March 6, 2023

Introduction

Here at English Outsourced, we talk a lot of about proofreading, editing, and revising content for your business. It’s an extremely important aspect of content creation that we don’t see talked about enough.

Today, we’ll discuss one of the best “hacks” for proofreading, editing, and revising your business content: listening.

Audio has carved out a huge space for itself. These days, people have figured out that they no longer have to sit and read the content they’re interested in. They can use apps or features on their device to turn the content into audio and listen while on the go or while doing other things.

Therefore, it’s a good idea for you as a business owner to assume that sometimes, your potential clients and customers will be listening to your content—even things you intended to be read. For this reason it pays to take the time to make sure your content sounds as good when it’s read out loud as when it’s read silently.

Benefits of Listening to Your Writing

When you listen to your own writing, it can help you pick up on any potential errors that weren’t visible when reading. It’s a great way to get a fresh perspective on how your content reads and flows, and can give you insight into what might need some more editing or revising.

Plus, listening to your writing also allows you to hear any awkward phrasings or words that don’t quite fit. Often, these are grammatical errors or inaccuracies that may not be immediately visible when reading the text on a page.

Another great benefit of listening to your writing is that it can help you judge if the content has enough personality and charisma in its tone. If it sounds too robotic or monotone, you’ll be able to pick up on that and can adjust accordingly.

Tips for Listening To Your Writing

1. Read your work out loud slowly: This will help you hear the flow of your sentences and the way each word fits together in a sentence. Additionally, break down any longer sentences into shorter ones so you can really listen and hear each word.
2. Record yourself reading your work: This is a great way to get an outside perspective (albeit from yourself, but still). Hearing how you sound when reading the content can be extremely helpful for determining if it flows well and reads as intended.
3. Listen to someone else reading your work: If you don’t like the sound of your own voice, or just want a fresh perspective, have someone else read your content out loud. This will allow you to hear the words from another person’s point of view and can provide valuable feedback on how it reads.
4. Use Text to Speech Software. This is valuable because this is the same software that someone could use to listen to your written content. You get to listen to your content back via the same software before your audience gets a chance to. There are many apps and programs that you can download, and many of them are free. You can copy/paste what you’ve written into the app, click play, and get another perspective on your content that you didn’t have before.

Why This Works

Why is listening back to your written content such a cool hack?

When you read, your eyes move quickly. You don’t necessarily take the time to look at every letter or truly wrestle with each sentence. When you listen back to your written content, however, it allows you to pay attention to how the words fit together and how they sound when spoken out loud. This can help you pick up on potential errors that weren’t immediately visible while reading.

This is doubly true for content that you yourself have written. Because you were the one who wrote it, you’re much more familiar with it, so when you read it back your eyes will cruise through it even faster. This is even more true for additional drafts. You just get so used to it that at a certain point, you’re skimming.

When you’re listening, it’s almost like having a fresh take. You’re receiving the information with a different sense—a separate part of your brain. You can evaluate what you’ve written from another point of view.

Conclusion

Take the time to listen to your own written content. By listening, you can hear any errors that weren’t immediately apparent from reading. It’s also a great way to get a fresh perspective on how the content reads and flows. There are several ways to do this, such as recording yourself or someone else reading your work, using text to speech software, and more. Doing so can really benefit your written content and help you create better work.

Here at English Outsourced, we’re passionate about the editing and proofreading process. We understand the importance of making sure content is error-free, engaging, and speaks to its target audience. We particularly specialize in helping business owners who speak English as a second language. Click here to discover how English Outsourced can help you enhance and improve your written business content today!