Editing and proofreading are two different things; but editors can do both.

Proofreading involves checking grammar, punctuation and typos, and making minor copy tweaks where necessary. It’s a quicker job that tends to be the final step before publishing.

Editing, on the other hand, isn’t just a red pen process. Editors take care of the big stuff – concentrating on tone of voice, brand strategy and messaging, style, flow, structure, and general impact and digestibility for the reader. All before proofreading it. So they’ll need to see the brief, style and tone guides (signed off by all stakeholders at the start of the project) that the writer’s worked from.

Let’s think back a few years to the big editor debate surrounding the New York Times. Following the proposed elimination of their traditional copy desk, editors worldwide took to Twitter using #whyeditors to show their support. Their argument? Editors are a must-have – even for the most experienced writers – no matter the subject, length, audience or purpose of the content.

To understand the value editors add, here’s a breakdown of what we actually do:

Represent the reader. A writer can get bogged down in fulfilling aspects of a brief, so the editor is there to represent the reader, seeing the copy through fresh eyes. They’re able to flag any unanswered questions and make sure the content isn’t too technical for the audience, cut down waffle and repetition, and restructure sentences and paragraphs.

Make sure copy matches the brief, for example checking the right messages, calls-to-action and keywords are covered to help the content meet its objectives.

…and the rest of the content you produce. This is where style and tone of voice guidelines come in. An editor will check copy against these to ensure brand consistency. If your editor fed into your content strategy, they’ll be aware of how well it ties in with any wider brand goals.

Fact-check claims, names and figures, and flag questions around potential legal or compliance concerns.

Provide writers with constructive feedback on content, structure and pointers for their development, so you’ll get a better product next time.

Proofread; catching typos, spelling, punctuation and grammar. According to Tom Stafford, psychologist at the University of Sheffield, with our own writing, "we don't catch every detail, we're not like computers or NSA databases… Rather, we take in sensory information and combine it with what we expect, and we extract meaning." So, we’re always competing with what we think we’ve written. There may be ways you can trick your brain into paying more attention (printing out your work or changing the font) but you’re never going to be able to fully distance yourself.

From long-form articles to PPC ads, social copy or SEO metadata – editors can make the difference between forgettable and standout messages. And as shorter copy is often created in volume batches, writers can be more likely to miss or repeat things.

Where there isn’t time for an editor to go over every copy line, involve them in the planning stages to share tips, tricks and templates that will help writers and analysts create the right messaging for different audiences.

“Involving experienced editors to craft our paid social ad copy is invaluable” says iCrossing UK’s paid social strategist, Sandra Frankowska. “Their actionable, stand-out creative not only helps us boost engagement rates, but allows for more robust message A/B testing that informs future campaign planning and execution.”

In an industry built on communication, trust an editor to make yours crystal clear.