Business editing is a professional service that will edit, revise, rewrite, and review your business writing so it’s perfect for your audience. Business editing is ideal for multiple types of copy including reports, website copy, ebooks, documents, emails, marketing materials, advertising, social media posts, company blog posts, and more.
A writer provides content to a business editing service. A business editor will strengthen the writing, enhance key points, ensure readability and consistency, remove duplication and ambiguity, and improve understanding and organization.
Business editing will:
Enhance accuracy and readability for your audience.
Remove errors and mistakes and enhance trust in your company.
Improve focus and sharpen your key points.
Make your content easier to understand.
Explain your business ideas, products, and services in an effective way.
Here are the questions we’ll answer in this comprehensive guide to business copy editing:
What’s included in a business editing service?
What’s not typically included in business editing?
Will business copy editing fix all the errors in my copy?
Can you explain the benefits of editorial services for business?
What is the difference between business editing and business proofreading?
How can business editing improve my work?
What are the main principles of editing for business?
What is the business editing process?
Will business editing completely change my work?
Can I edit my own business content?
How much does business editing cost?
Shouldn’t I get the cheapest option when choosing an editing service for my business?
The terms business copy editing and business editing are interchangeable, and we’ll use both in this guide.
Get an instant quote for my business editing services
What’s included in a business editing service?
Business copy editing ensures that your written content presents your business in the best possible way. This means reviewing and editing your content from the end reader’s perspective and making changes to enhance and polish the writing.
Business editing can be used for many different types of your company’s content including web copy, presentations, marketing materials, business documents, blog articles, case studies, white papers, emails, newsletters, advertising, social media, policies, processes, procedures, RFPs, training materials, staff manuals, and much more.
The work a copy editor completes when they’re providing editorial services for your business can include:
Carrying out minor rewriting of sentences, paragraphs, and sections to highlight your most important messages like your business ideas, products, services, and other areas.
Moving around sections of text so your business content flows logically from point to point.
Understanding the positioning and context of your writing and your audience so that the copy will “land” with the right people in the right way.
Reviewing your business copy for any confusing or ambiguous language and explaining jargon, acronyms, or other unusual terms.
Ensuring the clarity and conciseness of your writing by eliminating unnecessary wording.
Strengthening the outline of the piece and carrying out copy editing so it covers all of the areas that your business readers are interested in.
Updating headings and formatting to make the content easy to scan and understand.
Editing your work to a style or brand guide, whether that’s in-house or an established style guide, like Associated Press.
Working and communicating with you so you always know what’s happening with your business content.
Meeting deadlines for business editing and returning your work.
Using a flexible, friendly, expert approach that meets your business and content needs.
Having the right experience and expertise to provide you with high-quality business editing and add value to the finished content.
What’s not typically included in business editing?
Business copy editing doesn’t typically include the following activities:
Arranging or “flowing” content into new formats or designs. Business copy editing will generally format certain areas including headings, bullet point lists, and line spacing, but will not normally incorporate content into a design template or other style. For these areas, you can use a freelance designer.
Localizing content for another language or region (e.g. U.S. English to Australian English). For business localization, you’ll need a specialist localization editor.
Fact checking. Business copy editing normally assumes you’ve already checked the facts in your business copy.
Writing from scratch. Business copy editing is designed for content that’s already written and needs polishing or enhancing.
Checking for copyright or plagiarism. Most business copy editors will assume you have not copied writing from elsewhere and will not generally check for plagiarism or copyright infringement.
Indexing of content.
Making large scale changes to business content like moving entire chapters or sections.
Assisting you in major development of your work. That requires the skills of a business developmental editor.
Why do you need business copy editing services?
When you start your business, your content and marketing materials are a vital part of differentiating your company from the competition. Whether it’s the monthly issue of the company newsletter, your sales pages, a presentation, or an internal report, you need to present your business in the best possible way.
Of course, if you’ve spent hours writing content, it’s easy to overlook errors. Professional business copy editing will review your content objectively and make improvements so it’s perfect for your audience.
What is the difference between business copy editing and business proofreading?
Business copy editing and business proofreading offer slightly different services for your business content:
Business copy editing will focus on the overall intent of the piece through editing and rewriting business content so it meets the needs of your audience and gets all of your points, ideas, benefits, and features across.
