I’ve come back to add in this opening section. I was about to press publish but the first line was as beige as the half-price, gluten-free mozzarella sticks I bought then microwaved the minute I got home because I have no patience when it comes to food. (My patience for proofreading? Bursting with the stuff!)

Now it’s not an opening line anymore, let’s get to it…

I had a message from a LinkedIn connection the other day:

‘I would love to understand more about how you work. I assumed that a copywriter/VA would do the proof reading?’

That’s a genuine question. This isn’t one of those posts that starts with a pretend query about ‘how people always ask me…’ so I can play the SEO keyword game.

The question’s a good’un too because I’d have never thought about it otherwise. We know what we know and it’s so easy to forget that not everyone knows what we know. And in a way, she’s right!

Some virtual assistants offer proofreading. Some copywriters offer proofreading. So they’re all proofreaders, right?

Adventures in hairdressing

Yes. In the same way that I’m a level-two hairdresser because I can shape around the ears. I’m a level-two hairdresser with no hairdressing qualifications. Which is why I don’t know what they do in level one – or if they even have levels.

I used to cut my friend’s hair when her crop grew out and would trim my ex-girlfriend’s choppy style too. I had to shave the back of hers (that’s level-three adeptness there) except I’d use my bikini razor and that’s not the done thing in professional hairdressery.

I can cut short hair to a reasonable standard. But this doesn’t mean I’m a haircutting professional. I don’t know how best to do it or have the right tools. If anything, it means I have cheap friends.

We had a rule. (I made the rule. Rules are fun.) If it got to the point where I thought the next snip might lead to something that ‘just needs straightening up’ then I’d stop and they’d book someone with demonstrable credentials. Or at least one of those pinnies to keep their scissors and pointy comb in.

Are copywriters proofreaders?

(Definitely added in for SEO keyword-related benefits.)

Let’s generalise. Copywriters tend to fall into three camps…

Camp 1: Copywriters who only write copy

All copywriters need to proof their own writing. It’s the same way that, whatever it is we do, we need to check our work before we send it off to the client. And like anyone who’s researched, written, edited then rewritten their work, they’re too involved to properly ‘read’ what they’ve typed. Our brains are efficient and skim words so we can take in the meaning. That’s why it’s so hard to see our own typos.

Copywriters who ONLY write are not the folk you want to proofread your writing. They’re most likely to have a creative way of thinking rather than a head for detail, continuity and the patience to scroll through pages and pages of thousands and thousands of words to check if you used that hyphen on page 49 the same as page 17. It’s an en dash? See. It’s best to double check.

Camp 2: Copywriters who proofread

I don’t personally know anyone who does this but I know of people that do and it’s pretty common. If they have the knack for the creative side AND the methodical side then that blows my mind. Imagine being both?! Sometimes I can draw. But only if I use a ruler. Can’t get that need for neatness out of me.

I do know copywriters who proofread for their colleagues. They’re a team! But the ones I know say they end up editing rather than proofreading because they see a ‘better’ way to word an idea or restructure a paragraph.

Editing isn’t proofreading. And editing can lead to missing and accidentally adding in errors. (Remind me to write a post about that.) We’re proofreading to get rid of those sneaks!

Camp 3: Proofreaders who write copy

If they’re proofreaders who offer copywriting then they’ll know their stuff. They’ve probably expanded their offering because they’ve learned so much from working directly on copywriters’ copy that they’ve got the skills to deliver both services.

Do I offer copywriting? Nope. I’m a better hairdresser than copywriter.

To me (someone who’s only ever written because running a proofreading business means you now have to be a writer so people know you exist and send you stuff for proofreading), copywriting is all about getting into the mind of your audience. Getting into the mind of your client. And getting into the mind of your client’s audience. You find their pain points and rub some linguistic Savlon on it.

I can get into the mind of me. I write these in a way that makes sense to me. If I tried to get in your head I’d freeze and panic and procrastinate with some spreadsheet faffery and eat grated mozzarella that’s barely lasted me 36 hours straight out of the bag in the freezer where I’ve ‘hidden’ it from myself as all I want to do since I’ve given up Greek yoghurt is eat bland dairy. Why have I stopped buying Greek yoghurt?

I can’t comprehend my own mind let alone anyone else’s.

Camp 4: Camp Kylie

I think that phrase every time I write ‘camp’. It’s the slogan off the Kylie Minogue merch t-shirt that I wanted sooooo much from her 2001 tour but had to settle with learning the dance routines. You should see me crack out Step’s Deeper Shade of Blue. I’d have made an exceptional Claire if I’d ever got round to starting that tribute act.

Are virtual assistants proofreaders?

VAs have all those wonderful organisational traits of the wonderfully organised. It makes them fab proofreaders. They tend to be people who get a thrill creating order, streamlining, highlighting discrepancies and inconsistencies in the systems, CRMs and documents they’re working on. I’m getting myself going there.

I spent years having organising orgasms over planning events and conferences, and studio managing a bunch of tech/creatives in a couple of marketing agencies. The proofreading fitted in perfectly. I made sure it did.

But proofreading isn’t the only task that demands a VA’s attention and concentration. They’re managing tasks that keep their client’s businesses running smoothly. It’s not easy to proofread when clients are calling, emails are pinging and all the things for all the people have to all be done by the time they all need doing by.

They can’t devote four full days to proofreading your 25,000-word government industry strategy PDF. VAs may be great proofreaders, but their day and their focus isn’t specifically set up to have the time, space and headspace from their other tasks to fully get into it.

Does that bowl cut cut it?

If you need a proofreader? It’s best to book a proofreader. But who am I, the person that microwaves mozzarella sticks and mixes her analogies, to tell you what to do? The same way I chop a good crop, if you know your copywriter or VA will do a good job and you trust them? Go for it!

But know that there’s a proofreader out there that has that time and space and headspace to proofread it for you.

Maybe don’t base your decision on musical preferences, though. Reduced price party food doesn’t pay for itself.