14 techniques for more thorough proofreading
Typos, misaligned days and dates, and links that send you to an error page (or worse) can sink your best pitch or undermine an entire campaign. Try these tricks for picking every last nit.
PR pros put great effort into crafting press releases, building a targeted media list and developing relationships with journalists. Yet even a minor error can ruin those efforts.
More than a few PR agencies and departments have faced angry executives, suffered public ridicule and lost revenue due to proofreading oversights such as misspelled names in headlines, incorrect prices and wrong dates for company events.
The following advice can help writers and editors improve their proofreading and catch errors:
1. Wait. Allow a few hours or a couple of days to pass after you finish writing before you start proofreading. “If you’re familiar with the story, your eye will glide right by the error. If you take a break, however, you’re far more likely to catch the problem,” advises Daphne Gray-Grant, principal of The Publication Coach.
2. Re-examine the large type. Review logos, company names, headlines and, especially, subheads. Large, important items can become invisible.
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