Business proofreading will focus on removing mistakes by checking and correcting grammar, spelling, word usage, and punctuation to ensure business content is error-free.
Both business copy editing and business proofreading are designed to build trust with customers, stakeholders, and readers by clearly explaining your business in an error-free way.
My business copy editing services include business proofreading as part of the editing service.
Will business copy editing fix all the errors in my copy?
Business editing ensures that your written content is perfect for your company’s audience and that it’s ready for publication. Although a business editing service will look for and fix mistakes, a copy editor will mainly focus on “big picture” changes to the style and structure of your writing.
If you want typos, spelling, grammar, or other errors fixed, you may need to:
Hire a business proofreader who can review and fix those mistakes, or
Look for a business editing service that includes proofreading.
Please note that if you request business copy editing from me, I will also proofread your work at no extra charge. You can be confident your content will read well, land with your audience, and that it’s been checked for grammar, spelling, typos, and other issues.
Can you explain the benefits of editorial services for business?
When you start your business, your content and marketing materials are a vital part of differentiating your company from the competition. Whether it’s the monthly company newsletter, your sales pages, a presentation, or an internal report, you need to present your business in the best possible way.
Of course, if you’ve spent hours writing content, it’s easy to overlook errors. Professional business editing will review your content objectively and make improvements so it’s perfect for your audience.
A business editing service offers you several significant benefits as a content creator:
Context: A business editor will read your work thoroughly and carry out copy editing so it makes sense to your company’s internal or external audience.
Accuracy: A business editor will check that the terminology, wording, and other aspects of your writing meet standard English rules.
Clarification: A business editor will remove duplication and ambiguity and explain complex business, industry, and sector terms or jargon.
Focus: A business editor will strengthen and highlight the most important content and key points in your writing.
Consistency: A business editor will make your company’s copy consistent by ensuring similar word usage and formatting both within and across your content.
Action: A business editor will help to guide your readers to specific conclusions, outcomes, and actions, like purchasing a product or service or getting in touch with you.
What is the difference between business editing and business proofreading?
Business editing and business proofreading offer slightly different services for your business content.
Business copy editing will focus on the overall intent of the piece through editing and rewriting so it meets the needs of your audience and gets all of your points, ideas, benefits, and features across.
Business proofreading will focus on removing mistakes by checking and correcting grammar, spelling, word usage, and punctuation to ensure business content is error-free.
Both business copy editing and business proofreading are designed to build trust with customers, stakeholders, and readers by clearly explaining your business in an error-free way.
My business copy editing services include business proofreading as part of the editing service.
I also provide some additional services that you may not find elsewhere:
Comments and advice on how to improve your content.
Localization editing services between different types of English, like U.K. and U.S.
U.K. English and international English copy editing services.
Aftercare services, so if you update your work due to my editing, I will check your changes, free of charge.
How can business editing improve my work?
Business copy editing will enhance your business content across many types of writing.
Advertising copy editing
Your advertising is one of the most important ways you present your business to the world. Advertising copy editing will review your content to check that it reads correctly and doesn’t contain any errors. A business copy editor may also suggest small tweaks that can help it land better with your audience.
Blog post and article editing
Content marketing through articles and blog posts is becoming increasingly important to building authority, boosting SEO, and getting noticed online. A business editing service will review and enhance your online content to make it easy to read, understand, and act on. This will help your articles share your most important concepts in a way that enhances trust and gets people to share your writing.
Business document editing
Business copy editing can ensure that your memos and internal business documents are consistent and share your key thoughts and insights with other stakeholders. Business copy editing can help your business documents make an impact with your peers, partners, suppliers, and other stakeholders.
Business letter editing
If you’re sending out a letter from your business, business copy editing will ensure your correspondence is easy to read, understand, and act on.
Business plan editing
Copy editing for your business plan will tweak your startup document so you share the most important facts and information about your business in a clear and concise way.
Business report editing
Business report copy editing helps your information stand out. Business editing will sharpen your report, focus your supporting information, ensure that the context of the report makes sense, and help the report flow from point to point. Report editing will highlight your key points and present information so that stakeholders can understand the facts and statistics and use them to inform their decisions.
Case study editing
Case studies are a great way to show how your products and services have helped previous clients. Business copy editing will strengthen your case studies, make sure they read well, and show you have the right solutions for your clients’ needs.
