that the media landscape of today is almost unrecognisable from even just four or five years ago. Often, clients (prospective and otherwise) don’t quite understand these drastic changes. Their expectations can come from an understanding of the media that might not truly reflect reality today. And so I wanted to take the time to unpack some of the biggest shifts I’ve seen in the industry in recent years.
OK, so Covid has a lot to answer for when it comes to these huge changes, of course. I don’t think many industries came out of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns quite the same as they went into them. Or people for that matter.
One of the biggest changes I’ve seen in the media landscape since 2020 came as a result of the pressure of the pandemic. Or rather, perhaps was accelerated by the pandemic.
Many publications had to shut down or shrink. Publications that once had a number of staff writers, now have small teams and/or work with freelance writers. Not to mention the pressure on journalists to write ‘click-worthy’ articles, and in ample quantities, is stronger than ever before.
Increasingly publications are having to diversify their income. There are pros and cons to this, of course. For one, more and more publications are running awards and round tables and other events which can be fantastic. This however also sometimes means a heavier focus on advertorial or paying for links which has certainly meant that a shift has been needed in the PR industry.
I still can’t bring myself to say X instead of Twitter. At best I’ve resorted to X/Twitter in written format. In 2022 Elon Musk bought Twitter, as I’m sure you’re all too aware. There were swift changes from then, paywalls being a biggy. Open DMs became premium features, and the algorithm was something different entirely. As a consequence, I’ve seen a lot of journalists leave Twitter. Or, at best, use it less.
#JournoRequest is still a great thing to keep an eye on, but it’s become much harder to form relationships with journalists over Twitter since Musk’s changes have come into effect. I’ve found that LinkedIn is becoming more popular for many journalists. And don’t even get me started on the whole Threads adventure. I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but I certainly don’t know anyone who stuck on it longer than a few months.
I feel like the devoted users of Twitter are still working to find the new right platform for them. I’m certainly still working out how best to interact with the platform moving forward. It will be interesting to see how that pans out over the next few years. I’m curious in particular to see how PRs can use other platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to connect with journalists and deliver them the content and comments they need.
You’d think we’d all be over that by now, but nope. I still end up speaking while muted on every Zoom/Teams meeting I join, and I’ve sort of reached a level of acceptance that it will always be the case.
Thanks to how quickly online meetings became the norm during Covid, the Zoom meeting very much seems here to stay. I’m having more meetings than ever and they’re almost always online. Online is the default now, in-person being the exception. And again, I think there are pros and cons to this.
Pros: saved travel expenses, accessibility, speed, ease.
Cons: so, so many meetings!
Believe it or not, I actually love a meeting. I like to be able to chat things through. It’s often much easier than going back and forth for hours over email. However, I do think we’re all guilty of having meetings that frankly could have just been a single email.
Not to mention, we’re not meeting up over coffee and cake anymore. And while that’s tragic because I simply love coffee and cake, it’s also meant more of a barrier when it comes to those journalist and client relationships I was talking about before.
I love hybrid working and I will defend it till the cows come home. I love that we can work from anywhere and that I’m not expected to drop everything for a whole day for the sake of an hour meeting in London anymore. But I do miss the face-to-face a bit. I miss being able to have a journalist’s (relatively) undivided attention for a little bit. (Selfish I know!) And of course, that’s not their fault. They’re under so much pressure. They often don’t have time to sit down with lots of different PRs and chat informally. And that’s a real shame, I think.
The term viral is being thrown around a lot these days, don’t you think? And as a consequence, there seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding about what viral really means and how exactly you get there. There are ample agencies out there which will tell you the ‘formula’ for going viral…and absolutely there is one. A few even. But the best content on social media (especially platforms like TikTok) absolutely cannot scream forced.
Social media content needs to feel authentic and organic. It’s clear to see that the best PR and influencer campaigns have an air of relatability and approachability to them. The more corporate you make the content, the less likely it’s going to appeal to the people you’re trying to reach.
It’s also worth thinking about if ‘going viral’ is actually what you need. It can be fantastic and provide a real boost, yes. But does virality equal long-term business success? Absolutely not.
It’s been so great to see more diversity in the media. I think there’s been a real shift. And while there’s still a really long way to go, I’m really pleased with the direction things are heading. More and more I’m seeing panels of diverse individuals; men and women from all sorts of backgrounds. People of various sexualities, ethnicities and gender identities. And when I don’t see that, I’m seeing those panels called out more often. I think that’s been a really positive change and I hope it continues.
It’s a personal gripe of mine that headlines are becoming more and more clickbait. But I get it. Completely! They work and in today’s world they’re necessary for journalists to reach wider audiences and make a fair wage for their hard work.
This being said, we’re having to help clients understand that the amount of control they have over the headline is limited. They might not agree with how the headline was handled, or prefer a different choice of phrasing, but as PRs we have to explain that unless there is factually incorrect information in an article or the headline, a journalist is under no obligation to make changes that you request of them.
PR isn’t about controlling every element of the piece. If you want ultimate control, then perhaps consider advertising. When it comes to PR, you have to put a bit of trust in the process.
So, there you have it. Just some of the changes that I’ve seen impact the industry in the past few years in a big way. Ultimately, change is inevitable. It can be exciting, even. The key is ensuring we as PRs know how to pivot with these changes and ensuring we’re securing great coverage no matter the situation.
