You're faced with contradictory feedback during revisions. How do you navigate through the confusion?

Navigating through contradictory feedback during revisions can be challenging, but it's an essential skill for ensuring the quality and coherence of your work. The first step is to carefully review all the feedback you’ve received, recognizing that differing opinions often stem from various perspectives and priorities. It's important to remember that feedback is not about right or wrong but about understanding different viewpoints that could improve your work. Start by categorizing the feedback into themes or areas of concern, identifying commonalities and differences. This process will help you discern which points are universally acknowledged as needing change and which are more subjective.

When evaluating the source of contradis=, it's essential to consider who is providing the feedback, their expertise, their role in the project, and how their perspective impacts the content. If the content is technical, feedback from a SME may be more valuable than a general marketing person. A content strategist might give more relevant tone, structure, or messaging feedback than a technical expert. Internal stakeholders may provide feedback based on their intimate understanding of the brand, the project’s objectives, and internal constraints like budget or deadlines. This insight can be crucial in ensuring the content aligns with internal strategies. However, external client feedback may offer a fresh perspective.

First, the objectives of the project are required to be identified. Then it is essential to scrutinise the feedback and identify the contradictory parts (one can request the stakeholders to clarify those contradictory components in order to get more clarity). Furthermore, the feedback which is pertinent to project objectives needs to be given significance.

When you're faced with contradictory feedback during revisions, "assessing input" is vital to navigate through the confusion and make informed decisions. Begin by categorizing the feedback into themes or topics. Group similar comments together to identify patterns or recurring issues. This helps you see whether certain concerns are shared by multiple users or stakeholders. Separate subjective opinions from objective critiques. For example, personal preferences about style or tone might differ, but factual errors or usability issues should be addressed more consistently.

When you're faced with contradictory feedback during revisions, prioritizing goals is essential to navigate the confusion and make effective decisions. Start by revisiting the main objectives of the project. Whether it's improving user engagement, aligning with brand identity, or meeting specific business outcomes, knowing your primary goals will help you filter the feedback that supports these aims. Identify which aspects of the project are non-negotiable based on the goals. For example, if maintaining brand voice is a top priority, feedback that contradicts this goal may need to be deprioritized.

The key to effective content creation is prioritizing impact over quantity. While there are countless good content ideas out there, not all align with your specific business goals. Always ask yourself: "Which strategy has the MOST impact on achieving our objectives?" By focusing on the strategies that directly contribute to your success, you can maximize your efforts and achieve better results.

In conflicted situations like this, one of the best and most effective alternatives is merging the most fitting pointers from both sources instead of choosing to keep one. Contradictory feedback often introduces a fresher perspective that can deliver a more cohesive result when combined with the original ideas. Also, while it's beneficial to address feedback creatively, it's equally important to ensure that the final content piece aligns with the brand guidelines and fulfills its intended purpose.

Something I learned a while ago especially in the creative/subjective space. Just because a suggestion or revision does not aline with what I would do it doesn't make it wrong. It is always best to try to leave ego at the door (I know this can be hard) and focus on the agreed upon strategy and objective. That will normally point the way through.

Keeping an ongoing list of corrections/changes is a good strategy. Ive seen clients contradict themselves and sometimes they don’t realize it. Providing them clarity can sometimes clear any confusion and sometimes they just want that “golden finger moment” where they just want to make that decision they want to make. Just smile and say “I’ll get right on that.” It’s not worth getting riled up. Ultimately we are in a service industry that provides a video production service with a smile and expertise.

There comes a time when you just have to trust your gut. After weighing all the feedback, I’ve found that my experience and intuition often guide me to the right decision, even when opinions differ. It’s not about dismissing others’ input, but about recognizing that, as the content creator, I’m the one who knows what will work best for the piece—and that confidence is key to growing in my craft.

I think it’s good to get to the basis of everyone’s concerns and then find the best solution that addresses those concerns. Usually a client isn’t giving specific design or copy direction as much as trying to say what’s not working and trying to suggest ways to help solve the issue. It’s our job to efficiently translate that input in a meaningful and effective way that still protects the brand, delivers on the strategy and addresses their concerns. It’s also ok to get clients together in a room and push them to agree on which concerns are the highest priority.