Company profile editing
Business copy editing will help you present your organization in the most positive way. Whether you’re creating a website, updating a LinkedIn page, or writing a company profile elsewhere, business copy editing ensures it is easy to read and understand, and highlights what makes you different.
Marketing materials editing
If you produce marketing and promotional materials, business copy editing can help. This service can polish and enhance your traditional advertising, marketing collateral, lead magnets, and more—so everything reads perfectly. Well-worded, pristine copy will build trust in your brand and encourage people to try your products and services.
Newsletter and email editing
Business copy editing will improve your direct-to-customer marketing by ensuring your business content is easy to read and error-free. This service will review your email campaigns and newsletters to strengthen your copy, get your points across, and ensure everything reads well. This all builds trust and encourages your reader to follow the call to action.
Policy and process editing
If you’re defining and documenting your policies and processes for employees, partners, or external customers, you want to ensure everything is easy to read and understand. Business copy editing services will review your policies, processes, and procedures, then edit with the user in mind. The result will be clear, concise wording that makes the statement you need.
Presentation and slide deck editing
Business copy editing will tighten and focus your presentations and slide decks. These services will tweak your presentation copy so it clarifies your most critical points and creates interest with your audience.
Press release editing
Press releases can be an excellent channel to share your latest developments, products, and services with media outlets. Business copy editing can ensure that your press release grabs the interest of a busy journalist and makes it as easy as possible for them to publish your information.
Product description editing
Business copy editing will help you share the features and benefits of your products and services in the most feature-rich, compelling way possible to give you an edge over your competitors in traditional retail or eCommerce. Business copy editing ensures that your product descriptions read well, explain the benefits, and present your business offerings so your potential customers click “buy.”
Proposal and tender editing
Proposals and tenders need to be flawless if you want the best chance of winning the work. Business copy editing will strengthen the way you put your business across and offer suggestions to enhance your proposal to stand out over your competitors and increase your chances of appearing on the shortlist.
Request for proposal (RFP) editing
When it comes to requesting proposals, business copy editing can help you to provide a high-quality RFP so that organizations and vendors responding to the RFP can understand exactly what you need and update their proposals and tenders with accurate pricing and services.
Social media editing
Social media marketing is a vital part of the marketing strategy for most businesses. Business copy editing ensures that your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other posts are well-written to share your brand, products, and services effectively. Whether you’re using paid ads or relying on organic reach, copy editing will sharpen your wording and help your social media content resonate with your audience.
Staff and employee handbook editing
Business copy editing makes your employee handbooks easier to read, understand, and use. These guides contain your most important staff policies, practices, processes, and procedures. Copy editing will remove confusion, duplication, and ambiguity, so staff know exactly what’s expected of them.
Training material editing
You need training materials that are easy to understand and use, and copy editing can help. When it comes to learning new skills, you want your support materials to be as clear and straightforward as possible. Business copy editing will review your training information, lesson plans, and courses, then edit them to make them clear, compelling, and concise.
Web content editing
Business editing will enhance your website and help you persuade your audience. You want to ensure every web page is perfect, from your home page to your about us, mission statement, product pages, and more. Website copy editing refines your online content so that it reads perfectly, is internally consistent, and shares what makes your business unique and able to meet the needs of your customers.
White paper editing
White papers can be excellent lead magnets to attract potential clients to your business. It’s important that a white paper reads well, covers all of your key points, and has a logical and easy-to-understand structure. Business copy editing can sharpen and strengthen any white paper.
Are there other areas where a business editing service can help?
You can find more information on my business editing services across several areas:
What are the main principles of editing for business?
A professional business editor will review and update your content in a specific way and apply various editorial principles. They will read your business writing several times and use their skills to modify it from a draft to a final, polished piece. A business copy editor is not a ghostwriter, and they may request that you make substantive changes or major revisions to ensure your content is perfect.
An editor will look at several aspects of your work, asking questions and making changes to satisfy the following principles:
Purpose and context: What is the overall intent of your business content? What are the key points that you want to highlight? What is the context of your work?
Audience: Who are the intended readers of your content? How are you sharing your business writing with them? How do you want your audience to act once they have read the copy?
