External contributors are off-tone in their submissions. How can you guide them to match the desired tone?

Firstly, please make sure to give clear guidelines and examples to show the tone you want. When giving feedback on their work, be specific about areas that need improvement. Encourage them to ask questions or for clarification, so they understand your expectations and can consistently match your preferred style.

In the “Tone Brief” section, the emphasis is on providing a detailed and comprehensive guide for external contributors. This includes clearly articulating the brand’s voice, desired emotional resonance, content pace, and specific language use. By offering concrete examples of past content, contributors can better emulate the brand’s tone, reducing guesswork and enhancing consistency.

Make it as simple and brief as you can and definitely check out if the comprehensive understanding is mutually clear. Check out the clarity of your expectations against the external contributors previous particular projects which may be naysayers in your mind or may be against your company's vision. Having a precise well documented agreement about the tone, vocabulary and music for your brand is what the external contributor should be clear about to avoid future turmoil.

I create styling guides for each project. It has everything a writer needs to effectively emulate the voice of the brand. Depending on the complexity of the content, I may or may not include examples. The key is to hire a professional who can work under minimum supervision.

The “Direct Feedback” section underscores the importance of constructive criticism when contributors deviate from the desired tone. Specific feedback on which parts of the content missed the mark and suggestions for improvement not only help with the current piece but also serve as a valuable learning tool for future submissions. This fosters a deeper understanding of the brand’s tone over time.

It saves time and energy even keeps a check on resources if one gives direct feedback. What needs to be said and done should be addressed without mincing words or playing the ostrich. Keep it simple and discuss what went wrong for that particular project rather than mingling the past as it is possible the feedback you are aiming for may not resonate with the one whom you are addressing it with as justifying the wrong is human nature. So just spill out what went wrong and how could you lead the team member out of the situation and how would it be sorted out so that too feel assured of not being left out in the dark groping to find a way and hastily end up making another blunder.

Editing is a vital part of content creation. While many good writers and edit their work - they sometimes miss the mark. It's important to use track changes on msword or google sheets and give feedback on style, tone, personality, sentence structure, transitions and a lot more.

The “Editorial Guidelines” section highlights the need for clear stylistic choices, sentence structure, word choice, and thematic elements important to the brand. Regularly updating these guidelines ensures they remain relevant and continue to be a valuable resource. This helps contributors?

In my experience, editorial guidelines differ from company to company. Unfortunately, writers are ones who need to coax editors to fully understand the editorial guidelines presented to them.

I do not agree with collaborative editing, when it involves more than 2 people. I usually work directly with clients, some have editors, some don't. The core objective is the same - to emulate the brand voice and convey the brand message as envisioned by the brand.