What changes have you seen in your industry recently? What hopes do you have for the landscape in future?
Originally posted to www.carnsight.com
Everybody talks about attracting and retaining top talent. And of course, it’s more important than ever to do exactly that in today’s tough market. But what does that really mean? And how do you actually do it? Because you’re an amazing company to work for, you know it after all. You work with great clients, have fantastic employee benefits and a great company culture.
Thing is, that won’t go very far if nobody knows about it.
That’s where employer brand comes in.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the term. Something about it feels a bit forced. But the reality is, employer brand is just about managing and promoting your reputation as an employer. And there’s nothing fake or forced about that if what you say actually aligns with what you offer and do.
Think of your employer brand as how you want potential and current employees to think about you. What words do you want associated with you as a business and as an employer?
But wait a moment. Let’s bring things back to reality. Before you start listing out how you WANT to be perceived, ask your employees how they ACTUALLY perceive you. Because you can go out there talking a big game, but your current employees need to be advocates for that and they’ll soon express their frustration if they feel like the employer brand you’re pushing is disingenuous.
Everyone thinks they know how their current employees feel. But do you, really? Have you given them the space and anonymity to feedback honestly? Have you created the physiological safety they need to feel like they can offer genuine critique? If yes, great! If no, perhaps think about how you can offer those things. I promise it will pay off in the long run.
Assuming you received the feedback form your employees that they do in fact feel that you offer them the things you say you do, you’re now in a great position to bring PR into the equation. PR is how you share your great employer offering with the world.
PR helps to shape the narrative surrounding a company, both internally and externally. By crafting compelling stories that highlight positive workplace culture, employee success stories, and corporate social responsibility initiatives, PR can influence how potential candidates (as well as existing employees) perceive the company.
When it comes to attracting top talent, a positive employer brand is crucial. PR can help showcase a company’s unique selling points, emphasising its commitment to employee development, diversity and inclusion, and a supportive work environment.
As I mentioned, it’s not just about attracting new staff. PR also has a huge role to play when it comes to employee retention and advocacy. Maintaining open communication channels and fostering a positive workplace culture can help keep employees engaged and turn them into brand advocates who share their positive experiences both internally and externally.
Involving your employees in PR efforts also allows them a chance to feel heard and valued. It can really encourage a feeling of pride in a workplace and demonstrate a tangible way in which each employee can make an individual difference to the overall success of the company. More on this in our ‘benefits of PR‘ blog.
PR serves as a powerful instrument by shaping perceptions, attracting top talent, retaining employees, and navigating challenges. As businesses strive to stay ahead in the competitive job market, you can’t just be a great employer, you have to make the effort to tell people about it. To show people, in fact.
Only then can you ensure you’ve got a skilled and dedicated team behind the business, and that the team will continue to grow!
Originally posted to www.carnsight.com
We’ve dedicated a whole blog to proofing your eBook because it really is that important. When it comes to publishing your eBook, you need to proof it, proof it, proof it and proof it again! We can’t stress this enough, especially if you are self-publishing and don’t have the traditional editing process to help with this. Always have someone else look over your eBook. Preferably before, during, and after typesetting. Ideally, ask multiple people to read and proof your book, and do so at multiple stages if possible. If proofing it cover to cover is too much, you can always ask them to just do a chapter or two as every bit helps.
There are many things to consider when proofreading your eBook. Here are three types of proofreading we used and what you might want to consider when approaching each one.
Does your content make sense to someone who doesn’t have the same frame of reference and context that you do? Do the sentences flow – is there a mix of short, medium, and long structures or do you tend to fall into the trap of relying on too many winding sentences and not enough truncated ones? Varying sentence lengths can affect rhythm and can have a surprising effect on comprehension and engagement. If you’re explaining something, are you clear and concise? Are there sections that go on for too long, do you over-explain or under-explain anything? These critiques can often be hard to make yourself, as someone familiar with the topic at hand and having likely written and read over the words many times. Hence, we highly recommend outsourcing this to one or two people who aren’t as familiar with the content to read it with these questions in mind.
This is your standard sort of proofreading where you’re going through the spelling, grammar and punctuation with a fine-tooth comb. Have you used words correctly, are there any errors? While a digital tool can be a great help with this, it’s important not to rely on automated systems like Grammarly and spellcheck because they don’t always get it right. They also don’t always account for nuances of human comprehension, so while the squiggly red and blue lines can be a great starting point, we’d recommend being cautious about blindly accepting automatic corrections. There is a lot to be said for going through your eBook with a human eye more than once, at multiple stages, and from multiple perspectives. It may take time and feel frustrating on the fifth read, but it’s worth it! The last thing you want in a published piece is a typo that undermines the professionalism of your work.
This is usually most important after the first round of typesetting. It includes layout and spacing, indents, font type and size, headings, and links. Confirm that all of these elements appear as they should on the page and that they flow seamlessly for the user. This might take a few rounds of corrections and amendments before the final typesetting is completed and ready for publishing. We also recommend opening the final file in the format with which your user will look at it. For example, if you use Amazon, this will be through the Kindle app or device. You can use Amazon’s Kindle previewer to view the epub correctly.
Powerfully Practical PR is currently available on Amazon. We’ve also shared the four things we think businesses should know before writing an eBook, and an example of how to promote it.
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