Introduction: Is your writing interesting enough to draw a reader in and does it provide context and position the rest of your business content? Can the introduction be strengthened to engage the reader on a deeper level?
Organization and flow: Is your business text well organized and does it flow logically and smoothly from one part to the next? Is it easy for the reader to move through the copy so they know where they are in your content?
Concise versus extraneous: Does your business content need to be sharpened to strengthen understanding? Can the business copy editor reign in unruly text, get rid of fluff, eliminate industry jargon, and reduce flowery or overwrought language?
Focus and clarity: Does your writing get the most important business ideas across in the most efficient way so that the reader has a good understanding of all key points? Is the piece as focused as it could be?
Tone and style: Is the use of first-, second-, or third-person consistent throughout? Are past, present, and future tenses used correctly? Does the writing feel like it’s been created by multiple authors? A business editor can create a streamlined approach, tone of voice, and style for the work.
Content length: Is the length of your business content appropriate? Are individual sentences and paragraphs the right size to share information?
Wrap up and conclusion: Does your business copy end with an appropriate call to action? Does the work feel complete?
Guidance, advice, and feedback: Will additional feedback be useful to help you enhance your work further?
What is the business editing process?
A good business copy editing service will follow some version of this process:
Communicate with you to understand your business editing requirements and what you want from the edited content.
Gather any special instructions for business editing, including your intended audience.
Read through your business writing to understand its positioning, context, and key points from the perspective of your intended reader.
Complete a first pass of your writing, copy editing as they go. Your business copy editor is looking to make changes to enhance and strengthen your content, so it reads well and achieves its purpose.
Ask questions as needed to help clarify the meaning and intent of your work.
Provide advice and comments for your work, where needed.
Proofread your work as part of a second read, correcting for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other areas. Note that not all business editors provide proofreading as part of their service.
Track all changes to your business content, normally using “Track Changes” in MS Word.
Keep you updated on progress with your work.
Return your content to you by your deadline.
Please note that I do provide a combined business editing and proofreading service as standard and at no extra charge. I also offer an “aftercare” service, which means if you make a change to your business content as a result of my comments and questions, I will re-check those parts. There is no additional fee for aftercare.
Will business editing completely change my initial work?
No. Business editorial services are designed to enhance your existing content so it reads better and flows well. A good business copy editor will strengthen your piece while retaining your unique brand, tone of voice, style, and approach.
Can I edit my own business content?
If you’re confident of your business writing, editing, and proofreading skills, then you can copy edit your own work. In most cases, though, it’s always wise to have a professional look over your content. A business copy editor has likely worked on hundreds or thousands of pieces and can provide editing, guidance, and feedback. Hiring a business copy editor will be money well spent.
How much does business editing cost?
You might wonder how much you’ll pay for business copy editing services. Here are the answers you need.
What factors affect the price of business editing?
The fees for business copy editing services vary depending on several areas. Business editors with higher qualifications and more advanced skills will charge a little more. Likewise, copy editors with plenty of experience may be priced higher. Business editors may also charge higher fees depending on what you need them to do. For example, I charge slightly more if you need some types of specialist editing like localization or working to a style guide.
Some business copy editing services will also charge more depending on your deadlines. I don’t charge extra for returning work quickly, and always return your business editing as soon as I complete it.
How much should I expect to pay for a business editing service?
As a guide price, most business copy editing services (mine included) charge between $30 and $50 per hour, depending on the type and depth of work you need. Most business editors won’t actually invoice you by the hour, but instead they’ll price depending on several factors, including:
How many words are in your business content.
The type and depth of business copy editing you need.
How quickly you want your work returned.
Whether you need business proofreading as well.
This allows a business copy editing service to provide a fixed quote for completing specific pieces of work. It also means you can budget more effectively, so it’s better for everyone.
Shouldn’t I get the cheapest option when choosing an editing service for my business?
When it comes to good editing, the cheapest is definitely not the best. A good business copy editor will have experience and insight into editing for businesses, including understanding what their readers are looking for. You will pay a little more for that expertise, but you’ll get more polished work which will work better for your audience.
This all sounds great, how do I get you to edit my business content?
I’m glad you asked. You can get an instant quote here, or head over here to get in touch. Thanks!
Other terms related to business editing: Business copy editing, business writing, business copy editor, business proofreading, business proofreader, business writing, business editor.