I don’t edit my blog posts.

It’s quite the opposite when I work on pieces for my clients.

Once I’m finished with a piece for a client, I put it to the side and don’t look at it again for a day or two. Then, I print it out and edit the old fashioned way – with a pen. Reading the piece out loud, I mark up as I go. Once I’m finished, I make all the corrections on the electronic copy. If the piece is long or a complicated topic, I’ll print it out and hard-copy edit again. Or, I’ll read through the electronic copy, making additional edits as I go.

Depending on how extensive the piece is, I can spend up to an hour editing. I don’t rush. Sometimes I’ll put it to the side and sit on it for another day or two. I find that giving myself space from the piece clears my head and gives me additional clarity. Most of the time I’m able to go back and catch things I missed, make additional edits improving the flow, or realize something that made sense when I wrote it no longer does.

Giving my clients exceptional work isn’t just so I can continue to have a business, but it’s also what I expect from myself. Spending extra time editing and making sure what I submit to them is perfect is simply part of the job. It helps ensure I’m adding quality pieces to my portfolio, and it keeps the client happy.

However, when I write my own blog posts, I feel differently.

On my own blog, it’s important to me to be authentic. To be real, and honest. I write like I’m having a conversation with you because that’s how I want you to feel. And by editing and re-writing, I feel I lose some of that authenticity and spur-of-the-moment conversation feel.

This isn’t something I’ve always done. When I first started my blog, I felt like everything I wrote had to be perfect because I wanted people to trust that what I’d create for them is perfect. But over time I’ve found that there is a separation between my work for my clients and writing for my blog, and there are different expectations.

Building a relationship with my clients is critical to both of our success. If you want to see my portfolio of my professional work, and learn what you’d expect if you hired me to write for you, go to callahancommunication.com/portfolio. But if you want to understand me as a person, what I represent, why I do what I do, and why you should trust me to help you with your digital marketing, read my blog.